Every now and then I post consumer alerts to help you out. Well, someone recently tried to “scam” me but luckily I knew what to look for and was able to avoid the scam. I wanted to post this information so you would know what to watch for because scammers are more cleaver than you think. This happened to me a few years ago, but wanted to put it here for anyone who has not seen it.
Here is my true story:
I was selling an item on KSL.com, a classified ads site similar to Craigslist.org. I always only accept cash and have my husband meet up with the people who are buying (as I don’t feel safe meeting anyone alone). One person wanted to pay via paypal since that was easiest for them. Paypal gives you full refunds if things go wrong, so I figured that was okay.
Well, I got an email from “paypal” saying money had been deducted from the buyer’s account, and as soon as I emailed them a receipt of shipping confirmation I would receive payment. Red flags are everywhere!
First, Paypal has buyer protection so if you pay for something and don’t get it you can dispute it. I don’t believe they have a service of holding money such as this.
Also, the name said service@paypal.com. Notice the extra dot at the end. So I clicked on “show details”
And guess what I saw – it wasn’t from Paypal. It said client.support@accountant.com
Well I stuck the email in “trash”. I didn’t click on any links.
If you get an email from any bank or paypal don’t click on ANY links in the email.
Because if it is a fraud email, this will happen: You’ll click on the link. Go to a site that looks exactly like Paypal. Enter your email and password. Then BOOM. You have just given a fake company that has setup a site to look just like paypal your email and password!
It is always safest to just type the url directly in the browser, and look for the https:// at the front. The s means secure.
Ask CCD Readers: If you have any more tips on keeping yourself safe while selling items online, please leave a comment below!