{"id":430,"date":"2007-09-04T18:50:04","date_gmt":"2007-09-04T10:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whoisandrewwee.com\/ebay-auctions\/ebay-nigeria-scam-exposed\/"},"modified":"2009-11-02T19:00:10","modified_gmt":"2009-11-02T11:00:10","slug":"ebay-nigeria-scam-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/whoisandrewwee.com\/ebay-auctions\/ebay-nigeria-scam-exposed\/","title":{"rendered":"eBay Nigeria Scam Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s easy to focus on the $6 billion money train that is the eBay “digital marketplace” (or auction site in everyday language – “Internet Marketers, Are you on the eBay Money Train Yet?<\/a>” But if you’re not careful, you could fall prey to scam artists.<\/p>\n

With a worldwide audience, that set of Pez dispensers could evoke a fierce bidding war between collectors in Belgium and Thailand, and the tussle could boost your sale price quite substantially. But again, beware the sharks out there.<\/p>\n

Last week, I put up a cell phone for auction on eBay and within 4 hours, a buyer took up the “Buy It Now” option, purchasing the phone at the price I specified. This certainly was a bright prospect for my eBay plans. What’s more I got a PayPal payment notification from the UK buyer, along with an email that read:<\/p>\n

Hello,
\nI just sent the payment for the item. I also included
\nan estimated cost of shipping to Nigeria for my son
\ncompany. Please let me know when you get a
\nnotification from ebay that Slong Girl sent you a
\npayment. Send me the tracking number via auspost as
\nsoon as you ship the item. I am having difficulties
\ngetting across to my son that manage her father
\ncompany over there. I gave his address to paypal for
\nverification and it has been confirmed so it should be
\nin the payment notification.
\nHis correct mailing address again is:<\/em><\/p>\n

Atolagbe Agbede
\n03 Ijaiye Road
\nOpp Mobil Filling Station
\nOgba, Ikeja, Lagos
\nNigeria 23401<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks and I hope to read from you as soon as possible
\ncos I want this to get to him at the shortest period
\nof time.
\nSlong,
\ngirl<\/em><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

A UK buyer asking for a cell phone to be sent to Nigeria?<\/p>\n

Plus the PayPal “payment notification” looked dubious. The payment amounts were all wrong and it came from “Services@Paypal.com” instead of the regular “service@paypal.com” (a hallmark of scam artists = poor spelling).<\/p>\n

Even better, the email was sent from: “pp.notification.status@post.com” and “pp.notification1@gmail.com” – pretty poor email spoofing if you ask me.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

As if these weren’t bad enough, the “bidder” had the audacity to send more fake email:<\/p>\n

Dear andrew wee<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We hereby notify you of the transaction that was effected by Slong Girl <\/span>for the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

payment <\/span><\/span>of the item(s) purchased from you on eBayand provide guidelines on how your funds <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

would be <\/span>released.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span>A notification of this transaction on PayPal as been sent to you immediately <\/span> <\/span><\/span> <\/span>the payment <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

was <\/span><\/span>effected, and we are yet to read from you. Please be informed <\/span> that the money has <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

been <\/span><\/span>deducted from <\/span> Slong Girl <\/span><\/span>account and is pending <\/span>on PayPal database. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This money will be released into your account as soon as the tracking number for <\/span>the <\/span><\/span> shipment <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

has been sent to us at pp.notification.status@mail.com<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span> for verification. You <\/span><\/span> are <\/span>adviced <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

to ship <\/span>this item and send the tracking number you recieve <\/span>from the post office to <\/span> <\/span>us at <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

above <\/span>email address. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We will send you an email as soon as the funds has been released into your account, until then <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

we wait for the tracking number for the shipment. Ship the Item to the address included in the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

email <\/span><\/span>used to you notify you of the payment <\/span> for your item(s) ONLY! <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you using PayPal.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Chris Campbell<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

PP Email ID 936<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This was sent from the same mail.com and gmail.com emails.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

So the scam works in this way:<\/p>\n