Scams on the net are popular with criminals and are often used on platforms such as eBay classified ads. Fraudsters are currently trying again to deceive private individuals. The police are now issuing a warning.
What is a blessing is also a curse. With eBay classified ads you can sell your used things cheaply and quickly or get used goods at a low price. But in the end you never know who is behind the seller or buyer account. This is exactly what is currently being exploited by fraudsters again. The procedure is not new, but uses the popular PayPal service .
WELL-KNOWN SCAM ON EBAY CLASSIFIEDS
As the LKA Lower Saxony warns, the fraudsters pretend to be interested in your article and want to pay via PayPal. There is nothing unusual about that at first. At the same time, according to the police, they also demand that you purchase credit for them and enclose them with the used goods. These are primarily vouchers for iTunes, Amazon or the like.
The perpetrators state that they are not in Germany and therefore send the goods and the credit to a third man. The supposed buyers emphasize to transfer the total amount and an expense allowance of 30 euros to you via PayPal. Up to this point the procedure is the same.
When it comes to “payment”, however, the criminals get creative and behave differently from case to case. A stolen PayPal account is often misused for payment. Or the e-mail traffic is falsified and receipts of payment are faked. The perpetrators also state that they are waiting for a shipping confirmation so that the money can ultimately be forwarded to you. According to LKA Lower Saxony, it is even possible that you should pass on the credit code to the perpetrators before paying out.
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF
If you give your used goods and the prepaid card to the perpetrators, you will lose both. You don’t get to see the goods or the money. The question: How can you protect yourself from the scammers on eBay classifieds?
The simplest thing is that if you are pressured into such favors, then you should be taken aback. Most importantly, you don’t get caught up in the scam. In other words: do not send your used goods or a credit code to the person concerned. In addition, you should generally specify the type of shipping and payment for sales via eBay classifieds and Co.
If you are already affected, you can only have the credit card blocked by the respective provider. To date, however, only a few card providers offer this service. It is also advisable to report it to the police in your city.
