I posted a WTB thread recently, and had to bump it a couple of times. Recently, I received a PM from a user (new member) that suggested emailing someone that they know that has what I am looking for. I emailed this person, and got some nice pictures of the item I was looking for in my thread, and was asked to send my full address for a shipping quote. I replied with "When I PayPal you, that will have my address, but my zip code is XXXXX." The seller replied with "I have been having trouble with 'on-hold' PayPal payments, and would prefer payment as friends & family only." Of course, this is starting to smell like a scam, so I politely refuse to move on. The seller did not push, so it looks like we're parting ways on this deal.

This is a reminder to the community to keep a sharp eye out for possible scams that appear to come from folks with good intentions. Unless I actually know the person I am sending money to, I only complete (or accept) payments as "paying for goods and services."

In summary: If you receive a PM from a user, new(ish) to the forum, telling you that So-and-so, at email address such-and-such.com has what you are looking for, be careful with what information you send to the stranger if you choose to email that person. Always PayPal as paying for goods and services. If a seller asks otherwise, I find that to be a red flag. Good luck out there!

 

We banned him yesterday.
Different emails might have been used.

Script was:
Email Tom in Virginia.he has a Driver side door speaker grill for sale;here's his mail

 

And I see that the accomplice (who PM'd me the email) was banned as well. For piece of mind, I changed my email password. Glad to see we have a great admin team looking out around here!!!

 

Knock on wood, i have not had one bad transaction (buying or selling) on this site. iTrader, post counts, and advance search are powerful tools to minimize risk. You're on your own going off the reservation

 

The exact reason I pushed to have everything go through PayPal as G&S. I have the same experience through the forum. I even bought something from you, Tom!

 

Wow this is nuts, I had a situation like this myself concerning a hood I'm selling/trading. The user PM'd me stating:

"Email Tom in Virginia.he has a seibon carbon DS-style hood for sale,I'm not sure if he is in for a trade but definitely gonna sell his,you can actually put your hood up for sale after that so it doesn't stay up long looking for someone to pair with for a trade;here's his mail TomXXXXXX at gmail"

I didn't bother following up because I'll only do deals for parts through this site and PM's if I've got anything listed here. I hope no one fell for this!

 

For the record, it's not me

 

My two golden rules for buying anything from random people on the internet:

1 - Ask for a picture of the actual item with their user name, email adress and todays date clearly visible on a piece of paper in the picture, for any item worth more than you are willing to risk getting scamed on.
(This is a rule for many «for sale» posts on forums i use)

2 - Never ever ever use «Family & Friends» payment.

 

Always check seller's iTrader ratings so you know who you are working with
Always ask for pics
Ask if you can return if not satisfied...all my parts may be returned if not satisfied...no ifs ands or buts
Most of my repeat buyers use Friends & Family...no pesky fees

 

Which is why I always email this guy before I post a WTB! Also, I never send payments to sellers on these classifieds as F&F.