Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I decided to sell a notebook PC I have that I have not really used much and listed it on eBay just recently. To my surprise I was contacted by 4 people within the first 4 hours. Here is there email to me:
Dear Seller, In Regard's of the Advertisement listed on the Auction Site Ebay Inc,I hereby find a much interest in the listing . Am Olatunji Abiola am Making an offer of US$2600 for the Purchase of your Laptop Listed On Ebay Inc With The Auction Number:. 6755238301 I have found the exact Configuration on the system useful for my son for is final year School Project . Am actually in hurry in buying the Laptop as the final year project is about starting which i have resolve in making your payment promptly by Western Union BidPay which is a Money Order issue on your name and get send to your contact address provided to me by you for your payment. Also kindly make much enquiry about what is going to cost in getting the Package shipped to me here in Nigeria by the USPS{Global Express Mail 3-5 Day's Delivery} hope to hear back from you as soon as possible . Best Regard Olatunji Abiola.
This one was very clearly a scam. Why would you pay that much for a notebook worth maybe $1500. 00 used? You can buy them new for less than what he offered. Then I got this one:
This one is no scrash right!!! You dont mind to accepted cash on delivery if that is safe for both ? lets me know
Hmmm... do not even really know what he was asking. Then this:
Hi, I was wondering if you are willing to sell this for $600 right now and end the auction early. I would be able to pay you right away through paypal. If you end it early, you won't hav to pay the ebay fees. Please let me know because i'm really iterested in purchasing this laptop. I'm in Ontario, so shipping should not be a problem for you. I have a confirm address for paypal and i have over 50 positive feedbacks, at 100%. I'am a serious buyer. Thanks,
Sounded a bit more legit but $600 was way too low as I have the starting bid already at $750 and a bunch of watchers so I am sure it will go well over that. I also do not ever end auctions early as you have no protection. Then this:
Hello seller, i will like to buy yourSony Vaio VGN-S260 Notebook PC with Xbrite 13. 3 Screen for my son who is on a contract with the broadcasting coorporation agency of west africa for his birthday present. he will be a year older in a week and three days time . as for the payment i will like to pay you $2200. 00 through westren union auction payment (bidpay). i would have love to pay you with paypal but am behind it firewall and its port has been blocked by my isp provider. kindly send me your contact details if you accept my quick offer and end the auction asap. send me your contact details in this format. . name, address, city state, zip code. . so I can make the payment asap. Note that your urgent response to this mail will be appreciated. Thanks Prof. Benjamin Morgan
Heh... another one like the first. I think it is pretty funny that he says his ISP has a firewall that is blocking the port needed to connect to paypal. Any computer literate person can tell you that HTTP uses port 80 and 443 and if he was able to see my auction on ebay he would be able to use paypal... HA... Nice try!
Now, I was not born yesterday and feel that eBay is a very safe place to buy and sell as long as you use common sense and follow some simple rules of doing business. With that said I have never run into a real scam artist with all of the other things I have sold on eBay. I have probably sold about 50 different things, some in the thousands of dollars and have never had a problem. I was surprised at the amount of fraud email I got up front when I listed this one.
I was aware of the scam where they try and use a fake escrow service to get you to send to them and other scams but decided to try and figure out why this notebook was creating so much attention. If you guys want to read about someone getting back at a scam artist on ebay read this article: <a href="http://www.p-p-p-powerbook.com/files/thepowerbook.pdf">P-P-P-Powerbook</a href>. What a funny story!!!!!!!!!!!!
After a bunch of reading I learned of another scam I was not aware of and I am posting this just to make others aware. What a lot of people are trying to do is simply find out what my email address is. Once they learn this then they send an email which *looks* like it is from me to people who have placed a bid saying something like "I want to sell this notebook now so if you send me $800 I will send it to you and end the auction early but you must send me the money before I end the auction so I know you are serious". The poor unknowledgable bidder thinks he/she is getting a great deal, sends the money and then I would be stuck trying to explain to the bidder why I did not send my notebook to him as he was scammed.
I guess from now on I will put a disclaimer in my auctions and my phone number so people can contact me directly. also something that states bidders who receive what appears to be an email from me should verify it is legit by calling me.
I still LOVE ebay and believe it to be one of the best ways to get a great deal but just make sure you are security aware when you buy or sell anything.
Thanks
Phil
Dear Seller, In Regard's of the Advertisement listed on the Auction Site Ebay Inc,I hereby find a much interest in the listing . Am Olatunji Abiola am Making an offer of US$2600 for the Purchase of your Laptop Listed On Ebay Inc With The Auction Number:. 6755238301 I have found the exact Configuration on the system useful for my son for is final year School Project . Am actually in hurry in buying the Laptop as the final year project is about starting which i have resolve in making your payment promptly by Western Union BidPay which is a Money Order issue on your name and get send to your contact address provided to me by you for your payment. Also kindly make much enquiry about what is going to cost in getting the Package shipped to me here in Nigeria by the USPS{Global Express Mail 3-5 Day's Delivery} hope to hear back from you as soon as possible . Best Regard Olatunji Abiola.
This one was very clearly a scam. Why would you pay that much for a notebook worth maybe $1500. 00 used? You can buy them new for less than what he offered. Then I got this one:
This one is no scrash right!!! You dont mind to accepted cash on delivery if that is safe for both ? lets me know
Hmmm... do not even really know what he was asking. Then this:
Hi, I was wondering if you are willing to sell this for $600 right now and end the auction early. I would be able to pay you right away through paypal. If you end it early, you won't hav to pay the ebay fees. Please let me know because i'm really iterested in purchasing this laptop. I'm in Ontario, so shipping should not be a problem for you. I have a confirm address for paypal and i have over 50 positive feedbacks, at 100%. I'am a serious buyer. Thanks,
Sounded a bit more legit but $600 was way too low as I have the starting bid already at $750 and a bunch of watchers so I am sure it will go well over that. I also do not ever end auctions early as you have no protection. Then this:
Hello seller, i will like to buy yourSony Vaio VGN-S260 Notebook PC with Xbrite 13. 3 Screen for my son who is on a contract with the broadcasting coorporation agency of west africa for his birthday present. he will be a year older in a week and three days time . as for the payment i will like to pay you $2200. 00 through westren union auction payment (bidpay). i would have love to pay you with paypal but am behind it firewall and its port has been blocked by my isp provider. kindly send me your contact details if you accept my quick offer and end the auction asap. send me your contact details in this format. . name, address, city state, zip code. . so I can make the payment asap. Note that your urgent response to this mail will be appreciated. Thanks Prof. Benjamin Morgan
Heh... another one like the first. I think it is pretty funny that he says his ISP has a firewall that is blocking the port needed to connect to paypal. Any computer literate person can tell you that HTTP uses port 80 and 443 and if he was able to see my auction on ebay he would be able to use paypal... HA... Nice try!
Now, I was not born yesterday and feel that eBay is a very safe place to buy and sell as long as you use common sense and follow some simple rules of doing business. With that said I have never run into a real scam artist with all of the other things I have sold on eBay. I have probably sold about 50 different things, some in the thousands of dollars and have never had a problem. I was surprised at the amount of fraud email I got up front when I listed this one.
I was aware of the scam where they try and use a fake escrow service to get you to send to them and other scams but decided to try and figure out why this notebook was creating so much attention. If you guys want to read about someone getting back at a scam artist on ebay read this article: <a href="http://www.p-p-p-powerbook.com/files/thepowerbook.pdf">P-P-P-Powerbook</a href>. What a funny story!!!!!!!!!!!!
After a bunch of reading I learned of another scam I was not aware of and I am posting this just to make others aware. What a lot of people are trying to do is simply find out what my email address is. Once they learn this then they send an email which *looks* like it is from me to people who have placed a bid saying something like "I want to sell this notebook now so if you send me $800 I will send it to you and end the auction early but you must send me the money before I end the auction so I know you are serious". The poor unknowledgable bidder thinks he/she is getting a great deal, sends the money and then I would be stuck trying to explain to the bidder why I did not send my notebook to him as he was scammed.
I guess from now on I will put a disclaimer in my auctions and my phone number so people can contact me directly. also something that states bidders who receive what appears to be an email from me should verify it is legit by calling me.
I still LOVE ebay and believe it to be one of the best ways to get a great deal but just make sure you are security aware when you buy or sell anything.
Thanks
Phil
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