I got an email from someone indicating interest in a set of pipes I’m selling. Negotiations were going well until the buyer mentioned he wouldn’t need me to ship, as he had a “pick-up agent” who would collect the pipes, but that I’d have to pay the shipping, and he’d refund me.
This is a fairly common “Re-shipping Scam”. If you are selling items and the buyer mentions using a Pick-Up Agent, be very careful and insist on using only well-known shipping companies.
Also, if the “buyer” prepays with PayPal or a similar system, it’s likely he’s using a stolen credit card number, and PayPal will cancel the transaction.
I’ve just had the same thing. ‘‘Kevin R mcdonald’’ said he wanted to buy a set but i needed to pay some money before paypal would release the cash as he was at sea with the navy!!
Yes, a very common scam. I can’t believe anyone falls for it, as it makes no sense. If you are selling an item, the buyer should be paying the shipper or pick up agent, not the seller! I’ve seen sellers ship their item and send payment to the scammer. Both the item and the cash are never seen again.
People should also never give their banking information, or debit card information to people they don’t know.
Never accept a money order as payment (unless you are sure you know the person.) Fake money orders are extremely easy to make with the cheap copiers that are available today.
And don’t even get me started on transactions involving Nigeria…
As for IP addresses, there are apps that will let you pick any location you want.
I was approached twice for a set of UP I had listed on Uilleann Obsession. Both inquiries were worded about the same, but listed different “buyers”. I googled the name of the first and found he had tried the same scam for a harp and other expensive items. Both buyers wanted to purchase my “item” and asked nothing about the pipes. Obvious scam, but it has caught a few unwary sellers. In this case, let the seller beware. I wrote the second inquirer and told him the only way he could have it was for his “pick-up agent” to bring the cash for it. I never heard back.
I’ve another prospective buyer. This time he’s not a sailor but a roughneck on an offshore installation in New Zealand!!
So far, he’s expressed interest in the “item” for sale, said it’s for his son and wanted to confirm the price. Next email, he’s offshore and can only pay via paypal. I say sure, and where are you located so I can get a price for shipping. Then he says his “pick-up” agent only accepts payment via Western Union and wants to know if I could send payment to Western Union on his behalf. Of course, he’ll add the agent’s costs to the amount he’ll send via PayPal.
I’m bored today so I’ll see how far along I can string him.