Craigslist / PayPal Scam: Notification of An Instant Merchandise Payment Received from Ebenezer Smith

A friend of mine put a Canoe on Craigslist and got a “want to buy” email from someone who is…

• · Traveling
• · Does not have a Credit Card
• · No access to a Phone
• · Has PayPal

So time for a little fun, so I emailed him and followed his instructions to the letter and then he “paid” me via PayPal but it is all pending me wiring $650 to his broker who is moving the canoe from Oregon to Ohio (really).

The FAKE PayPal emails are not bad, but they are coming from @paypal and not PayPal themselves, the root of the emails are coming from transactionteam@officeemail.net

So just a hunk of garbage, but this is a good lesson for others out there what a decent eBay / PayPal or Craigslist SCAM looks like.

PayPal does NOT broker deals or hold money pending you complete a task. Escrow.com may, if you are transferring a domain or delivering a rare item, they act as a true Escrow company, but PayPal only cares about their commission.

Here are the two FAKE email(s)

On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 11:26 AM, ®service@paypal.com <transactionteam@officeemail.net> wrote:

Dear

You have a PayPal Payment of $3,185.00 USD PENDING from Ebenezer Smith (ebe.smith714@yahoo.com).

A temporary hold has been placed on this transaction!

As mentioned in the receipt of Payment and as per New PayPal Payment policy, we have fully debited the total amount (above) from the buyer's account which includes the buyer's Agent pick up fees.

In order to complete this transaction and get the funds approved in your account. We advice you go to your nearest

Western Union Office, and send the $650.00 USD to the Agent and send us the Scanned Copy/Receipt for the Western Union Transaction Receipt.

NOTE: This is important as a security measure to ensure safety of this transaction and also for the safety of both buyers and sellers.

Address:		Name: Christopher Lewis Address: 1027 Holland Park Blvd, 43528 OH.US
Address Status:		Confirmed

Your Account will be credited accordingly upon the receipt of details requested. It should either be sent in JPG format or send type details as:
Sender's Name; Receiver's Name; MTCN Number; Amount Sent;

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You are advised to contact the PayPal Customer Verification Department the the email below with the Western Union MTCN number information and include either transaction ID or reference number (PP307) for quick recognition of this transaction at:

transactionteam@officeemail.net

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Sincerely,
PayPal

From: collins.shawn714@gmail.com [mailto:collins.shawn714@gmail.com] On Behalf Of ®service@paypal.com

Sent: Monday, May 16, 2011 11:24 AM
To
Subject: Notification of An Instant Merchandise Payment Received from Ebenezer Smith (Transaction ID: 0TR19308DU070732T

You've received an PayPal Payment From Ebenezer Smith

Dear

This email confirms that you have received an Instant payment of $3,185.00 USD From Ebenezer Smith (ebe.smith714@yahoo.com) via PayPal MERCHANDISE Payment Service.

Reversals : This method of payment can not be reversed.

Status : Pending - Transport Company Awaiting Payment.

View the "NOTE" of this pending transaction below Please read carefully

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Payment Details

Merchandise Amount:		$2,435.00 USD
Transport Charges: Western Union Chargers: Total:		$650.00 USD $100.00 USD $3,185.00 USD
Transaction:		0TR19308DU070732T
Quantity:		1
MERCHANDISE Title:		Canoe 18' Wenonah Champlain

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Transport Company: Worldwide Speedpost Delivery Address: Name: Christopher Lewis Address:1027 Holland Park Blvd, 43528 OH US. . Address Status: Confirmed

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NOTE: This is to confirm to you that the payment has been successfully transferred by the Sender and been deducted from his Account which is ready to be credited into your account, been that this Payment has been subjected to be a Payment for an MERCHANDISE purchased from you, we reserve the right to make sure this transaction is safe and secured also to verify the legitimacy level on this transaction because of the high sum of funds involved.

NOTE: we do not ENTERTAIN CALLS on transaction like this as we have many customer's to attend to and If there is any information/verification you may need to make/have, email our customer care service via:transactionteam@officeEmail.net

The above sum has Included the transport charges and taxes as we and the Transport Company quoted for the buyer (as per PayPal MERCHANDISE PAYMENT POLICY). You will receive a Message from the PayPal Customer Verification Department Shortly informing you on how to send the Transport fares and taxes to the transport company with the above details as soon as possible.

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You may contact PayPal customer service directly to this email by using the reply button in your Mail Box and Quote the Above Transaction ID for quick recognition of this transaction.

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Sincerely,

The PayPal Team.

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PayPal Email ID PP307