Help? Is this an Ebay Hoax?

[Christiaan]

I listed a laptop for my friend on ebay, and this morning when i woke up, it had been bought for "buy it now".

Anyway, i get an email from the buyer:

"Hi, I would like to pay for this item via Bank Transfer/Postal Order, you know
my address is in UK,but right now i'm in Nigeria,i was sent there on a
Bussiness Trip,and i want to give it to the Head of the Department as a
gift, so i will like to know if you can ship it to Nigeria,i dont mind
paying any amount for the shipping cost,pls if you can do this for me
i'll be very grateful.if you accept kindly send your full name and
account details which am going to send it to.If you want me to pay via
Postal Order kindly send me your full name and address so that payment
will be made as soon as possible.
Thanks."

I thought straight away, this is a scam, until I read his user accoutn details:

http://myworld.ebay.com.au/djfirework/

He has 119 positive feedback.

So, i got thinking, and maybe his account has been hacked by some scammer in nigeria. But if i sent him my bank details, what is the point of the scam? What's he going to do with my details? Do they just get a kick out of hacking peoples accounts and ruining listings?

I sent an email to ebay with all this info..

But i'm still not sure if it's a hoax?

[4.9 EF Futura]

Yeah with acc/bsb number there's not much damage he/she can do. Apart from tick you off and delay your sale.

Dunno how he plans on international transfers over a domestic netbank app, unless he/she has an aussie bank acc.

[Bundy]

Scam Scam Scam

Stay Clear Of It!!!!!

[Christiaan]

Yeah I am staying clear of it ..

I just feel bad for the guy whos account has been hacked. And why the scammer chose my bloody listing!!

Hope ebay resolves it soon and relists my item for free..

[eb_5litre]

Imagine trying to use Ebay if you were actually legitimately Nigerian lol

[Outbackjack]

Exactly the same thing happened to me. It is a scam. Dont put a buy it now price on. just start the bidding prices at a reasonably low price and wait and see. You will also get emails from some chinese company offering you a partnership in their business, year rite!!

Ebay has, sadly, become the realm of scammers and thieves.

[muppet]

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

Exactly the same thing happened to me. It is a scam. Dont put a buy it now price on. just start the bidding prices at a reasonably low price and wait and see. You will also get emails from some chinese company offering you a partnership in their business, year rite!!

Ebay has, sadly, become the realm of scammers and thieves.

I got one of those Chinese ones from a user that has been a member for 2 years and has no feedback . So I reported it as spam to ebay , I bet they never chucked them out .

[4.9 EF Futura]

I dont see the risk.

Provide your details, if they deposit the money then send them the item... if they dont deposit it, they are in breach of the sale contract which is formed when they offer to buy it.

Its not like they can access your funds just by knowing your bsb/acc #.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

I dont see the risk.

Provide your details, if they deposit the money then send them the item... if they dont deposit it, they are in breach of the sale contract which is formed when they offer to buy it.

Its not like they can access your funds just by knowing your bsb/acc #.

I agree, what can he do?

I would go with this, give him 3 days to deposit the cash, if he doesn't buy then I would relist it.

Its like the numberplate thing, seriously, anyone can get it if they want; and then what are they going to do?

[robs_ls1]

Originally Posted by shuresm58

If you want me to pay via Postal Order kindly send me your full name and address so that payment will be made as soon as possible.

Why not do this instead of giving him your bank details?

Seems a lot safer to me. You could even give him your work address if you're still not sure.

Originally Posted by eb_5litre

Imagine trying to use Ebay if you were actually legitimately Nigerian lol

:hihi:

[the_scotsman]

Don't even waste your time...He's from Nigeria....and in internet terms, that means SCAM...

I would relist it, but don't use Buy It Now. Type in "Nigeria ebay scam" inot Google, and read some of the 1 million results. A good one is here on the eBay forum:

http://forums.ebay.com.au/thread.jsp...=1173065025445

[Laminge]

No Not a Scam,

Sell it to him.

[Christiaan]

Originally Posted by robs_ls1

Why not do this instead of giving him your bank details?

Seems a lot safer to me. You could even give him your work address if you're still not sure.

:hihi:

Full name and address? I'd rather give him my bank details, that's a safe option to me ..

[jeffb]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Its not like they can access your funds just by knowing your bsb/acc #.

They could setup an unauthorised Direct Debit.


I would just supply them with an address and see if they send a money order, if they do sweet, send it. If they dont then just relist.

[the_scotsman]

It says he is an Ebay Australia member, yet he has a UK address...?

It's your call, but I smell major BS.

[Christiaan]

Originally Posted by jeffb

They could setup an unauthorised Direct Debit.


I would just supply them with an address and see if they send a money order, if they do sweet, send it. If they dont then just relist.

How long could they hold me off sending a letter from nigeria? 3 weeks?

I don't have that sort of time, as the person whom im selling the laptop for is going back to norway in 3 weeks..

Hmm, i think I should report and unpaid item and relist it ASAP..

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

It says he is an Ebay Australia member, yet he has a UK address...?

It's your call, but I smell major BS.

How gives a hoot where he lives. If $x is deposited into your account send it to the address he provides and its all done.

If the cash isn't in your account pronto then obviously something is not right. Tell him you think its odd, but whatever, aslong as the correct money is transfered its not your problem.

edit: You could relist it, and not put a buy now price, that gives the guy say a week to pay up and if he doesn't then someone else will buy it.

Just put a disclaimer saying that you have advertised elsewhere and can pull the sale at anytime.

[Christiaan]

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

It says he is an Ebay Australia member, yet he has a UK address...?

It's your call, but I smell major BS.

I definitely smell an odour much the like of bullshit as well..

I reckon someone's hacked his account and is doing this.

But i don't understand what they get from it? Do they sit there and sexually pleasure themselves watching me go through hell to get my item sold??

[Christiaan]

Originally Posted by Polyal

How gives a hoot where he lives. If $x is deposited into your account send it to the address he provides and its all done.

If the cash isn't in your account pronto then obviously something is not right. Tell him you think its odd, but whatever, aslong as the correct money is transfered its not your problem.

I sent him a reply email asking him he didn't contact me before bidding, as i stated no international shipping..

I'll let you know when he replies.

[dan.76]

go open another cheque account and use that to do your ebay stuff

[4.9 EF Futura]

Well here's the real problem i see.

The assumption has been made that its a scam. Based predominantly on the fact that the buyer is nigerian.

But.

You have a legally binding contract of sale. Im not sure how offer and acceptance works on ebay, but pretty sure when he/she clicked on "buy it now", it warns them - "by clicking this again, you're entering a legally binding contract".

Now - if the buyer doesnt pay up, then he/she hasnt performed to their side of the contract. But if you turn around and relist the item without giving them a chance to finalise the transaction - then you have failed to uphold your end. This would entitle the buyer to neg your feedback and also sic ebay onto you.

A buyer has equal right to specific performance under a contract of sale as the seller. IMO you have no good reason to question the buyer, apart from the fact he/she told you they were in nigeria.

[Bax]

I've been cracking the sh*ts with eBay lately.

They never seem to answer your questions when you send them an e-mail. Which is a near impossible feat in itself.

I went through a stage where a Nigerian Scam was continuously buying my phone when I listed it as buy it now. 6 times they won the auction - Each time I reported it. It took me weeks to realise I had to complete a form to get my payment back. And that took further weeks until I did receive my credit.

I asked eBay recently what they are doing about spam and fraud, they simply replied that I should avoid any emails that don't look like they are legit.

Maybe they need to look at a new way of logging in, avoid all emails out to customers entirely - Make it harder to log in - there must be a way to keep these people out.

[XR-ENVI]

Originally Posted by robs_ls1

Why not do this instead of giving him your bank details?

Seems a lot safer to me. You could even give him your work address if you're still not sure.

:hihi:

i agree with this idea

[XRated]

Paypal.

[Shrude]

NEVER sell anything of value in eBay, unless you stipulate in BIG letters on your listing.
STRICTLY AUSTRALIAN BUYERS ONLY.

[GXL078]

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

Ebay has, sadly, become the realm of scammers and thieves.

And some of them work for E Bay. They take your money legally.
There is a box you can tick to limit the sale to Australia only.
Wosrt thinkg about E Bay is you CANNOT contact a supervisor, there is NO dispute resolution process and their un workable policies are final.

[Christiaan]

Looking at this guys feedback, he is still going around clicking buy it now on australian listings!

he just bought a nokia today, and like an hour later, the seller left him positive feedback?!?!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=330100892774

Click on the buyers name and look at the feedback..

"great ebayer , contacted me straight away , great communication ."

This guy couldn't have sent the money so quickly and the seller received it already..

why do people get sucked in and leave feedback before getting the money??

[BZINGA]

I advertised an X-box on ebay, starting price was $150 ( will post through out Australia only ) i had an email from a guy in India i think it was with in 2 hours of it being listed saying i would like to buy this from you, my friend is opening a shop and wants to use this in his shop window as a display, i will give you $300 including postage, please give me your bank details : no feedback either.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by shuresm58

Looking at this guys feedback, he is still going around clicking buy it now on australian listings!

he just bought a nokia today, and like an hour later, the seller left him positive feedback?!?!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=330100892774

Click on the buyers name and look at the feedback..

"great ebayer , contacted me straight away , great communication ."

This guy couldn't have sent the money so quickly and the seller received it already..

why do people get sucked in and leave feedback before getting the money??

That is a bit strange...some people are suckers unfortunately.

If I replied, or even read some of my email in my hotmail account I would have a cupboard full of Viagra from some "Misty" chick and I would own a couple of houses in Costa Rica :yeees:

[underthunder]

I had someone do this to me, I was also selling my laptop and had a buy it now price. They wanted to use Western Union or some ****, I told them: 1. I said Australian buyers only 2. Western Union is not an option, I said deposit or Paypal. I relisted, then again, same buyer... Tried again, I said no a second time... Then a 3rd time. As far as I'm concerned you are not breaking policy as you have stated that it is Australia ONLY. Someone buys from another country, it's their **** up, not yours. Don't do it, it's a scam. Relist without a buy it now price, or you will end up with $34874348974354 of credit on eBay. You could always send them a cardboard laptop, with buttons and a screen drawn on it