DO NOT SHIP THE ITEM!
These scammers are producing fake Paypal payment notifications,
so be sure to always check your account to see payment has actually been received.
If you install the ebay toolbar it has a built in function called "Account Guard"
this alerts you if you click on a link that claims to be Paypal or eBay but is not,
it also gives you the opportunity to report the site by simply clicking your mouse.
Download ebay Toolbar and Account Guard
If you receive a Paypal payment notification it will Always begin with
"Dear... then the name you have registered with paypal",
it will never change and never be your ebay user ID or your e-mail address.
They are now also producing spoof Paypal emails that do address you by your name,
this they are provided with by ebay at the close of the auction, so caution is the key.
They are also using stolen or cloned credit cards,
and offering payment by other online services such as Western Union and Moneygram,
DO NOT accept this payment method,
it is not covered by ebay's seller protection policy.
Guide on safe payment methods
If you are accepting Paypal payment, at all times be sure that you meet
Paypal seller protection requirements:
Paypal Seller Protection
- Verified Buyer
- Confirmed address
- Ship ONLY to verified address
- Send by a trackable means
- Transaction marked eligible
The word "eligible" is imperative when accepting payment by Paypal, as if they fund the payment with a cloned or stolen credit card, and the transaction wasn't marked as eligible, you risk being subject to a chargeback if the true owner of the card reports it lost, stolen or cloned, this basically means that the money paid to you will be taken back.
If the transaction is marked as eligible,
you are protected from chargebacks by Paypal's seller protection programme.
Paypal Seller Protection Policy
Never send any goods before you receive genuinely confirmed payment no matter what they tell you!
If you are ever in doubt visit the Answer Centre Boards or one of the Discussion Forums.
Whichever you choose you will find experienced members who will be willing to help you
If you feel that you may be the subject of such a scam,
here is what to do:
Report the bidder to ebay to have them deregistered here
Select:
- Selling and managing your item
- Fraud and transaction problems
- Buyer paid or attempted to pay with fake/stolen funds
- Then click on Continue and then on e-mail us
Report Invalid contact information
Select:
-
bidding and buying
-
Problems with sellers
-
Fake contact info
They will usually be suspended very soon after you report them
Claim your Final Value Fees back here
Select:
- buyer has not paid for item
Information to help prevent another
Bogus/Fraudulent buyer
Set up your Buyer Requirements here
You can set a number of buyer requirements to make selling safer by using the above link
If you use fixed price format (buy it now) set it so that immediate payment is required via Paypal
Set up immediate payment required here
I would also recommend that you exclude bidders
that do not have a Paypal account
Even with these precautions in place you need to take care
as there are no guarantees that scammers won’t find a way round them.
If you have suffered at the hands of internet crime,
including by the methods this guide has been produced to help you avoid,
report it at this site:
UK online crime reporting
and/or this US site
Report Internet Crime
If we all take the time to read about, and recognise the signs
we can go someway to reducing the amount of fraud currently taking place
and make the internet a safer place to trade.
For general information on safe buying and selling
on the internet look here