What's the scam, how does this work?

[punkncat]

I am trying to sell some Apple devices on Let Go and Facebook Marketplace. I have been getting overwhelmed with offers for asking (it's listed OBO) and people offering to add on what is a great deal, like so far between $50 and 100 for shipping and insisting that I use PayPal.
I note that LetGo themselves suggest you use the money app they have built in...anywho...

I feel like the scam here is that they pay, get the item, then state something is wrong such that PayPal refunds and they never send the item back?

I typically don't deal like this and have requested local pick up and cash only. I am just trying to figure out what the scam is if I am not already correct about it.

[VonBraun63]

Look up overpayment/refund scam.

[punkncat]

In relation to the overpayment scam...I haven't had anyone specifically ask me to refund the difference or pay the driver, as it were. They are all specific to using PayPal, asking me to send them an invoice.

Is this one of those deals where it's really a ghost account such that it appears payment is made and you have shipped before PP flags?

Edit- found it, thanks

"Overpayment scam

• A customer sends a PayPal payment that is more than the purchase price of the order, and then asks you to wire them the difference.
  • They may tell you that they accidentally overpaid you, the extra money is for the shipping costs, they're giving you a bonus for your great service or the money is for the stress they've caused you.
  • They may even ask you to wire the shipping fees to their shipper.
• This scammer may have paid with a stolen credit card, bank account number or checking account.
  • Just because a payment has been deposited into your account, doesn't mean the money is yours to keep. If the legitimate account holder reports unauthorized activity, the money can be withdrawn from your account.
  • If that happens, you'll lose the money you wired to the fraudster, the product you shipped, shipping costs and your payment."

[the_matrix_guy]

That is indeed the most common scam on Offer Up, Let's Go, and Craigs List. They send you a bogus money order, and tell you to pay the freight company the extra amount (it's called a forward shipping / false money order scam/fraud). Some people arent well versed on how these scams work, and some banks are stupid enough to cash those bogus orders which makes it one of the most dangerous and pervasive scams today. And for those of you just learning of this: yes, the banks come after you and chargeback the amount of the bogus check. Depending on the amount, they will also threaten to sue you to oblivion. This is all well documented online. That's why you always ask for cash only and local pick ups only on those sites. I like to waste their time and ask them to send me the orders. So that they can waste time and money shipping them. They usually ship em via Priority flat rate which is $5-6.

A different scam is bogus Zelle payment confirmation e-mails. I had someone send me one, they say that sent the payment and then send a bogus Zelle e-mail. It happened to me on Offer Up. They send em hoping that you won't actually check your Zelle before shipping, or know how Zelle works. Also, the buyer will try to get you to ship ASAP, same-day if possible, before you notice. So watch out for that too. If you accept any payment through Zelle, always check your account, etc. Plus you should get a text message as well. That being said, as a seller, Zelle is 100% safe. As a buyer, you should only deal with people you know or well-established members. But it's a cash app with no buyer/seller protections.

In regards to PayPal, I've had an overwhelmingly positive experience with PP on Ebay and BST forum classifieds. Out of thousands of transactions I've only ever had one person open a false claim and return a different item, this was on Ebay, but Ebay sided with me and refunded me. I have heard horror stories regarding PP buyer protection scams though, so maybe I've just been lucky.

[punkncat]

In regards to PayPal, I've had an overwhelmingly positive experience with PP on Ebay and BST forum classifieds. Out of thousands of transactions I've only ever had one person open a false claim and return a different item, this was on Ebay, but Ebay sided with me and refunded me. I have heard horror stories regarding PP buyer protection scams though, so maybe I've just been lucky.

I use PayPal a lot. It's always in conjunction with a format that can be used to verify who you are dealing with to some degree, like a forum or such. The only issues I have had with PP was related directly to eBay. I was ripped off and not supported by PP years ago both during a sale one time, and a purchase another. I went without using eBay for a LONG time due to it and still refuse to sell there.

Funny enough, I like using Craigslist. Assuming you are willing to wait a bit and or especially with cheap items, I have found it an excellent outlet to get rid of things. I always do in person, cash only, and meet at public places like a local Chick Fil A. No one wants to get on the bad side of God's Chicken Joint.

[Mr. Hick]

"No one wants to get on the bad side of God's Chicken Joint."


I sure as hell don't.

[the_matrix_guy]

I use PayPal a lot. It's always in conjunction with a format that can be used to verify who you are dealing with to some degree, like a forum or such. The only issues I have had with PP was related directly to eBay. I was ripped off and not supported by PP years ago both during a sale one time, and a purchase another. I went without using eBay for a LONG time due to it and still refuse to sell there.

Funny enough, I like using Craigslist. Assuming you are willing to wait a bit and or especially with cheap items, I have found it an excellent outlet to get rid of things. I always do in person, cash only, and meet at public places like a local Chick Fil A. No one wants to get on the bad side of God's Chicken Joint.

Yeah, any time that you can do local, do local. And if it's in a public place, even better. I can see why Ebay turned you off. My experience, as I alluded, has been overwhelmingly positive. I have thousands of all positive feedback, mostly as a seller. I've only had one buyer open a false claim and it was resolved in my favor. And I sell all kinds of stuff on there. Paintball, computer parts, collectibles, etc. I hate the 10% fees but at the end of the day it's the cost of doing business and accessing their marketplace.

You'll see the freight forwarding / fake money order scams for any big-ticket heavier items. Any stuff that's $750+. In fact, I welcome you guys to post something worth above a grand on Offer Up or CL, something heavier that can't be easily shipped via carrier --and then watch the scam offers pour in. You'll get scammers asking you if they can pay you via money order (MO) and then tell you that they will have a freight co pick up the item and that MO will be for more money, and to pay them the difference. It's one of the more pervasive & dangerours scams. But yeah, it's only for big-ticket, heavier items. I got em while selling some commercial-grade gym equipment, home theatre AV electronics, etc. Sometimes I forget to put "CASH ONLY, LOCAL PICK UPS ONLY" and then they start messaging me, and I just go along with it, make them send me the fake MO's. Some of them look pretty legit which is why banks also fall for it and cash them sometimes. I wish I'd kept them to show you guys.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I had one with PayPal but not selling I was buying. I ordered a product threw PayPal let’s say a lawnmower. They show a package shipped then change the address in route to a different house in the same area code. It will show delivery and your PayPal payment will be withdrawn. Then when you. Say that you never received a package USPS just shows that a package linked to your tracking number was delivered and the zip code. It sides with the scammer if you use there automated system and don’t fight to get your money back. PayPal protection has its holes to.

Most people I bet don’t go threw the trouble of dealing with PayPal and fighting it. Or even bother especially with small amounts.

[the_matrix_guy]

I've never heard of that scam. Cause if they change the address, (if that's even possible) USPS would know and be able to confirm that. Also, their GPS system knows exactly what address it was delivered to and that's also forthcoming information that you can confirm by calling them. It sounds like USPS delivered it to the wrong house which does happen from time to time. In which case, they can investigate and would know. And if it was sent to the wrong address PayPal will side with you, automatically. I've had packages show as delivered when in fact they were delivered to the wrong address. I also had one show as delivered when it was still at a distribution center. And they were able to confirm that when I called. The postman just mis-scanned it. But that's USPS' fault. Amazon deliveres to the wrong addresses too from time to time as well. But I've never had that happen with UPS or FedEX.

[Chuck E Ducky]

So the seller manually changes the address to another address in the same Zip code. They the ship a small package smithing that can be tracked. Linked to that new address. They get something junk mail that’s probably thrown out before it enters there house. That’s how I got PayPal to look into it and side with me. (A lawnmower is only 2oz shipping weight) something is not right. When the package is tracked it shows delivery to the town and zip that’s all it shows with USPS. So makes the buyers look to be trying to scam the seller. PayPal sides with the seller because they now have “proof of delivery” in order to get it straightened out. You need to call your local post master and they will give you the new address it was delivered to. Then fight with PayPal while the seller just sits back and hopes you give up. Also because they show proof of delivery the time tables are turned up. Payment gets released if you don’t put a stop to it immediately. I got my money back but it was a 2 day fight in the middle of two back to back 16hr shifts because I didn’t except PayPals results.

[punkncat]

In relation to this, the scam as I know it is sending an empty/partially damaged box. Variations I understand include making it weigh properly. I had someone attempt to hit me with this one two different times via FB/PayPal transactions. The one time the post themselves caught it and had put stickers on the item shipped saying it appeared damaged at the counter. PP paid out on that one and lucky for me the seller still had funds in account. The second occurrence was covered by USPS insurance almost immediately due to a similar issue.

[Arthur]

FB Market place is scam and spam central these days.

[Tarsun2]

Ebay has really degraded in the past few years as well.
there is allot of shady stuff that sellers are doing these days. and trying to get in touch with an Ebay rep is impossible. Ebay is also doing shady sh!t

[Chuck E Ducky]

Yeah I try and stay away from eBay.

[XEMON]

I've had the usual crap from eBay ... Some vendor like to put 3 weeks estimated delivery date, but ebay need the "no item received" claim at 2 weeks ... So either you wait and can't make a claim (and never receive the item) or open the claim early and the vendor reply "you still got a week before getting the item" ...

I've had 1 issue with paypal authorizing a scam. I reported it, then they say "you sent the money [to the scam store] so you're ok" ... The "store" got then kicked out of pp for scamming ... That f***ing shady!

[Hp_lovecraft]

Craigslist and FB Marketplace seem to have more scams then legit posts, but I'll use them for local, in person, transactions. Its good for large bulky items that are not easy to ship (ie yard toys, instraments, etc).

But selling is almost pointless. I tried to sell a car on both last summer, and the number of scammers who contacted me was overwhelming. I changed the listing to be cash only, and must pick up. lol. That got rid of some, but it really burned me of the process.


But I'll give Paypal and Ebay credit. I've had scammers get into my accounts a few times take make fake ebay auctions, and rip people off. In every instance, both paypal and ebay took care of the issue, and I wasnt responsible for a penny.

[Tarsun2]

At work i review allot of service contracts and have to go over all the "fine print". Boring, i know, but it makes me look at other things closer than i normally would.

A seller on ebay was selling a product with a lifetime warranty. great i thought so i inquired about exactly what was covered. i received a generic message about a 6 month warranty. WHAT?
the 1st picture of the product has a big "lifetime warranty" stamp/seal on it.
So i sent the listing picture to them and asked what that was about.
They responded back saying that "its just a picture of the product and that warranty does not apply" and that it clearly states in the warranty section of the description of the product that it has a 6 month warranty.
LAME

People see the picture and see the lifetime warranty and buy it without double checking.

Also Ebay automatically "guarantees a delivery date" based on the sellers track record. Why the fhuk is Ebay guaranteeing something that they have no control over... and when its late, they default to the post offices tracking and the post offices estimated delivery date.

and the tracking on Ebay is a joke. A package got lost and ebay kept upgrading the tracking location (processed, in transit, out for delivery) yet the post offices tracking never moved from processed...

and then theres the sellers location... oh boy.
being on the east coast i try to purchase from this side of the rock. So i buy from some one in NY (lets say) and when i get the tracking, its coming from Ca. WTF. so i contacts the seller and they say that the warehouse/distribution center is located in Ca.

im sick of the BS and i cant stand amazon for similar reasons.