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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
PayPal Scam
Kolman Rosenberg, Photographer
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Mentor | OH | USA | Posted: 2:17 PM on 09.29.08 |
->> It's my first time using PayPal and I've got a suspicious offer. I've got a lens for sale on Craigslist and got the following email. Note, the string is in reverse order:
Dear seller,thanks for your response,below is my son postal address.
Alabi Bamidele
No 38 Railway Station,Lafenwa
Abeokuta
Ogun State
234039
Nigeria
I look forward to receive your paypal id so that i can send the
payment to you paypal account.Many thanks.
On 9/29/08, Kolman Rosenberg wrote:
> That will work.
>
> Tell me where I would be sending the lens.
>
> Kolman
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Mike Stewart
> To: Kolman Rosenberg
> Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 8:26 PM
> Subject: Re: AF Nikkor 80-200 f-2.8 D
>
>
> Thanks for your response,Well am buying the item for my son schooling
> abroad,and i will be paying you through pay pal.While i will add
> $150usd for the postage fee through USPS express mail by (EMS) to
> him,so you simply get back to me asap with your pay pal email address
> or you can easily send me an invoice through pay pal.so that i can
> send the payment to you pay pal account asap.I look forward to hear
> from you soon.Many thanks
It looked suspicious from the start, but when I saw an address it Nigeria, I really got worried. Is there some way he could be scamming me on PayPal? I haven't done anything yet. |
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Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | US | Posted: 2:31 PM on 09.29.08 |
| ->> Scam. Run. Fast. |
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Ian Donald, Photographer
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Antioch | CA | USA | Posted: 2:41 PM on 09.29.08 |
->> Q: "...Is there some way he could be scamming me on PayPal? ..."
A: Yes...
I know Photography is very popular in Nigeria but they have already bought more cameras than KEH & B & H combined - they don't need any more...
:-) |
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Kevin Leas, Photographer, Assistant
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 2:50 PM on 09.29.08 |
->> Kolman: plain and simple, NEVER ship anything you're selling on Craigslist. If they won't meet you in person and put cash in your hand, kindly refuse the sale.
Warning signs on your particular case:
1) Nigeria
2) broken English (below is my son postal address???)
3) Nigeria
4) there is no #4
5) Nigeria |
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Juerg Schreiter, Photographer
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Fort Lauderdale | FL | USA | Posted: 2:52 PM on 09.29.08 |
| ->> :-) haha just email him you send you the funds by Western Union :-) |
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Octavian Cantilli, Student/Intern
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Kissimmee | FL | United States | Posted: 3:17 PM on 09.29.08 |
->> Kolman!
This is a big time scam.
I received the exact same message from "Arshley Smith" to send my stuff to the same address you listed.
I refused to send it to any other address than what was listed on the Paypal account that sent me the money.
I then went ahead and sent Smith a request for payment. Shortly thereafter I got a confirmation from Papal that the money was in my account, but there was a note that Smith still wanted me to send my stuff to Nigeria.
I was concerned, so I called Papal and they said they never sent me confirmation e-mail.
The next day Smith e-mailed me again inquiring why he/she never got a tracking number and that if he/she didn't receive one soon Papal would press charges against me.
Long story short this is a "spoof"
Ignore all correspondence with his person! However, I wouldn't go so far to say don't sell your stuff to people (contacted you through craigslist.org) that want you to send it off somewhere. I have done this numerous times before with no problems. Just be very very careful and do everything you can to protect yourself. |
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Kolman Rosenberg, Photographer
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Mentor | OH | USA | Posted: 4:04 PM on 09.29.08 |
->> Thanks everybody. You all confirmed my suspicions!
Thanks especially to Delane who took the time to give me a personal call to make sure I got his post!
We sometimes take SportsShooter for granted and sometimes there are some contentious exchanges and upset members, but this is the most valuable time I spend everyday, reviewing SS messages and learning from them! I'm only a few years into shooting fulltime after 35+ years of doing it as a side job while working for Uncle Sam.
I just hope everyone realizes what a great brother/sisterhood this site is!!! I truly appreciate it! |
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David Bailey, Photographer
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Flower Mound | TX | USA | Posted: 5:49 PM on 09.29.08 |
| ->> Nigeria is all I have to hear. |
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Curtis Clegg, Photographer
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Belvidere | IL | USA | Posted: 6:04 PM on 09.29.08 |
->> Ha ha every time I read a thread like this I have to go back and re-read the page about scamming the scammers, originally posted here by Lyle Waisman almost three years ago:
http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/ |
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David Croxford, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Honolulu | HI | USA | Posted: 5:43 AM on 09.30.08 |
| ->> For confirmation, and if you suspect a scam, a simple note to paypal at spoof@paypal.com will get you a pretty quick response one way or the other. Paypal has always been super responsive to these sort of scams and can verify or discount any thing you send them. generally though, anything involving Nigeria is trouble! |
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Ed Coombs, Photographer
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Available upon | NY | | Posted: 9:28 AM on 09.30.08 |
->> They have probably stolen a Paypal ID and will pay you via credit card attached to stolen account. Apparently there is also a money order service through paypal. You need to be very careful with Paypal. They can charge your account back for various reasons and then whack your bank account if you withdraw all your paypal funds. It is then up to you to prove to paypal it was a legit exchange. Not sending your item to the verified address voids all protection paypal offers.
So, when you get a paypal transaction from Illinois yet they ask you to ship to Nigeria, Kenya or anywhere else... you're getting scammed. Want a money order only? Make them send US postal money orders you can cash at post office.
Good luck |
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Kolman Rosenberg, Photographer
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Mentor | OH | USA | Posted: 10:47 AM on 09.30.08 |
->> Glad I had suspicions and got some advice from SS members!
Thanks also to Jim Atoa who responded on my email!
I reported the responder to PayPal and responded to him that I would only sell to a local buyer for cash.
Wish I had read the "Scamming the Scammers" post from Curtis first. It's priceless (read it if you haven't). I would have loved to have done something like that, but don't have the creativity or sophistication with this stuff.
Anyway, thanks everyone! |
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