how does this scam work?

[PaulWarning]

I've got an item on FB marketplace, someone has been in touch offering to collect the item using a DPD, they will give me the cash on collection, how does this scam work?

[Doctor J]

DPD, or any other courier, won't hand over cash. 

 

They'll contact you late into proceedings to say they'll pay by paypal instead. Then dispute it and get their money back.

[PaulWarning]

Yes I knew it was a scam, like you say, couriers don't hand over cash, just wondered how it worked

[Saul Panzer]

37 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

they will give me the cash on collection, how does this scam work?

The only way I see that working would be via. a person who has found/brought something with the DPD name and logo (can't be impossible to get a cheap high-viz and hat made) and also has a handful of forged cash at the ready.

Wouldn't be much of a scam if they turn up wearing DPD gear and still pay you with real money, they'd just be buying the item...in costume.

 

Sounds scammy yeah, legit companies want the paper trail of bank transfers or real payment processors.

[Reggaebass]

Isn’t this one where they send you a link to insure the cash with the courier and there’s something dodgy with the link? , or similar 

[warwickhunt]

I've played along with this little scenario with an identical 'buyer'.  They go through the process and then say that it'll need insurance for the cash side of the transaction; they ask you to pay that upfront but not to worry as they'll reimburse you in full with the cash they send you... can you see what's going to happen?  

 

You pay them the insurance and you'll not hear from them again.  They aren't after the item, your bank details or a large sum of money but if they can get enough gullible people to pay £20-£30 in insurance to them, it's worth it.

[warwickhunt]

They ask you for your email address etc (I'm assuming to set up a payment) and I've even given them ludicrous email accounts and names.  Including that my address was 'Police Headquarters', I've used the name 'Chief Inspector Warwickhunt' and that my department was 'Fraud Department'.  They never twigged but just kept sending messages that they'd tried the email address to send a link to the courier.  I suggested that maybe it was [email protected] rather than [email protected]... they just kept firing messages asking had I received the link and paid the insurance.  

[PaulWarning]

5 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

I've played along with this little scenario with an identical 'buyer'.  They go through the process and then say that it'll need insurance for the cash side of the transaction; they ask you to pay that upfront but not to worry as they'll reimburse you in full with the cash they send you... can you see what's going to happen?  

 

You pay them the insurance and you'll not hear from them again.  They aren't after the item, your bank details or a large sum of money but if they can get enough gullible people to pay £20-£30 in insurance to them, it's worth it.

that does sound plausible, after all they don't really want the item, so there's no point in obtaining it from you, they'd have the hassle of selling it on to get any money out of the deal

[gjones]

Another ingenious scam is where the crook sees your advertisement, then puts something up for sale elsewhere at a ridiculously cheap price (which is the same amount you asked for in your advertisement). 

 

When people want to buy his non-existent goods, he gives your email address and asks them to pay you the money via Paypal (they don't know they're paying you of course).

 

You get the money, the courier picks up whatever you have for sale and the person who paid you the money complains to Paypal, as they never received the goods, they get refunded and you have to pay the money back to Paypal.

 

 

[Dad3353]

4 hours ago, gjones said:

Another ingenious scam is where the crook sees your advertisement, then puts something up for sale elsewhere at a ridiculously cheap price (which is the same amount you asked for in your advertisement). 

 

When people want to buy his non-existent goods, he gives your email address and asks them to pay you the money via Paypal (they don't know they're paying you of course).

 

You get the money, the courier picks up whatever you have for sale and the person who paid you the money complains to Paypal, as they never received the goods, they get refunded and you have to pay the money back to Paypal.

 

That shouldn't work, as the payment received would not match the reference of your ad. 

[gjones]

59 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

 

That shouldn't work, as the payment received would not match the reference of your ad. 

 

You're assuming that the seller is advertising on Ebay. I can pay you, via Paypal, for the bass you have advertised for sale on Basschat, assuming you have a Paypal account. 

 

I've used Paypal many times to buy basses on Basschat (and elsewhere too).

 

So the moral of the story is....... if I offer to buy your bass, don't let me pay by Paypal 🙄

[Beedster]

2 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

That shouldn't work, as the payment received would not match the reference of your ad. 

It works sadly 😕

[Dad3353]

Hmm... I must be doing something wrong, as my Paypal account shows me the details of my transactions, both receiving and outgoing. If I received a payment for a transaction I don't recognise, it would raise alarms in my small brain. That's not been tested recently, as I buy little, and sell even less, but there would be a mis-match if payment received wasn't for your ad, but for someone else's, I'd have thought. 

[uk_lefty]

With these scams you often get "it's for my daughter/ husband/ granddad and we don't have time to come and see it but we want it right now" so they try to pressure you, make it seem like they're not the "knowledgeable" buyer but you must hurry up they're paying full price... Etc. It's the eagerness to get the thing completed and distancing themselves from it ("it's not for me") so you can't have a technical discussion that's the giveaway.

[Wonky2]

I always act really keen,  go along with it and encourage them to come Over quickly.
shortly after they’ve gotten them

selves all excited because they think they’ve got a live one, I then send them a picture of some large cable Ties, a roll of gaffa tape, a ball Pien hammer and tell Them I’ll be waiting in the garage for you, come right in……

 

they never do show up? Cant think why? 
 

😂😂😂

 

[Sparky Mark]

I'll never use PayPal for any "private" transaction. I'm sure 90% of the time it'd be fine but I've read of so many dodgy disputes that I pay and ask for cash or bank transfer to minimise the risk. I've never sold anything other than through Basschat because we kinda know who we're dealing with on here.

[uk_lefty]

2 minutes ago, Sparky Mark said:

I'll never use PayPal for any "private" transaction. I'm sure 90% of the time it'd be fine but I've read of so many dodgy disputes that I pay and ask for cash or bank transfer to minimise the risk. I've never sold anything other than through Basschat because we kinda know who we're dealing with on here.

That's the great thing on here. I had someone contact me who hadn't posted much and wanted a bass sending to somewhere abroad... I flagged it as potentially dodgy and, I think it was Ped, got back to me confirming it was a real person who contributed sporadically to the site. I always want to sell or buy stuff through here as my first option so I can deal with top class people and have a level of security you just don't get with other things like eBay and Facebook. 

[Sparky Mark]

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

That's the great thing on here. I had someone contact me who hadn't posted much and wanted a bass sending to somewhere abroad... I flagged it as potentially dodgy and, I think it was Ped, got back to me confirming it was a real person who contributed sporadically to the site. I always want to sell or buy stuff through here as my first option so I can deal with top class people and have a level of security you just don't get with other things like eBay and Facebook. 

I have had contact with a couple of timewasters on here but you can usually suss them out pretty quickly through their first couple of messages. Thankfully they are few and far between and not scammers as far as I could tell. Thinking a bit more about it, I've wasted a few people's time by having second thoughts and withdrawing a couple of items in the past; apologies. I'll get my coat! 

[warwickhunt]

I've further expanded on my scam baiting! 

 

Initial contact for them always starts off 'Is this item available' (stock FB automated message), then you get a question asking about condition and price.  That is the big clue it is a scam as the price is in the advert but they aren't ar5ed about the price, just in snaring you into paying the insurance.  However, I decided today (because I got one re. a Squier) to be creative.  After their message asking about condition and price I replied 'The bass is only good for chopping up for sticks despite me saying it was excellent and the price is £620'... now that price is double what it is advertised for but it'll sort out straight away if it is a scam.  Sure enough the reply is 'OK great I will buy.'    

 

They then send the usual 'I am at work I will send XYZ courier to collect and pay cash'.  I reply 'Yes no problem but the price needs to increase a little to cover my trouble it is now £1240, the address is 10 Downing Street'.  Messages continue and I supply the name of our present Prime Minister (who knows?) and the full address of his residence but with each message I'm doubling the price.  Before I knew it they had an email address for Rishi and I was getting £9,920 for my Squier... I believe the price achieved may have set a new precedent for a Squier!  I shall try and beat this price with my next victim.       

[ubit]

I played along with one guy and he had said his address was in Coventry. After the usual, I said oh, I have just found out I'm coming down to Coventry next week. If you give me your address I will drop it off to you. He immediately left the conversation.

[yorks5stringer]

1 hour ago, ubit said:

I played along with one guy and he had said his address was in Coventry. After the usual, I said oh, I have just found out I'm coming down to Coventry next week. If you give me your address I will drop it off to you. He immediately left the conversation.

You could say he sent you to Coventry..?