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Jackie here. Do you buy or sell on eBay? If so, watch out for this scam. The Better Business Bureau is warning eBay sellers about new tactic scammers are using to get valuable goods without spending a dime. This scam could prove devastating if you sell high dollar items; be careful and protect yourself by knowing what to watch out for.
The Scam
An item listed on eBay is sold. As usual, the seller receives an official notification from eBay about the sale, but they also receive an email from the buyer. The buyer indicates that they need the item ASAP (a child’s upcoming birthday or a military deployment could be the reason). The seller offers to ship the item as soon as payment is received. The buyer may ask the seller to send to an unconfirmed address not listed on their eBay profile.
The seller then will receive an email from PayPal (the most common payment method on eBay) indicating that payment has in fact been made. The seller ships the item. Later, they log in to eBay or their PayPal account and find out the money hasn’t actually been sent. The confirmation of payment email from PayPal is a fake.
How to Protect Yourself
Just like any site where you buy and sell online, scams on eBay can be very common. Protect yourself by always confirming payments through PayPal before you ship an item. If you have any questions or concerns, contact PayPal directly. A little extra caution can’t hurt if you’re worried.
There are also helpful tools provided by eBay to help protect buyers and sellers. Feedback can alert you to some potential problems. This method isn’t foolproof though; some scammers will hack eBay profiles to use with their scams. If you use eBay, familiarize yourself with their buying and selling protections so you’ll know when you are and when you aren’t protected.
Receiving a confirmation of a payment from PayPal doesn’t mean the money is actually there. Log in to your PayPal account and make sure for yourself before you ship items so you don’t fall victim to this scam.