Selling your used items online has become so commonplace, and scams taking advantage of online sellers have evolved and increased. PACK & SEND Belconnen recently helped a customer avoid a scam, and would like to share the experience to educate the public and prevent others from falling victim.
The scam generally goes like this:
You post a high-value item, like a used mobile phone or laptop, for sale online. Soon after, you get an email from a buyer willing to pay full price or more! He sets the following conditions: he is only willing to pay by PayPal, wants it Express Couriered and needs the carrier's tracking number immediately so that the PayPal funds can be released into your account.
What’s really going on? A ruse to steal your high-value item!
Here are some dos and don’ts that may help:
There is just one simple “DO”
- ALWAYS log into your PayPal (or similar) account to check and confirm that the funds have been transferred before you ship your product! Scammers can produce payment/transfer documentation that look authentic but you cannot rely on these as a confirmation of payment.
DON’T
- Don’t assume that every buyer is trustworthy.
- Never follow links the “buyer” may provide in their email.
- Don’t take the bait if they want to help you set up a PayPal account if you don’t have one. The link they provide could send you to a website masquerading as PayPal. Any information you enter will be collected by the bogus buyer, and may be used to commit fraud. If you need to set up an account, go directly to PayPal.com.
PACK & SEND Belconnen recently helped a customer avoid a $950 scam by advising her to check with PayPal first before she sent her iPhone 6S Plus to the USA. Read about her experience and notice how sophisticated the scammer was...
Peter saved my life yesterday! I posted my iPhone 6s Plus for sale ( $750) on Gumtree the other night, and within few minutes received a message from a buyer asking for my email. He emailed me saying that he had deposited $950 (including shipping costs) into my account via PayPal. I received an email from 'PayPal' confirming the transaction, with a request to send the iPhone via FedEx express next day delivery. I was instructed to provide the transaction number so that the funds could be released into my account as the status was still pending. Everything seemed absolutely legit including all emails! I went into PACK & SEND Belconnen to post the iPhone. Peter asked me few questions regarding the postage, and I explained to him where and why I was posting the phone. He told me straightaway that the transaction seemed fraudulent. I insisted that it wasn't and showed him all the emails. He still continued to caution me and asked me to call PayPal first to ensure the transaction from the buyer really took place. He googled the number and I rang them. And I'm sure you can guess the rest... It was all false and I couldn't believe my luck... I'm still in shock! Peter practically saved me from losing $750 + $130 postage+ cost of new phone. Her could've easily done business with me, but because of the kind man that he is, he decided to help me to prevent the fraud. Thank you for your kindness yesterday. We need more people like you!
At PACK & SEND, we go over and above for our customers, regardless of the situation. We're glad we could help our customer in this instance, and hope to raise awareness of such scams to prevent others from falling prey to them.
If you come across a scam, notify the Australian Competition and Consumer Association’s Scam Watch at www.scamwatch.gov.au.