What's the scam?

[Dave1971]

I'm having a bit of a clear out and I've put a few things on Facebook marketplace.

I've had a few messages saying "I really want this but I'm super busy. Can I send my courier with cash to come and collect.

Now obviously it's some sort of scam but it's not one I've come across before. What's the end goal as obviously there is no courier going to turn up so you don't hand over the item?

 

[Chris_D]

How do you know it's a scam?
Could just be a coincidence.
3 people all too busy to come and collect in person but willing to send a courier with cash and a hammer, a scary facemask and years of experience with effective home-invasion training and victim intimidation.
I don't see the problem?
:evil:

 

[brillomaster]

thats a new one to me! if someone turns up with cold hard cash, i wouldnt really care who it was... normally its paypal scams of some description. Perhaps its genuine?

 

[Dave1971]

How do you know it's a scam?
Could just be a coincidence.
3 people all too busy to come and collect in person but willing to send a courier with cash and a hammer, a scary facemask and years of experience with effective home-invasion training and victim intimidation.
I don't see the problem?
:evil:

I could understand that if it was a high value item but its really not!

 

[Chris_D]

How do you know it's a scam?
Could just be a coincidence.
3 people all too busy to come and collect in person but willing to send a courier with cash and a hammer, a scary facemask and years of experience with effective home-invasion training and victim intimidation.
I don't see the problem?
:evil:

I could understand that if it was a high value item but its really not!

Well, there's a cautionary tale behind my sarcastic response;
Years ago when I was living in Ilford as a student I advertised a CD player for sale in Loot (is that paper still going?).
I got a call from a gentleman who offered to come and pick it up with the cash, so an appointment was made and he rang the doorbell of the student house the next evening. I could already see who was standing outside and saw a short, chubby-looking guy of let's say 'West Indian' appearance. Now having lived in various questionable abodes in Liverpool since I moved away from my parents house at 16 I had learned via experience to take precautions, in most cases having a small ball hammer or other heavy object within easy reach of an ajar front door (not claw hammer - they have a severe legal ramifications and count less as a viable self-defence weapon when faced with a charge of ABH when presented by the prosecution unfortunately).

Anyway, as soon as I opened the door he grunted if I was the person 'sellin da cd player bro?' while craning his neck to look behind me, presumably to establish as to whether I had a team of kung-fu specialists or such present in the house. I didn't. There was me and a couple of girls from Uni out of the usual 7 residents. I replied 'yeah 50 quid mate' whereupon he produced one of the largest knives I have ever seen and started to step towards me. Having noted his particular demographic I already had my hand gripped firmly around the handle of aforementioned pean hammer and managed to bring it swinging around in one swift deft blow to the side of his head, stunning him momentarily enough to cause him to fall to the ground whereupon he somehow mysteriously managed to break his arm and sustain some rather nasty grazes to his face and extremities. Somehow I don't think he was expecting this response. 'And that's exactly how it happened Your Honour, I had noooo idea the gentleman behind the door had malicious intent while carrying the 1/2 metre long machete. I really thought he was an odd-job man looking for household jobs to do.'

That wasn't the only occurrence of violence, intimidation, tube-steaming and random attack I experienced whilst living in the East End. They're not all cheeky chirpy Cockneys over there unfortunately.

The point is; you open your door to a complete stranger, you open your door to unknown risk of variable severity.
That's why even living in the relative calm, subdued nation of clog-wearers I still never automatically open my door, favouring a CCTV and intercom for people I don't recognise.
Paranoid? Fair point, maybe, but why take any risk?

 

[Roberltd2]

Nearly got to the point where you can't give a CD player away now

 

[Dav the wheel nut]

I’ve always had one of these.
Seems to do the trick

 

[grannyknot]

How do you know it's a scam?
Could just be a coincidence.
3 people all too busy to come and collect in person but willing to send a courier with cash and a hammer, a scary facemask and years of experience with effective home-invasion training and victim intimidation.
I don't see the problem?
:evil:

I could understand that if it was a high value item but its really not!

Well, there's a cautionary tale behind my sarcastic response;
Years ago when I was living in Ilford as a student I advertised a CD player for sale in Loot (is that paper still going?).
I got a call from a gentleman who offered to come and pick it up with the cash, so an appointment was made and he rang the doorbell of the student house the next evening. I could already see who was standing outside and saw a short, chubby-looking guy of let's say 'West Indian' appearance. Now having lived in various questionable abodes in Liverpool since I moved away from my parents house at 16 I had learned via experience to take precautions, in most cases having a small ball hammer or other heavy object within easy reach of an ajar front door (not claw hammer - they have a severe legal ramifications and count less as a viable self-defence weapon when faced with a charge of ABH when presented by the prosecution unfortunately).

Anyway, as soon as I opened the door he grunted if I was the person 'sellin da cd player bro?' while craning his neck to look behind me, presumably to establish as to whether I had a team of kung-fu specialists or such present in the house. I didn't. There was me and a couple of girls from Uni out of the usual 7 residents. I replied 'yeah 50 quid mate' whereupon he produced one of the largest knives I have ever seen and started to step towards me. Having noted his particular demographic I already had my hand gripped firmly around the handle of aforementioned pean hammer and managed to bring it swinging around in one swift deft blow to the side of his head, stunning him momentarily enough to cause him to fall to the ground whereupon he somehow mysteriously managed to break his arm and sustain some rather nasty grazes to his face and extremities. Somehow I don't think he was expecting this response. 'And that's exactly how it happened Your Honour, I had noooo idea the gentleman behind the door had malicious intent while carrying the 1/2 metre long machete. I really thought he was an odd-job man looking for household jobs to do.'

That wasn't the only occurrence of violence, intimidation, tube-steaming and random attack I experienced whilst living in the East End. They're not all cheeky chirpy Cockneys over there unfortunately.

The point is; you open your door to a complete stranger, you open your door to unknown risk of variable severity.
That's why even living in the relative calm, subdued nation of clog-wearers I still never automatically open my door, favouring a CCTV and intercom for people I don't recognise.
Paranoid? Fair point, maybe, but why take any risk?

Racist

 

[Chris_D]

I could understand that if it was a high value item but its really not!

Well, there's a cautionary tale behind my sarcastic response;
Years ago when I was living in Ilford as a student I advertised a CD player for sale in Loot (is that paper still going?).
I got a call from a gentleman who offered to come and pick it up with the cash, so an appointment was made and he rang the doorbell of the student house the next evening. I could already see who was standing outside and saw a short, chubby-looking guy of let's say 'West Indian' appearance. Now having lived in various questionable abodes in Liverpool since I moved away from my parents house at 16 I had learned via experience to take precautions, in most cases having a small ball hammer or other heavy object within easy reach of an ajar front door (not claw hammer - they have a severe legal ramifications and count less as a viable self-defence weapon when faced with a charge of ABH when presented by the prosecution unfortunately).

Anyway, as soon as I opened the door he grunted if I was the person 'sellin da cd player bro?' while craning his neck to look behind me, presumably to establish as to whether I had a team of kung-fu specialists or such present in the house. I didn't. There was me and a couple of girls from Uni out of the usual 7 residents. I replied 'yeah 50 quid mate' whereupon he produced one of the largest knives I have ever seen and started to step towards me. Having noted his particular demographic I already had my hand gripped firmly around the handle of aforementioned pean hammer and managed to bring it swinging around in one swift deft blow to the side of his head, stunning him momentarily enough to cause him to fall to the ground whereupon he somehow mysteriously managed to break his arm and sustain some rather nasty grazes to his face and extremities. Somehow I don't think he was expecting this response. 'And that's exactly how it happened Your Honour, I had noooo idea the gentleman behind the door had malicious intent while carrying the 1/2 metre long machete. I really thought he was an odd-job man looking for household jobs to do.'

That wasn't the only occurrence of violence, intimidation, tube-steaming and random attack I experienced whilst living in the East End. They're not all cheeky chirpy Cockneys over there unfortunately.

The point is; you open your door to a complete stranger, you open your door to unknown risk of variable severity.
That's why even living in the relative calm, subdued nation of clog-wearers I still never automatically open my door, favouring a CCTV and intercom for people I don't recognise.
Paranoid? Fair point, maybe, but why take any risk?

Racist

Experienced-based mate.
I'm honest enough to not deny it.
Shoot me.

 

[Rockhopper]

They usually ask you to take out an insurance policy, so they say that they have given the money to the courier but that the courier requires you to make an insurance payment.

But don’t worry, says the buyer. They will add those “insurance costs” to the money they put in the envelope, so the seller won’t be out of pocket.

In the meantime, the seller receives an email that appears to be from the courier company asking for the insurance costs so the courier company can make the delivery.

The “buyer” has not organised for the courier to come to the seller’s house. And that courier email isn’t really from the courier. It’s a phishing email that will take the seller to a phishing website, ask for a payment, which will then end up in the scammer’s bank account. That, or the phishing website will steal the debit/credit card information and give that to the scammer instead. Some variants will even take you to a website instructing you to purchase gift cards (a big no-no.)

And there is no courier company heading to the seller’s house with an envelope full of money. Meaning the seller loses whatever they paid when visiting the phishing website.

 

[MikeyH]

I’m always cautious when opening our front door and stand well back to see who it is and what their intent is. If they were to rush me I’d have time to give them a hearty kick in the nuts. And yes a large dog with big teeth always puts them off.

 

[MikeyH]

My motto is ‘don’t trust anyone or anything you don’t know’.

 

[Deleted member 32480]

I have had more scammers than I have had interest selling my car.

Here is the best one so far.

I assume that they pay via PayPal then cancel the payment and keep the payment and the car I assume?

Last message was me wanting to video call him so I can show him round the car. Never heard back from him from that point.

 

[Pondy]

Last message was me wanting to video call him so I can show him round the car. Never heard back from him from that point.
ATTACHMENTS

That sounds like it is the same type of scam as Rockhopper explained above; you pay the 'paypal' charges but to him somehow and then he (doesn't) reimburse you.

It's a very sad world we live in when you can't trust anyone.
AND I've just paid for a car by BACS in lieu of it being delivered tomorrow. Got me worried now

 

[Deleted member 32480]

That sounds like it is the same type of scam as Rockhopper explained above; you pay the 'paypal' charges but to him somehow and then he (doesn't) reimburse you.

It's a very sad world we live in when you can't trust anyone.
AND I've just paid for a car by BACS in lieu of it being delivered tomorrow. Got me worried now

Ah, when I googled "buying a car, paypal scam" it came up with them transferring the money across and then getting it back. But your method means very little investment their side so I guess they can have multiple on the go without having any money invested.

What car are you going for? You know it's not to late to cancel and by my c63- one previous lady owner and never been driven in anger.

 

[True-Blue]

I have had more scammers than I have had interest selling my car.

Here is the best one so far.

I assume that they pay via PayPal then cancel the payment and keep the payment and the car I assume?

Last message was me wanting to video call him so I can show him round the car. Never heard back from him from that point.

PayPal seller protection doesn’t apply to goods collected in person (or by a courier). You need to post/courier the item yourself so hopeless for cars.

If account hacked, car taken away never to be seen again, payment recalled and highly doubtful your insurance would pay out.

 

[Pondy]

What car are you going for?

It's a Mazda3 for the wifey as her daily.
Good luck with selling the C63.

 

[grannyknot]

Well, there's a cautionary tale behind my sarcastic response;
Years ago when I was living in Ilford as a student I advertised a CD player for sale in Loot (is that paper still going?).
I got a call from a gentleman who offered to come and pick it up with the cash, so an appointment was made and he rang the doorbell of the student house the next evening. I could already see who was standing outside and saw a short, chubby-looking guy of let's say 'West Indian' appearance. Now having lived in various questionable abodes in Liverpool since I moved away from my parents house at 16 I had learned via experience to take precautions, in most cases having a small ball hammer or other heavy object within easy reach of an ajar front door (not claw hammer - they have a severe legal ramifications and count less as a viable self-defence weapon when faced with a charge of ABH when presented by the prosecution unfortunately).

Anyway, as soon as I opened the door he grunted if I was the person 'sellin da cd player bro?' while craning his neck to look behind me, presumably to establish as to whether I had a team of kung-fu specialists or such present in the house. I didn't. There was me and a couple of girls from Uni out of the usual 7 residents. I replied 'yeah 50 quid mate' whereupon he produced one of the largest knives I have ever seen and started to step towards me. Having noted his particular demographic I already had my hand gripped firmly around the handle of aforementioned pean hammer and managed to bring it swinging around in one swift deft blow to the side of his head, stunning him momentarily enough to cause him to fall to the ground whereupon he somehow mysteriously managed to break his arm and sustain some rather nasty grazes to his face and extremities. Somehow I don't think he was expecting this response. 'And that's exactly how it happened Your Honour, I had noooo idea the gentleman behind the door had malicious intent while carrying the 1/2 metre long machete. I really thought he was an odd-job man looking for household jobs to do.'

That wasn't the only occurrence of violence, intimidation, tube-steaming and random attack I experienced whilst living in the East End. They're not all cheeky chirpy Cockneys over there unfortunately.

The point is; you open your door to a complete stranger, you open your door to unknown risk of variable severity.
That's why even living in the relative calm, subdued nation of clog-wearers I still never automatically open my door, favouring a CCTV and intercom for people I don't recognise.
Paranoid? Fair point, maybe, but why take any risk?

Racist

Experienced-based mate.
I'm honest enough to not deny it.
Shoot me.

Honestly man, just joking.