new twist on nigerian scam...

[Sarlon]

I'm trying to sell an old laptop of mine since its more trouble then its worth.

This "gentleman" said he loved it, sight unseen, and wanted to know if I would ship it to a friend of his (over seas in nigeria) if he paid with paypal plus the shipping.

This morning I woke up to an email from "paypal" saying I had the agreed amount in my paypal account but the funds would NOT clear until i presented the seller with a tracking number.

yeah smelled a scam 10 miles away on that one....fortunatly I did not click the link in any emails, and signed into my paypal account by typing in the address myself to discover that my balance hadn't moved a penny.

I called paypal directly to make sure....and sure enough...the emails are a scam.

Things are being handled accordingly on paypals end.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

It's really too bad these people never think to invest that sort of effort and thinking into something useful.

[Sarlon]

was tempted to do what I read about on a website many moons ago, which was ship them a dud, complete with legit tracking number clear the funds and be gone.

scam for a scammer.

[Gerrinson]

Pretty slick version of the scam, it probably trips up quite a few people.

Although asking someone to send anything to Nigeria is just a blatant red flag these days.

[XCashier]

It's really too bad these people never think to invest that sort of effort and thinking into something useful.

Yeah, if they put even half the effort into doing good that they put into scamming people, the world would be a much better place.

[Kogarashi]

Almost sounds like somene's going for a two-for-one deal. Not only are they attempting to get the laptop without paying by sending you a phony-but-looks-legit e-mail, but said e-mail may also be phishing for your Paypal details so they can raid that too. Glad you recognized it off the bat.

[draggar]

Scam -yes but it is very possible to get a tracking number withoug actually shipping it. Create the label online and then give them the tracking#.

You can forward the email to abuse@paypal.com, too.

[Sarlon]

well shoot, I'd of done the fake tracking number if I'd known, but I've already basically told him to piss off.

[draggar]

Doesn't have to be fake, just print up the label and then email them the # but don't schedule a pickup or drop it off anywhere.

You can always cancel it later if you need to.

[lordlundar]

Not really new, though the nigerian approach is fresh.

Case in point, The P-P-P-Powerbook scam.

[Kanalah]

I love the Powerbook scam. That was gold.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

If you have a little time to spend, The Road To The Skeleton Coast is probably the most awesome scam bait of all time.

I don't think anyone's gotten so completely and totally owned in the history of Nigeria.

In scam baiting terms, "Safari" is when a baiter gets a "lad" (the scammer) to travel a minimum distance. I think the distance is two, three hundred miles but don't quote me on that. This safari goes on so long you almost feel bad for the lad.

Almost.