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I'm currently selling a couple of bikes and have been contacted (via another site where they are listed) about one of them. I'm fairly certain the person is a scammer, my other half says I'm too suspicious, so I'm interested to see what the consensus is.
- Buyers account created on the day he messaged me about the bike
- Strange phrasing (asked me for my "length" when meaning height to see if the bike would fit
- Asking to ship the bike (in a box, wheels out of the frame) to an address in one city, then giving an address & postcode in another city
- Address is for a (fairly run down looking) auto parts store
- Asking for it to be addressed FAO one person, with an addressee name of a different person, neither of which align with the name he signs his messages off with.
- No negotiation on price so far, just asking if I can ship to deliver next week.
Thoughts?
Smells of scam
Yes. Its probably to negate any payment protection- you've not said, but is it paypal ?.
If things dont make sense its because something is wrong, and if something is wrong it is something to be concerned about.
The newly created account is another sign of a scam. Not always but theres too many 'odd' things about it for you to be happy.
I'd just stop answering any emails from them and continue with trying to sell it. If they pester you further, highlight the odd conflicting details and refuse point blank.
asked me for my “length”
tell them its 1.3m. 😆
So long as you get the money ahead of shipping the bikes then I guess it doesn't matter. Some people are just disorganised. A real pro and successful scammer wouldn't be so careless and scam you before you even suspected anything.
Forgot to add the detail that's throwing me a bit, he said he's fine to pay by PP or bank transfer, but would prefer a bank transfer.
PayPal only protects you for shipping to the address on account I believe? Even that isnt foolproof - they give you a false address that doesn't actually exist (or have a parcel marked FAO a person who doesnt work there), package is rejected. They contact courier with a 'correct' address but dispute with PP for non delivery. Your proof of postage is rejected by PP as it is for a different address...
If you get paid by balance transfer it's pretty hard to reverse. Very little protection for the buyer. Plenty of people have weird set ups for delivery too (or maybe it's to hide it from the wife). Even the mismatched name thing is surprisingly common on emails. All that said, any suspicions and I'd walk away. It's a shame if it's a genuine but disorganised buyer but if it's priced ok someone else will buy it.
I now always look at these things as if I was the buyer trying to scam somebody, how could I make the scam - this happened to me with bank transfer for some road bike carbon wheels a few years back.
Buyer paid bank transfer from an advert in a cycling group on facebook. I drove up and hand delivered them thinking it was safe.
Nearly 2 months later my bank account was stopped as the bank had a report of fraud, saying the purchaser hadn't received goods they'd paid for.
Met the buyers brother in a car park who then walked off with them and didn't get into a car.
Explaining that to the bank sounded very dodgy and was probably why the scammer hoped they would get away with it. Luckily I'd insisted on a mobile phone text conversation with the buyer before hand and also asked the chap I gave them to a question which only they would know.
Probably more luck on my part was that I'd saved the texts for some daft reason, so could prove the comments. Bank was unfrozen instantly.
So bank transfers can bight you in the backside.
At the very least I'd try get some mobile texts as evidence of some for of communication.
As a general rule, if you are unsure as to whether something is a scam......then it probably is.
A real pro and successful scammer wouldn’t be so careless and scam you before you even suspected anything
Ever noticed how scam emails are very obviously scams? Ever wondered how they work?
As a general rule, if you are unsure as to whether something is a scam……then it probably is.
Yep, sell it the next buyer.
Cheers all, confirmed my thoughts tbh, if something smells fishy, walk away.
Definitely walk away, if its genuine then they are doing a good job of making it seem like its not.
Would you rather upset a genuine buyer or get scammed? i know which one i'd prefer.
As a general rule, if you are unsure as to whether something is a scam……then it probably is.
Indeed. If you have to ask, then...
At the end of the day, even if it's legitimate, which it surely isn't, why take the chance? Do you think they're the only prospective buyer on the planet?
If it’s funded by a stolen credit card, any transaction, even PayPal gift or bank transfer, can be reversed.