Fraudulent buyers usually operate by depositing fake or stolen cheques into the seller’s account or sending through fake proof of payment / EFT to the seller’s e-mail account or via fax. We have posted warnings about this on the Avoid Scams section of the Junk Mail website.
However, this scam has recently entered the digital age. Potential buyers respond via e-mail and claim that they are in a foreign country or in a different city than the seller. They request the seller’s banking details and claim that they will making payment for the item via the Bank of America, Barclays, Western Union, Moneygram (or another international financial institution). Once they send through the fake proof payment they request that the seller courier the item to them.
- 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 you are most likely dealing with a potential fraudster.
- 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.
- The more complicated the deal becomes, the more likely that it is a scam.
- If the e-mail you receive from the potential buyer is sent from a web based e-mail address (like “@gmail.com” “@yahoo.com”, “@yahoo.co.uk”, “@hotmail.com”, “@live.com”, “@msn.com” or “@live.co.za” be very vigilant. E-mail addresses like these take literally 5 minutes to set up online and are often used by fraudsters.
- If the e-mail you receive from the potential buyer contains broken English or contains a story of a person claiming to be in another country working at a missionary or wanting the item for one of their relatives as a birthday present, be vigilant.
- If you suspect that you’re dealing with a potential fraudster do an internet search for the person’s e-mail address or phone number. Victims of these criminals post warnings about this on online forums which will be picked up by your search.
- Do not courier the item to the potential buyer unless you’re 100% certain that payment has been received for it.
- If you suspect that the potential buyer has sent you a fake proof of payment check with the bank they are a using to make sure that the payment is genuine.
REMEMBER: 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). Be Smart! Be Savvy! Be Safe!
If you have been a victim of scam or if you want to report a scam please e-mail us at ccc@junkmail.co.za and provide us with an account of your experience. Include the phone number / e-mail address of the persons involved if possible. Also check out the other scam warnings on the Junk Mail blog in the Safety & Security section.
Henno Kruger
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Yes, recently, after my advertising to sell a used cellphone online, two respondents both wanted my bank account details & that I send the “gift” item to a relative after respondents make “provable” deposits. Once I insisted on cash payment, no further contact was made
I have reported the telephone number & email address to various authorities immediately.
EFT scammers beware!
Yip. Same thing just happened to me. I also will report the name and number to Junkmail.
He wanted to do an EFT Sat afternoon and have his “girlfriend” to pick if up today as she was returning to Brits tomorrow. As soon as I said Cash only, he hng up.
I was contacted via SMS by ‘Wayne’ who wanted me to deliver goods I advertised (stove and oven). I received a (fake, it turned out) Nedbank payment confirmation (from a W. Khoza), and ‘Wayne’ wanted immediate delivery. However, before delivering I waited for the money to appear in MY account, which of course never happened. The number he is using is +27 780302622, and he wanted delivery to Number 2 Houghton Mansions, c/o Louis Botha and Bond st.
A few minutes on Google confirmed that this has been going on for more than a year (at least since January 2011) – the phone number changes, but the MO stays the same (buying goods unseen, no negotiation, fake Nedbank confirmation, Houghton address, immediate delivery).
It would be interesting to know how it is possible to run such a scam for so long. Us law-abiding people are subject to RICA, for starters, so it should be easy find them and to shut them down, except that it is clearly not happening.
Any proposals regarding ways of making the lives of such parasites a misery will be appreciated – I did not lose anything, but it would be wrong just to shrug and walk away, as they clearly require something more aggressive to make them see the error of their ways.
Thanks for your feedback Johan. Please forward us all the details of this scam to our Customer Care department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
Hi all
Same people from Johan’s post on the 25th of May and the new number they are using is 0730147427.
What a bunch of idiots. Will be pursuing this with the cops.
Thanks for your comment Evan, let’s hope the SAPS act on this soon and the person gets arrested
Hi all. This idiot is still operating, he has just tried to scam me of my apple mac, something just didn’t ring true with regards to this. He is now operating from number 078 865 6728. Just beware. Just thought it was fishy when he was adamant he wanted to do a transfer because it was safer!!!!!
Thanks for your comment Nikki, please forward this detail to our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
I was just scammed last week Thursday by this person (Theo). I wish I had read this earlier. The person is using the following number: 07810655039 and asked for the phone to be delivered on corner bond and Louis Botha. And deposited a cheque. i cant believe people in this world are so heartless wow!
Hi Catherine – Thanks for reporting this to us. Please forward all this person’s details to our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za so we can follow up.
Hello all. I was contacted yesterday by a Mitchell Brown. wanted to purchase my tablets I am selling. send me proof of payment through Citi Bank but the goods must be sent first,so I called Citi Bank in UK and reported the matter and forward them the mail. It was suppose to be a gift for his wife in Nigeria but the spelling put me off.
Thanks for reporting this to us Rod
Please forward the details to our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za
MIKE.PINNER SCAM
His details 1st cell 071 078 0690. Thomas Cell 073 415 8568
Goods delivered to 29 Louie Botha/ Bedford Houghton.
Other cells +2783456755510673
PLEASE BEWARE
Hi Dee – Thanks for sharing these details with us. Please forward this information to our Customer Care department as well. You can reach them via ccc@junkmail.co.za
MIKE PINNER SCAM
R 5000 laptop took from me sending through fake EFT Deposit
His details 0746320367
His Driver Brian 0847465837
Sorry to hear about your experience Carolyn. Thanks for sharing these details with us. Please e-mail our Customer Care Department via ccc@junkmail.co.za and give us a full report of this incident.
I recently advertised a laptop for sale in the South African Junk Mail. I received a couple of emails with people requesting for the item to be ship to foreign countries. I thought to go through with one of them, and received a proove of payment from Bank of America. What makes this deal so strange is that the person asked me to ship the item and give him a final price, I did give him a price that was rediculious. He still went on with the deal. How many people do fall for this scams. When it sounds to good to be true, it definitly is!
I also advetised a laptop and also received a similar e-mail from a Jessica Hall. The e-mail adress is hall.jessy@ymail.com so please people be aware.