Scams

[jonathan horticulturist]

@Rob Hancill I think I’m being scammed on gumtree. Got an offer for my bike on Gumtree. Seemed legit. Then things started getting weird.

I’m telling you so you don’t do what I did.

So I received this message from a user of Gumtree claiming they wanted to pay me via PayPal. I gave my address for the courier to come.

Now I get told that I need to add a different email address to my PayPal account because the payment won’t go through. So I used my google account I don’t use. Weird, but I have no idea. Give benefit of the doubt. Then I get mail from representatives.com telling me the money has gone through, but it’s been out on hold for me to pay the courier with part of it. Long story short, I report the weird Emails to [email protected]. Haven’t given me any response but this is so obviously a scam I won’t bother in getting my privacy back. I may have to have my account deleted.

Told me that

They managed to get my full name, email and address out of me, but that’s it. I’m really worried now that I will be targeted by thieves.

I am seriously considering changing my name via Deed poll and moving house.

 

[steve_sordy]

They probably want to set up an account in your name. I would contact your bank and your credit card people, get your retaliation in first!

I advertised a bike on eBay. I got a response from a guy claiming to be a student at Aberystwyth uni (about as far away from me as possible). He said that he was unable to collect the bike until end of term, so could he pay a deposit and he'd pick it up and pay later? He didn't jib at a £300 deposit (for an £1850 bike). Then he says that he needed to know who I was before he sent me £300. He wanted my email address, name & address on a utility bill, and my bank details (so he could pay me). I checked up on him and his eBay details said he had never bought or sold anything and that he was based in the USA! If I had given him that info, even if he had paid me the £300 (to stop me complaining), he would have been able to set up an account in my name and con others. Then it would have been me in trouble.

There were other attempts (ex. my wife is 9 months pregnant can you post the bike?) I'm convinced that he would have denied ever receiving the bike - signature? wasn't me mate! Then eBay would have refunded him.

All it did was to convince me that selling a bike is a "cash and collect" business. Anything else and you can be conned. How sad.

 

[jonathan horticulturist]

Ok will contact my bank now.

 

[jonathan horticulturist]

Sigh. 2 working days before I get a response.

 

[steve_sordy]

You should ring them up, don't rely on email!
They have 24hr hotlines for this.

My wife and I were on hols in the USA when her credit and debit card were stolen. We were in a different city 600 miles away and 11 hours later before we realised. Despite it being after midnight in the UK, she rang them up and the cards were stopped immediately, but they still got over $3000. We had the money back in our accounts before we got home. That was the Nationwide Building Society in case anyone is interested.