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Selling laptop on craigslist. Buyer out of country and wants to use paypal. Scam?

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Just to give a little background info... I'm trying to sell my sony SZ laptop so that i can buy a powerbook g4. I put it up on craigslist ad about a day ago. I know craigslist always tell you that if its not local its probably a scam. So im trying to keep that in mind. In my ad i mentioned that i bought my laptop for $2,000 about a year and a half ago. It needs a new keyboard and battery. The sz's in good condition are going for about $500. So in my ad i didn't mention a price and i just said to make an offer. So then i get an email from this guy. It sounds just like a scam. But shouldn't i be safe if i'm going through paypal. How could i get burned. I get the cash first. Then send my item. But if it is a scam is there a way to scam the scammer? Not to sound crooked. But i really want my computer sold. This is his email.

Good Afternoon Seller,
Thanks for getting back to me, i will be willing to pay $850 for the item, But i am presently not in the States to complete the transaction by cash... i am presently in the east of europe and i am sending the item to an orphanage home that is based abroad as a token present home and i will be responsible for all shipping expenses via USPS Global Express Mail.so i will add $150 for shiping cost......and i will be paying for the item via PayPal, so Kindly get back to me with your PayPal email Address so that i can send the payment to you as soon as possible..
Regards
 
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I wouldn't do it.
 
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It really sounds like one. I wouldn't do it. I almost got scammed last year, the guy used the same type of speech. Like I said. I wouldn't do it..
 
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Yeah.. Definitely avoid this. When I was selling my iBook on a Craigslist-typed site, I had a foreign-ish guy email me with an offer of doubled what I had posted.

I didn't get a response after replying to him, so needless to say, the "deal" was never done.
 
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Sounds like a Nigerian scam.
 
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scam!

"Kindly"... and "as soon as possible" are key words to me. As well as spelling typos. Anything out of the country is a no-no.
 
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Stick to the states man. 99% of those overseas buyers are scammers. Not to offend anyone.
 
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scam!

"Kindly"... and "as soon as possible" are key words to me. As well as spelling typos. Anything out of the country is a no-no.

I always get emails from Nigerians when I'm selling iphones and "Kindly" is always in there. Another thing they like to do is send you an email asking you to ship to there nephew or son who is studying abroad or he is a missionary traveling for the church.
 
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That is definitely a scam

But not all foreigners are crooks, I bought my G4 from the states on eBay
 
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Craigslist specifically states that you shouldn't really ship anything when dealing on the site. They generally want you to deal locally and if at all possible meet in person. I've sold a whole bunch of my crap on cl with no problems. I always put in my ad that I will only deal locally and that the item is available for local pickup only, no exceptions. When I meet up with the people I'm selling to I always pick a very public place for safety reasons, because people are less likely to try and rob you or attack you if there are tons of witnesses. I don't want to boast my ego or anything but I consider myself a "power user" on cl and if you have any questions about cl just ask or private message me. I'll try my best to answer

-ping
 

cwa107


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Stick to local transactions only when using Craigslist. International scammers love to try to find a sucker. I even had one use a telephone service for the deaf call my home asking me to email them the details. When he offered me way more than the item was worth and told me I'd be paying a "courier" (to deliver a large piece of furniture, no less), I had a pretty good idea it was a scam. It's too bad society no longer condones the practice of drawing and quartering criminals.
 
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Don't do it! I sell on Craigslist all the time, and usually the first email from someone I get is a vague "is this still available", not a life story.
 
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What they will do is send you a fake email that looks to be genuine from paypal. They tell you that they have sent the money and send you the bogus email. When you check your REAL paypal account there is no additional money there.

Below are screenshots of the emails I've recieved and my yahoo inbox- filled with tons of scam messages for my Dell Vostro 1000 and Inspiron 1501.









Look at the third email and how it has two different email addresses at the top. This is because the first email address is what the scammers put in for the name- which can be anything including email addresses-making the email seem real. Second, Paypal's emails are always end with @paypal.com NOT @anyrandomwebsite.com

In some cases, lazy scammers won't even bother sending you the fake email. You should always check your paypal account at paypal.com whenever you have recieved any notification of payment. Paypal won't give you any protection because the people you are dealing with are not from paypal. There are ways to scam the scammer, but I don't think that I should discuss that here. Google "Scambaiting"

Never:
-Deal with anyone who is not face to face on Craigslist
-Ship anything on Craigslist
-Accept PayPal, Checks, Money Orders, Wire Transfers or Cash on Craigslist.
-Send or accept money for services you didn't do or goods you didn't send.

Good luck on selling your laptop.
 
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My mac is for sale!
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Do not do this. I got scammed like this for my Mac I have forsale now! He offered me 2 grand and then right before I shipped it he took his money out of my paypal account somehow?!?! But do not ship he wanted me to ship to Africa!
 

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