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Original poster

I stupidly gave my address and have been daft

160 replies

Tevion28 · 23/01/2022 02:16

I am selling something on Gumtree for £600 that any potential buyer has to collect anyway somebody messaged me on Gumtree to say its very nice and that they want it. They then gave me thier email and asked me to message them on it. I messaged saying hi and they replied saying they want it and can they have my details including address in order to pick it up and pay by PayPal.
I gave all details and I then got a message from them saying they had paid the £600 plus an additional £100 but its pending in my account and won't be available to me until I've paid an amount via Amazon to the courier to collect it. I checked my PayPal it wasn't showing anything as pending but I got a PayPal notification which I found in my spam saying I have £700 pending. I have now ignored the buyer has I think they are up to something and I've had another email saying how can I be so heartless as if I don't follow through they can't get thier £700 back. I'm getting worried as I previously gave my address. I'm so bloody stupid.

OP posts:
TeamBlondie · 23/01/2022 08:57

Don’t panic about it. Report them and block them. They live no where near you.

RandomLondoner · 23/01/2022 08:59

Try all they want but there is no way I would send £100 without seeing the money available in my account.

First, ignore any notifications. It's in your spam account for a reason. If you want to see if you've been paid, login to your paypal account. (Not following a link from any email, obviously.)

Second, even if the money were in your paypal account, it could still be a scam. In that type of scam, they actually collect the goods, then reverse the payment afterwards, telling paypal you never handed over the goods. That's why someone told you that whenever you sell an item that's being personally collected, you get the person to pay cash. A cash payment cannot be reversed later.

Mollymoostoo · 23/01/2022 09:07

@Tevion28

It says on the PayPal notification that it can't be reversed and £100 needs paying by amazon gift card or bank transfer never seen this type of scam before.
Tell them you have passed their email to Amazon customer services to sort out as amazon has no link to PayPal or gumtree. Also state you have made a report to action fraud and the Police. (Make sure you do report this via their website and then block the scammer)
Lovemusic33 · 23/01/2022 09:14

It a common scam, someone tried this with me yesterday on market place, as soon as they mentioned sending a courier I told them to f#£k off.

Just tell them. That you know it’s a scam and have passed details on to the police to deal with. I wouldn’t worry about them turning up on your door, chances are they don’t live in this country and operate from abroad.

CharityDingle · 23/01/2022 09:14

That's a well known scam. Always watch out for someone overpaying, or should I say pretending to overpay. And the courier nonsense.

Block and move on, no harm done.

Dutchesss · 23/01/2022 09:25

There's no pending money. There's nobody in a wheelchair missing out. It's all a lie. You have absolutely no worries about them coming to your house because the scammers will not want to expose themselves. They're hoping for an easy £100.

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 23/01/2022 09:30

This is such a well known scam, of course they aren't going to be coming roundto your house

Report to Gumtree and Paypal and block them

You'd think no one would still be falling for this one after so many years, the scammers must be raking it in

fuckyourpronouns · 23/01/2022 09:34

100% scam. They're always miles away in a wheelchair with one leg and a dying child/parent 🙄 and will send a courier

I guarantee that money will never actually clear in your account. Just refuse to engage with them any further.

3Daddy31982 · 23/01/2022 09:35

I'm in a wheelchair. It's amazing but it moves with the wheels...don't worry about the blackmail x be some wally in a developing country.

MsJaneAusten · 23/01/2022 09:38

Just double checking… to get into your PayPal account, did you follow a link they’d sent you, or log in via the app?

If you’ve followed a link, then put in your password, it could be a phishing scam and you need to go back to PayPal (via app or website, not their link) and change your password asap.

Badhairday101 · 23/01/2022 09:52

I had around 20 of these messages from different people when selling a phone on Marketplace.
Usually that the money had been transferred and was pending in my account and would be released once proof of postage was sent. Obviously a scam.

Yuckypretty · 23/01/2022 09:53

It's defo a scam. They won't do anything with your address they want your money not harass you in person. They won't want anyone to know who they are so they certainly won't be turning up at your house. They may not even be UK based and very unlikely they are local. They will be sending these same messages to hundreds of others. You are just a number to them.

FrogIAm · 23/01/2022 09:59

Scam.
They might also ask PayPal for TV r money back for the whole £600 and say it wasn’t received the item.

Screenshot everything you can as they’ll soon block you when you don’t play ball.
If they want a courier paid they pay them direct. No need to send you the money to do so

AssignedBlobbyAtBirth · 23/01/2022 10:05

It's a well known scam as others have already said but you shouldn't be offering PayPal for collect items anyway because its open to another scam. The item is collected, buyer contacts PayPal and says item not received, you have no proof of postage and they get refunded and keep the item
Collect items should be cash on collection. Its the only safe way

Chiochan · 23/01/2022 10:09

Gumtree is full of crooks! I tried to sell a bike on it once. Got endless messages from scammers.
Not sure what you can do about the address thing, maybe contact neighborhood police and explain what has happend and get their advice?

DontTellThemYourNamePike · 23/01/2022 10:09

Agree with everyone else that it's a scam. Don't worry about giving out your address - I think you're safe to ignore them. Let's face it, if they are a scammer they're unlikely to turn up on your doorstep. These people operate covertly. They don't want to be caught.

We have sold a few things on Gumtree and always say collection only and cash on collection. If somebody wants an item enough they will come and get it, with the cash in their little mitt. Or they will send someone else to collect if they can't do it themselves. We were caught out by a couple of sob stories, thankfully causing inconvenience rather than anything else. So we're hard as nails now when it comes to selling stuffGrinGrin

AttilaTheMeerkat · 23/01/2022 10:14

"It says on the PayPal notification that it can't be reversed and £100 needs paying by amazon gift card or bank transfer "

No genuine person ever asks for such terms. This has scam written all over it. They won't do anything with your address and only want your money. Ignore this "buyer" and chalk this one up to experience.

WonderfulYou · 23/01/2022 10:15

You absolutely did the right thing.

Their mistake was saying they’ve sent you an extra £100 - literally no one would do that 😂

Just remember this isn’t personal and they do it to anyone.
If you can try and report them and explain to gumtree what happened so they can put a warning in their page.

Cherrysoup · 23/01/2022 10:22

A scam, probably the person isn’t even in the U.K. Try not to worry.

Notbluepeter · 23/01/2022 10:24

Never ever accept PayPal or a bank transfer for something that's being collected. Cash only.

phishy · 23/01/2022 10:28

@XelaM

If they have paid, you can't cancel! Why is it "pending"?
🙄
pumpkintree · 23/01/2022 10:48

Just report this. Send an email back with the crime reference number

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 23/01/2022 10:50

@Tevion28

It says on the PayPal notification that it can't be reversed and £100 needs paying by amazon gift card or bank transfer never seen this type of scam before.
Except that isn’t form PayPal it’s a scam
PriamFarrl · 23/01/2022 11:13

There is a sign in my local Wilko on the unit selling gift cards that if you are being asked to buy gift cards as payment for anything online then it’s likely a scam and to contact action fraud.

FrogIAm · 23/01/2022 14:44

@PriamFarrl

There is a sign in my local Wilko on the unit selling gift cards that if you are being asked to buy gift cards as payment for anything online then it’s likely a scam and to contact action fraud.
I really like that they’ve done that, as it would be older/more vulnerable people going out to buy cards like that.