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Ok, so, as I have said in my profile, I am pretty new to buying and selling online so I am not yet savvy to the scams that are out there. Thankfully, I still have a good ounce or two of cynicism, which probably saved my botty on this one.
I received a txt from someone claiming they wanted to buy the items I had for sale on Gumtree. They txted me an email address to correspond with, which I did. The alert for me happened when she said she wanted to buy all items (strange!). Then it started; an official looking email from Paypal saying the money was deposited but not freed-up until I paid the courier which, incidentally, the buyer had put extra money into my account for. None of this was discussed with me, of course. The paypal email asked for a transfer via Western Union Credit to the buyer's courier. Alert, alert! This all happened very late last night so I could not verify anything by phone so, I decided to wait until this morning. I called Paypal who confirmed that it's all a bit fat scam and to just ignore it - they would have just taken the money I transferred for their courier and ran with it. Paypal don't do such transactions. The only thing I did do, is take my ads off Gumtree so I'll have to start again; a small price to pay...
Details of false buyer:
Mobile: +61428 465 117
Email: sharonhair@hotmail.com
If you receive anything from the above, please delete/report it. Of course, they're probably smart enough to change it all for the next time...
Thanks Mai N. I've had a bit of a look at some of the sites you've suggested - I shouldn't be surprised that there is so much information about this out there but I suppose I hope that humanity is, well, a bit more humane... Indeed the online world doesn't fail to disappoint!
Once again, thanks for the links.
I got the same Scam today, Thank you for this Posting as it was the only one mentioning gumtree with this scam name. I recieved the SMS from the same number and also the Sharonhair@hotmail.com address. Also wanting to buy all my listings.
I'm glad you got the benefit of the posting James. It sounds like you didn't reply to it, which is great. Because I did, I ended up with a series of fraudulent emails from 'paypal' (not from them at all of course) which I've blocked and will now hopefully stop...
Hi Natalie,
I have just received this message this morning and it seemed a little weird, so thought I would google the email address just in case - so thank you for posting about this as its the same email address and phone number that you have mentioned. Who do I report it too? I haven't done anything in regards to payment etc yet and needless to say wont be.
Cheer for the info
I received an sms requesting that I email Sharonhair@hotmail.com about my gumtree post as well. I sent them an email, but thanks for posting on this Natalie, I won't be hoodwinked any further.
Thanks again.
I've just got an email from sharonhair@hotmail.com
Here is the content:
"Thanks for the swift response... I am willing to know the lowest price of
It. Due to the nature of my job and location... i will not be able to come
For inspection, am a very busy type as i work long hours
Everyday, i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with
it.As for the payment. I will be paying you via the fastest and secure
Way to pay online(PayPal). I have a private courier agent that will come for
The pick up after the payment have been made... so no shipping included.
You can now send me your PayPal email so i can pay in right away and also
Include your address in your reply.If you don't have a paypal
Account, you can easily set up one... log on to www.paypal.com.au and sign
Up. Its very easy. I await your reply asap"
I think they must be using the same text for each email...
Hope it helps and be careful with the scammers!
Received the same email yesterday afternoon from Sharon which ksenia received on the 24th. Thanks for creating this tread Natalie.
Hi everyone,
They have obviously targeted Gumtree - I'm very glad I made this post! Thank you all for your input - I have sent individual replies to those of you who have either asked questions or may be getting further correspondence from sharonhair...
Hope they soon get the message and leave us all alone. I am glad to say that, since I blocked their email, I haven' received anything else.
... also, if any of you want to, you can make a report on the government's scam report site:
http://australia.gov.au/service/scams-reports-and-complaints
Also, if you receive an official-looking email from Paypal, you can forward it to:
phishing@paypal.com.au
You can forward those hotmail emails here:
report_spam@hotmail.com and get them shutdown.
(sometimes its takes a few complaints)
Make it harder for the scammers by killing their email addresses.
THANK YOU! Im glad someone has made a post about this!
I just got this email too, which i thought was strange because im trying to sell a wedding dress! Who wants to buy a wedding dress and not even know more or try it on! GOSH! Hahahaha Thank you again! I did think it was very strange 'her' reply, hence the Googling lol
Nope they are not smart enough to change any details... got the same thing, reported it straight to the federal police.
I fell for this and gave him my account number and bsb. Where do I have to go to make sure I don't get charged for anything stupid?! Before he gets to my account before I can
Call your bank or credit card company and explain what happened. They can block the transaction. ( or reverse the charge if its already done)
Thanks Nat
This pathetic low life piece of work is still texting of the same number and another email being refereed to now is sjjoesmith@gmail.com
My add was for a renting a room so how far they thought they were actually going to get with this one without even meeting to view the house is beyond me.
These things make me sick!
They did it to me too. I put an add up on gum tree to sell my car. They wanted to deposit the money into my paypal account, I stupidly gave them my email address, name and address until I thought I would google the phone number and came across this site. Funny when I emailed back asking about it they won't reply. My only concern now is that they might be able to access something of mine over the net.
>I fell for this and gave him my account number
There is no problem, with just an bank account number one can not get your money.
Thanks good to know
I have just received an email from sjjoesmith@gmail.com. With the following message. It immediately alert me. First, he don't sound local and 2nd his email address name don't sound local. Thanks Vicki M. For posting her msg. So PeoPLE! Alert!
Hello,
I am ready to pay for your apartments/room that you posted on ibilik site please kindly get back to me with the picture and the price of the room.
Me too. Luckily I made a few search on the email: sjjoesmith@gmail.com
I received yesterday naming himself as Alpha and used someone else Driving license.
I think they just cu and paste and send to multiple emails!
On Sun, Oct 27,2013 at 4:40 AM, Alpa <sjjoesmith@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello,
Thanks for getting back to me, am a simple non smoker lady willing to
Rent/share the room and i am at sea at the moment as i am a Coastguard
Agency employee in Canada but i was Born and brought up in Queensland
Australia. I got transfer to work and study part time down there but
Due to the nature of my work, phone calls making and visiting of
Website are restricted. I only squeezed out time to check this advert
And send you an email regarding this. I am ready to rent it asap so
Tell me how much is the rent/share per month and how much deposit do i
Have to pay. Please send me more period you wish to rent this out, i
Have attached my Driver License with this email for you to know the
Kind of person i look like.
Looking forward to read back from you soon
Regards
Alpa
Hello,
Thanks for your email and I will be paying you through PayPal, i would
Have requested for your bank account information but for safety of
Both party with giving bank account information online i prefer using
PayPal. But if you do not have a PayPal account, all you have to do is
To log on to www.paypal.com and set up an account and get back to me
With PayPal money request for me to make the payment. I will also like
You to get back to me with your full home address for me to forward it
To my mover agent to calculate the total cost of moving my little
Stuffs down there. I will be waiting to read back from you.
Cheers
I received the same email as well
Precautions: Even though I didn't exchange bank account details (only email address), I still changed my online passwords. Chances are, these people are probably not savvy enough to do anything too tricky but, changing a password or two, especially if you have handed out more info, is probably not a bad idea. Glad to report that I have had no further contact from these people so ignoring them seems to work!
Thanks everyone for helping to spread the word...
I just received a scam today - wanting to buy all my items which is weird! I knew as soon as I got the text msg that something seemed a bit fishy! After emailing them and them not being specific about anything I had mentioned I knew it must have been a scam! Looking here it is exactly the same email as mentioned above ' thanks for the swift response... I am willing to know the lowest price of it... etc'
The text number I received from is 0428465117 But the person's name this time was Laura Solex and the email is solexnooy7@gmail.com.
I don't think they will bother emailing back as I ask too many questions anyway! Just hoping not too many people fall for these silly things. Only thing I can suggest is don't put text messages on site as then if they go through Gumtree you can report them.
Just got a similar scam attempt from sjjoesmith@hotmail.com in answer to a Gumtree ad. Like he/she needs a 33ft static caravan in Inverness, Scotland or a joblot of 200 wedding dresses in the Ozzy outback lol what a plank:-) Stay safe peeps and keep up the good work and remember just google the e-mail addy and keep the wannabe dopes in their place xxx David, Edinburgh
Jess G. Thanks so much I just received an email from solexnooy7@gmail.com (Laura Solex) saying she lived too far away and was sending courier RE A wedding dress, didnt want to try it on, just wanted to buy at minimum price. I have been scammed before on Ebay so the language on this about wanting to pay now, send paypal details through now etc was a little too suspicious for my liking.
I've had the same person attempt to scam me. Calling themselves 'Kim' along with false Passport, US Healthcare voucher etc. email address via #sjjoesmith@gmail.com
"Hello,
Thanks for mailing back, am ok with the price and the condition, i work
With New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) and we are presently offshore in
New Zealand Taranaki Basin on kupe project.We do not have access to
Phone at the moment 15days off and 15days on and that's why I
Contacted you with internet messaging facility. Regarding the payment, i
Will be paying you through PayPal, please get back to me with your
Paypal details so i can process the payment, you can alternatively send
Your bank acct number if you have no PayPal acct. I have also contacted
My courier who will come for pick up and deliver it to my place in
Darwin after the whole fund has been cleared into your acct"
DON'T FALL FOR THIS SCAMMER
It seems Sharon is trying to scam again on Gumtree, using Sharon Laura and the same phone number Natalie mentioned above
Thanks for sharing, I would like to know
http://www.pandawill.com/pipo-m9pro-quad-core-rk3188-3g-tablet-pc-101-ips-screen-android-42-2gb-ram-32gb-bluetooth-gps-dual-camera-gray-p78439.html
Nice topic, I got many helpful information fron here.
Another one for sjjoesmith@gmail.com, this is The story
On 12 Dec 2013, at 04:10, "Kim" <sjjoesmith@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello,
Thanks for mailing back, am ok with the price and the condition, i work
With New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) and we are presently offshore in
New Zealand Taranaki Basin on kupe project.We do not have access to
Phone at the moment 15days off and 15days on and that's why I
Contacted you with internet messaging facility. Regarding the payment, i
Will be paying you through PayPal, please get back to me with your
Paypal details so i can process the payment, you can alternatively send
Your bank acct number if you have no PayPal acct. I have also contacted
My courier who will come for pick up and deliver it to my place in
Darwin after the whole fund has been cleared into your acct.
Await your reply
Kim
sjjoesmith@gmail.com
This is the email the scammer is using now. Still using the same mobile number however. They tried to scam me but it's always that they seem to have a totally different name to the one in their email address.
Gumtree sounds alot like the British/Australian version of the U.S. Craigslist. Scammers LOVE these kinds of sites. You would actually be better off selling on your regions eBay site and paying their fees then to be caught up in possible scams where you might lose money or get your identity stolen which is WORSE. In the U.S. we also have Ebids where we can buy our own store and sell and we don't have to pay fees unless we do more pictures. Maybe look for something comparable to that in your region. I bought my store when they had a sale several years ago and it is mine for life. I've just never had time to get it up and going! It's hard when you work full time!
L
AKA TX_Dashopaholic
Its an all too common scam, they'll uses a stolen credit card to pay and when the chargeback comes along you're out the money and the goods. Since they never show up in person you'll never see it or them again.
I'd read it on cragslist years ago when I\d 1st visited that site. From the person who'd founded it, what he said was he'd given a friend a 25% stake in the operation as a means to ensure it wasn't monopolized by 1 person. So the story goes that "friend" soon sold that 25% stake to ebay. Not surprising that seeing ebay adverts in the search results is now common.
