Internet scammer or not?

[GASWAGON]

I have an unregistered motorbike for sale on bikesales.com.

I hav'nt had any enquiries so today i lowered the price to $5,800.

Then later today i get a text message on my phone saying to email someone with a gmail account so i did send a message and just asked them to ring me personally.

Had no calls but got a fresh email message saying that the buyer is working offshore in NZ and has no phone access.

He wants me to send my Paypal details or send my bank account bsb and account number.

Said he will organise a courier to pick bike up and send it to Darwin where he reckons he lives.

I replied to his message saying i want to speak to him personally on a phone before sending ending bank details.

Is this an internet scam or is it a genuine buyer???

[nuthin' fancy]

Run away

[Kieron]

99% a scam mate, have a read of this -
http://www.ebay.com.au/gds/Nigeria-i...6952077/g.html

plenty of info out there regarding this sort of scam.

[MITCHAY]

Just cut off all contact. This type of scam is one of the most common going around.

[metallurg]

Anything involving "offshore", "courier will pick up" and Paypal is definitely a scam.

[tut0r]

Yeah had plenty of those and others said the same. Ignore and delete.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by metallurg

Anything involving "offshore", "courier will pick up" and Paypal is definitely a scam.

It certainly sounds sus.
That said, I have bought and sold heaps of stuff online, using paypal and bank transfers. I bought my TTG from SA and NEVER spoke to them.

I love email, not only does it allow me to say what I want to say, but I have a record, plus a record of their replies, etc.

The trick to proceeding is this: I have a (fee free) bank account at another bank that I use for no other purpose but receiving money. You tell the buyer that the goods aren't released until the money is cleared, by which I mean you receive the money and transfer it to your regular bank, THEN you release the goods.

Scammers will target you in a number of ways:

1. They may just want your bank account details, which they will then try to access via direct debit. Hence why I never leave more than a few cents in that bank.
2. They may actually pay you, take the goods, but then try to recover the money. Either by claiming through paypal that you didn't deliver, or by trying to direct debit the money form your account. Hence why you must wait til the money has cleared and you have moved it.
3. They may simply try and con you: "I've sent the money but it won't show up in your account till tomorrow, but oops the courier is here today..."
4. Lastly, they may just rob you. The "courier" will actually turn up when you're not home and simply steal the bike. So I would not give out your address until the money is cleared.

The thing to remember, is that even talking to somebody on the phone is probably only going to rule out a few Nigerian or Russian scammers. You still need to protect yourself.

Another option, is that YOU arrange the freight and he pays you for it. That way you know the company is legit, you know HIS address, and he doesn't find out yours till he takes delivery.

You should be open to selling interstate, and try not to let the scammers make you too cynical.

But, gotta be honest, "offshore," "Darwin," "Paypal," its ringing all the alarm bells.

[SumoDog68]

Common scam - it is interesting how scammers turn the whole equation around .
Person is selling something to receive money but scammer attempts to convince ( sometimes successfully ) them to pay money instead because oil platform , interstates , phase of the moon excuse.

[Morexbs]

Originally Posted by CoolBFWagon

Then later today i get a text message on my phone saying to email someone with a gmail account so i did send a message and just asked them to ring me personally.

Had no calls but got a fresh email message saying that the buyer is working offshore in NZ and has no phone access.

He has no phone access but he can text you?
Do you really need to ask the question?
Just put in the ad that you will only respond to phone calls and then automatically ignore everything else.That way you will know that anyone sending you a text is either a scammer or an imbecile who can't read or afford a phone call that you wouldn't want to deal with anyway.

[GASWAGON]

O.k thanks fella's i'll tell him to **** off.

Anyone want to buy an unregistered Triumph Speed Triple 1050 lol???

[GerryP65]

Had this before as well. Just tell them you will only deal in person with cash or verified bank cheque.

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by Morexbs

He has no phone access but he can text you?
Do you really need to ask the question?
Just put in the ad that you will only respond to phone calls and then automatically ignore everything else.That way you will know that anyone sending you a text is either a scammer or an imbecile who can't read or afford a phone call that you wouldn't want to deal with anyway.

Just so you know - it is quite easy to send text messages via the internet.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Morexbs

He has no phone access but he can text you?
Do you really need to ask the question?
Just put in the ad that you will only respond to phone calls and then automatically ignore everything else.That way you will know that anyone sending you a text is either a scammer or an imbecile who can't read or afford a phone call that you wouldn't want to deal with anyway.

Goes both ways though...
When I see an add on an online medium, such as carsales or gumtree, and they refuse to correspond using the secure channels provided, I wonder what they have to hide?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by CoolBFWagon

Had no calls but got a fresh email message saying that the buyer is working offshore in NZ and has no phone access.

He wants me to send my Paypal details or send my bank account bsb and account number.

He asks these questions and you have to ask if it's for real ?

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

He asks these questions and you have to ask if it's for real ?

Ye I know Gaso i'm just not up with all this new internet hacking/scamming stuff.

Thankfully I have had this site to get some real answers.

Thanks again fella's!

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by CoolBFWagon

Ye I know Gaso i'm just not up with all this new internet hacking/scamming stuff.

Thankfully I have had this site to get some real answers.

Thanks again fella's!

All good.
It could have been the same bloke who wanted to buy my old AUII Fairlane for his son in Darwin. He was working offshore in Indonesia

[zilo]

I remember a forum thread where they scammed the scammers.

Told them they were a church called "BJ" and that they would give him 60k if he could setup a church in Nigeria for them.

the catch was they had to have the church tattoo on their arms to qualify as missionaries.....LOL

have a look here.. he got his mates to do it as well cause they wanted the 60k each too..

They had to send him back photos to prove they had done the tattoos..

Some rough tattooing so beware....


BTW "I give BJ's" means I give blow jobs...LOL

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=384125.0

It's worth registering on the bovine forum mentioned to read the full thread BTW.

They told the scammers that the billboards with their photos were all over the US too...

http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=48968

[Pedro]

I've had 3 or 4 of those scam replies to stuff I'm selling. I messaged one back to send me USD$10k by Western Union as a deposit and for some reason he didn't reply.
Last one was only 2 weeks ago to an ad I had on Unique Cars, I sent a 100% politically incorrect message back with references to his colour, parentage, etc., and haven't had a reply from him either.

[mtbkym01]

Hmm, sounds like the same guy who wanted to buy my mates Skyway BMX, he likes buying stuff for his son this bloke hahahahahaha

[Spurious]

LOL...I'm surprised you had to ask.
So if the buyer is "offshore", how come he is comunicating with the deal organiser but not you?

Think logically, if someone wants what you have, they will contact you directly.

What those scammers do is suck you in so you think you have a deal, then they ask YOU to pay for the courier. You send THEM the money....bye bye money!!!

Money talks...

[cram_it_frog]

Morexbs

you do not need a mobil to send a text


smspup are one on line company that send text messages


i use them when I loose my phone that way I I find it when it rings to tell me there is a message

https://smspup.com/forgotten-password.php

I just do the simple surveys they send and that gives me the free texts

[ljf12]

If you give someone your bank/paypal account details is there anyway they can withdraw funds without passwords ?.

[sprintman1]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

He asks these questions and you have to ask if it's for real ?

Exactly!! I know some people live in a bubble but come on

[PepeLePew]

Different but interesting anyway...

I get a email when selling my PX with the Tindal NT thing happening

Looked up the address nothing cut off contact.

Bit later new contact 'I'm in the Aussie services deployed OS and can't communicate except through my gmail at the moment and not consistently but I'm interested in your Ranger'

Long story short he came back from Afghanistan and bought her for cash. I feel sorry for deployed guys who have to jump through hoops because of these scamming mongrels.

[GTLEGEND]

I had the same issue, so I tried looking at the NZ oil and Gas website and they must have had that many enquiries/complaints its noted on their contact page!! Scam, i wander if anyone has actually fallen vistim to this one?? See below

https://www.nzog.com/contact-us/

[mattaus1]

yep a scam, had this happen to my girlfriend who was trying to sell furniture on gumtree.

[GASWAGON]

Something weird just happened.

Just logged onto bank account to find $300 worth of credit card tranactions have been done by somebody else.

Spoken to bank and a new card is coming thruough the week plus I will get reimbursed.

How could this have happened i've only had two contacts about the motorbike???

Is it a conicedence???

[GTLEGEND]

Did you give them any details? If not then your unlucky, but coincidence!!

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by GTLEGEND

Did you give them any details? If not then your unlucky, but coincidence!!

Only details I gave were my email address and my mobile phone number???

Surely its a coincedence???

[JDT276]

Possibly interested in the bike mate - wanna pm me some details?
Cheers