Is This A Scamm??

[Big T]

It works like this.....

I'll buy your ST4 off you using PayPal for $14Gs.....

I transfer $14Gs to your PayPal account (It shows in your PayPal account).....

I will have the courier at your place within the hour of the transaction showing on PayPal....

I pick up your ST4 and disappear into the wild blue yonder......

PayPal then inform you within 48 hours that the transaction has failed due to the buyers credit card being rejected.....

You loose you ST4 and the cash....

When a PayPal transaction shows on your account it goes through various stages....
It may show "Pending" or "Being Processed" and the money isn't yours till the transaction is approved and you have transferred the cash to your bank account and it is approved by your bank....

Had a friend of a friend loose a MTB bike by this scam.....

Scam, scam, scam....

[Spider]

the funds are usually deposited the morning of the pick up so they cannot clear....and if you're out on an oil rig or 'so busy' why do you want a motorbike anyway?

[Mr.S2R]

Just to add to that even if the money "clears" from Paypal the buyer can cancel the transaction afterwards stating "goods not as described" etc.  This means Paypal puts a halt on the money until the dispute is settled.  Even if you transfer the money to a bank account Paypal will pursue you to get the funds back.  In the meantime your bike has been sold or moved again and the scammer benefits entirely leaving you out of pocket.

dont do it - demand cold hard cash in your hand!  

[mattyvas]

As I said in the first place Mmick.

SCAMMER.

Take Trev's advice, he had it several times while selling the Monster.
This person is not a buyer at all. 

[vossy]

I too smell a scam.

nothing beats cold hard cash! or funds securely in your back account.

[Ita]

Wow...  I guess I've been very very naive   

I honestly thought Paypal was a safe secure and guaranteed transaction...    I will think twice in the future...

Ita

[craigo]

Scam for sure. I was getting a couple a week when we sold one of our cars. Exactly the same deal. Emails from people on oceanography vessels who needed a car for their sick aunt or some crap.

They don't actually steal your bike/car though (this is where the pricks are as cunning as shithouse rats). They agree on a price for the vehicle, say $20000. They say that they will pay $22500 into the account to cover shipping. They then make it appear that Paypal is holding the payment in escrow and claim that they need you to wire the extra cash they sent to the shipping agent via a western union account. You forward the 2500 to the shipper from your pocket, thinking you will get it when the paypal transaction clears. Then they disappear and the Paypal transaction gets canceled. Bzzzt you are 2500 out of pocket.

The perps* are always offshore and virtually impossible to track.  

This used to be on scamwatch.gov.au, but it seems to have disappeared. Just google "scam + paypal + oceanographer". Bingo, first 10 gagillion results listed.


* haha I said "perps", I've been watching "World's best police chases" too much

[craigo]

Wow...  I guess I've been very very naive   

I honestly thought Paypal was a safe secure and guaranteed transaction...    I will think twice in the future...

Ita

Paypal is pretty much the safest way to do transactions on the internet, dont get 'em wrong, Paypal have IMHO the best consumer protection of any escrow service on the internet. But you need to understand exactly what state the cash is sitting in before you fork out money from your own pocket assuming that the money in paypal is going to go through.

It the same deal as bank cheques, I always thought they were as good as cash, but people get a bankcheque for X thousand dollars, go back into the bank, cancel it saying they lost it, give it to you to buy your X thousand dollar bike, take the bike, you go to the bank, thinking the cheque is good and BZZZT it's been canceled. No bike, no cash,

[mattyvas]

Wow...  I guess I've been very very naive   

I honestly thought Paypal was a safe secure and guaranteed transaction...    I will think twice in the future...

Ita

Ita don't be worried about using PayPal. For 99% of transactions it is safe and straight forward.
These scammers are running there operations via car/bike sales because most people selling a 2nd bike/car
might never have used PayPal and just get sucked in.

Think of Aunty Joyce in Back-of-Nowhere Town who gets directed to PayPal to sell her Nephews car who is traveling OS
and needs the $$$. She doesn't know what to do and takes the buyers lead and gets done a few G's for her lack of knowledge.

[monstermick58]

Thanks fella's for all your worldly wisdom.

Me thinks the best way would be for "The Courier" to bring in the cash when (if) he picks the bike up, that way no probs bob.





                                   Mmick

[signora monster]

Thanks fella's for all your worldly wisdom.

Me thinks the best way would be for "The Courier" to bring in the cash when (if) he picks the bike up, that way no probs bob.
                                   Mmick

Another tip for you Mmick. Don't let anyone come and see the bike at it's storage address. Bikes get knocked off in the middle of the night. These people make a career out of ripping people off. If someone wants to view the bike, make it a public place and take a mate with you. If they want a test ride, they have to pay a deposit in cash (for full cost of the bike).
Paranoid, maybe. Secure, you betcha!!!! 

[monstermick58]

Yeah, copy that Signora, in fact I need to hold their wallet AND the cash.






                                      Mmick

[brimo]

When I bought my S2R, the seller and myself went down to the bank together,we told the teller what we were doing and the teller showed the money going from my account to the seller's account, then he handed me the key, happiness all round.

[Mr.S2R]

Wow...  I guess I've been very very naive   

I honestly thought Paypal was a safe secure and guaranteed transaction...    I will think twice in the future...

Ita

off subject I know but Paypal is excellent for buyers and scammers - not so for sellers as you have to follow every one of their terms and conditions to the very letter to get 'seller protection'.

[bigiain]

But what if this is genuine?

If, on the extremely small chance this _is_ genuine, the buyer will very easily understand your fears of getting ripped off with the classic paypay scam - just mail/call/text them saying "You know how scammy your proposal sounds? I'd love to sell you the bike, but I'm not going to let anyone rip me off." They'll either vanish, make obviously desperate scammy excuses/explanations, or agree that their proposal is stupid and offer to show up with the cash before taking delivery of the bike.

But yeah, you're being scammed...

big