Jeesh....what's the world coming to?
So, I am currently attempting to sell my xbox I bought very recently.
A couple of years ago I successfully wielded off some shady "buyers" on another thing I was selling, but today topped them....within 5 minutes of the ad going live I've had four "interested buyers".
Now, the ad clearly states that the deal is cash only (for a reason)....all of them ask if they can do bank deposits. Dead giveaway....Damn scammers....how stupid do you think I am?
One d**khead even got cocky when firstly, I refused an EFT offer asking for cash, and secondly refusing to deliver in Hillbrow. LOL....are you kidding me man?!
However funny and annoying, the sad part is that still, some people get caught with these things. A guy I know sold audio equipment. Well, actually he gave it away for free...same old EFT story...20 mins after "John" picked up the goods, the EFT (which was a cheque deposit) was reversed...
Anyway, for those that dont know the warning signs yet, 8 things to remember (courtesy of Junkmail.co.za)
1. When a buyer seems almost too keen to purchase items and appears to want to buy whatever you have for sale, without regard for the price or condition of the goods be vigilant and beware.
2. Immediate requests for your bank account details to deposit money even before the items have been seen should be considered suspicious, especially when linked to a demand that the transaction be concluded immediately and goods collected / delivered within a few hours. This is an Modus Operandi used by scammers.
3. The more complicated the deal becomes, the more likely that it is a scam.
4. Sell your item on your terms – do not drive great distances to meet the potential buyer or go to great lengths to enable them to make the purchase – such as buying airtime for them, depositing money into their account for petrol to be able to drive to your designated meeting spot and so on.
5. Make sure that funds paid into your account have cleared! Stolen or fraudulent cheques deposited at the bank will show in your account, but is not available for use. Call your bank. Insist that they make sure that the funds are cleared and available for your use. However, this is not exactly 100% reliable. Be safe: deal in hard cash only.
6. Watch out for SMS messages sent from banking institutions. Make 100% sure the SMS is from the Bank where the deposit is supposedly made from. Scamsters send SMS messages like these from internet based services to make it appear that they’ve deposited money into your account. Make sure the amount indicated is deposited into your account and available for use before you hand over the item to the person. Also see Nr 5 above.
7. Watch out for fake Internet / EFT proof of payment documents. Call your bank to make 100% sure that the money has been deposited into your account and is available for use. Do not hand over the item you have for sale unless you are 100% sure that the money has been deposited into your account and is available for use.
If a buyer deposits too much money into your account for an item that he has purchased from you consider it as a danger sign. Make sure that the amount deposited is available for use in your account before you hand over the item that is for sale. Scamsters fraudulent deposit too much money deliberately and then claim cash back from sellers claiming that they’ve made a mistake.
8. When a deal seems to be too good to be true – beware. A seller who seems almost too keen to rid of the item, even agreeing to a huge drop in asking prices should arouse suspicion.
