Urgent Paypal help pls?

[52andblue]

I am selling a Pram on Gumtree (new to me)
A buyer wants to purchase it via Paypal and to arrange their own courier
I have an old paypal account which i never use but is live and they have asked me to send them my paypal email and registered name so they can send the money (its an unusual pram and a a good buy)

2 Qu's:
I cant work out how to find that info from paypal (doh!)
Is this a standard way of doing it? it's £250 so I don't want scammed?

Another way to put them off would be to say it's collection only because you can't pack the pram for safe delivery by courier.

I've refused to sell bulky items to distant people who want them sent by post/courier because I can't be arsed packing them up properly, and finding a courier that will take a large and/or heavy parcel for a sensible price although obviously I put it more politely than that.

FFS.

I now have an email saying I have been paid £550.
(£250 for items, and £300 for courier, pls can I send them on the £)!

I DO have an email from 'service'IntPaypal' but no funds in my actual Paypal account thank goodness.

Do I just reply to confirm all this and say I have reported to paypal and if they contact me again i will report to Police? (can I even do that?)

I have an unwell child to collect and don't need this. Grrr.

Report to ebay.

The extra money is a classic scam technique.

No doubt the 'courier' is just one of the 'gang' who's hoping to turn up on your doorstep to be given two prams and £300.

It's not an Ebay transaction.

Please tell me you haven't given them your address?

I'd report them on Gumtree and then block them.

Sorry, all this Paypal talk has confused me.

Maybe the police is the way to go. Or see what the Gumtree online safety stuff advises:

help.gumtree.com/s/safety

In an ideal world the regulator (police, Gumtree, etc) would act on the report and be in your house posing as you when the 'courier' turns up to arrest them, but what's more likely to happen is that you'll report it to them and you'll get a generic response about them taking fraud very seriously and they'll look into it, before never hearing from them again.

Don’t let them arrange their own courier ever. Even in a genuine situation. You take payment via goods and services and you post only to their registered PayPal address on a tracked and signed for service (at their cost obviously).

Obviously this doesn’t apply to furniture or large other items where postal delivery is an issue. This could include OP’s prams.

Many people use couriers to move eBay sales without issue. Ask for cash on collection, payment via PayPal F&F or bank transfer and it’s fine. It’s not guaranteed to be a scam just because they have arranged their own courier🙄

Cut and paste their message into a Google search - it's totally generic.

They mock up a fake PayPal email so it looks like PayPal have emailed you to say you've received money. Then they say they've overpaid and can you send the remaining amount back to them.

If you check your real PayPal account there will be no transfer made. Just ignore them, don't click any links and don't fall for this again!

I've given a postcode but not the exact address, no.

My pram ad went on Gumtree last night.
I got a message through Gumtree asking me to text an email address.
Which I did.
The person then explained they could only pay by paypal (so i gave my email and full name in addition to my postcode, but no more)
I got a bit worried when they didnt seem bothered about when courier would arrive / wrap etc (its a huge silver cross pram!) and i posted here. I immediately emailed them to say: sorry, not comfortable, been advised by Paypal it might be a scam, please DONT send money. will only sell you item cash on collection or if I arrange a courier.
I then got the message about sending an extra £300 and can I 'pay it on'. Christ, I hope no one turns up, I am disabled myself (why I was initially sympathetic about courier), alone and with kids

www.paypal-community.com/t5/Payments/Is-this-a-Paypal-Scam-on-Gumtree/td-p/976894#

This is almost the same word for word

They will move on to the next one, I don't think you need to worry. Fuckers! Glad you posted. Cash on collection for a pram, don't entertain anything else.

100% a scam, no question.

@nitgel OP hasn't received any money, the email is not really from PayPal. If she refunds she will be out £500 as she's not actually received anything

From shaloms link they haven't even bothered changing any words

@52andblue

urgh.... I'd sent my paypal email to them...

how can it be a scam? (so I know for another time)

Unless its sent via friends and family they can pull the money back claiming goods not received not as described etc

OP will have nothing to refund. The email saying she's received money is a spoof/fake.

This is such a well known scam....as a pp said even the wording the 'buyer' has used has been used by other scammers before.

@52andblue - if you're still reading, don't reply to this person anymore, you owe them absolutely nothing, not even your time. Just block them & look for a new cash-on-collection buyer.

Oh sorry will get my post deleted

My husband got scammed this way. Advertised a new phone and someone said they wanted to buy it. PayPal account said money pending so he sent it. Only to not get paid and no reply. £700 wasted.

The extra money is a classic scam technique

So - as often as not - is the one about "just having had surgery/being housebound"

And to whoever said that people use couriers all the time, that's their own couriers. NEVER allow a buyer to use "theirs", as that way you've got no proof of delivery

I then got the message about sending an extra £300 and can I 'pay it on'. Christ, I hope no one turns up

Unlikely anyone will turn up. It's the £300 they are trying to scam you for - overpayment scams are very common.

Never send on or refund any money someone has 'overpaid' you.

I was selling a piece of furniture for £75 i got sent a cheque for £750 with the request that I arrange the courier myself and "keep the change" I didnt cash the cheque sold it to someone local instead he was "housebound" too

Nothing's going to happen, they send the same email to just about everyone selling something similar, it's a numbers game. They aren't going come round to yout house, they quite probably aren't even UK based

Just block them, report fit makes you feel better but nothing will stop them