Scam?

[AnonymousCheerleader]

I can't believe I'm even writing this. Honestly.

A person has randomly approached me on Instagram to ask if he (presumably) can buy a pair of my old shoes for £60.

Initially, I thought it was a joke and played along, expecting whoever it is to disappear eventually. I sent him a photo of a really old pair of work shoes and he wants them. He's offered to send the money via PayPal or bank transfer.

I haven't sent him any details, but is this a scam? I can't work out what's going on if it is, or is he genuinely just into gross old shoes?

Probably has a shoe fetish!

It's a sexual fetish.

If you have got pictures of yourself on there, it may be a fetish involving you.

If you have an unusual shoe size, either very small or very large, then that adds to it.

Small shoes = paedophile fetish.

@boomchikawowwow

Probably has a shoe fetish!

No judgement from me if he does. I'll send him all my old shoes for £60!

I just want to make sure this isn't a new scam I've not heard of before.

I guess PayPal would be safer but I don't have it as I got hacked years ago.

It might be a scam but more likely he has a fetish.

Some people make money by selling their old shoes, along with pics of them being worn.

Each to their own.

Either way, I wouldn't get involved. If you want to start selling your old shoes use a trusted platform such as eBay.

I've known people make a lot of money selling shoes to fetishists. As long as the ONLY thing you are risking is a pair of old shoes, make sure he can't get any of your details at all

I don't necessarily want to get into it. This person approached me randomly.

I rarely post on Instagram and when I do it's home improvements or clothes!

I'd be wary as this is a personalised approach. You don't want to end up with a stalker. He might start pestering you for more things.

if you are uncomfortable, just say no, or ignore, no problem

Fetish. I had a friend who had a couple of pairs on eBay and a guy from Russia got in touch to ask if she had any more and could she send photos of her wearing them.

She told him to fuck off.

I'd do it. Some women get paid very handsomely for pics of their feet and all sorts.

Yeah, it's a foot fetish thing.

Some women make a fortune!

I'd be wary. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. At the very least read up on different ways scammers use PayPal. thetechieguy.com/paypal-scams/#aoh=16286193786777&amp_ct=1628619569380&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s

I do have nice feet...

Can I get scammed if I gave him my sort code / account number?

@AnonymousCheerleader

I do have nice feet...

Can I get scammed if I gave him my sort code / account number?

He could potentially impersonate you, or get someone else to impersonate you, to access your bank account. He could also pass your details on to another scammer, so you'd get phishing phonecalls, texts etc. from someone who knew your bank details pretending to be your bank or some other official organisation..

It's best to avoid giving your bank details out if at all possible.

Send him my way, I'd be happy to offload my old shoes for ££ 😂

There are thousands of people selling their used shoes online if that's what he's into. Think about, why would he approach you if you've never been into this?

It's just phishing, if they hit up enough people on Instagram they will eventually find someone who needs £60. Then the games begin.

I’ve done this in the past. Don’t anymore though- don’t really have the time/inclination.

It’s handy money. Get him to pay via PayPal friends and family option.

I think it's probably some type of phishing scam as well.

But, how? How could I be scammed?

Sorry I feel stupid but I can't see it.

Like I said above, if they have your bank details that's a potential route to your money. They might be able to gather other info from your social media and use this to impersonate you convincingly. Or your details might be sold to a scam company and you then get bombarded with phishing calls/emails which even if you recognise them for what they are will be a damn nuisance.

Either it's a scam or you have been targeted by a fetishist but either way it's best to disengage.

If you want to get into selling used shoes do it on eBay where it's relatively anonymous.