Unsure about these ads...

Hi, I've recently be searching on Ebay and Gumtree for a new phone, a HTC One or an Xperia Z. I found an "New" Xperia Z on Gumtree yesterday for £190 which sounds too good to be true but then again, I do know that people sell unwanted upgrades at good prices. So, I send them a message and they got back to me fairly bluntly, so I replied asking if they would be willing to post as I'm in Essex, London and this ad is from Iverness. Obviously I don't mean to sound like a scammer myself when asking to pay via Paypal but that is the safest method I'm aware of. Anyway, she got back to me and said "I can post for £4 but don't have Paypal". This is the weird part, I'm new to gumtree and I got a email faily soon after she sent her email from Gumtree saying "You replied to the ad 'Sony Xperia Z' recently. Unfortunately, the user who posted that ad has been reported as committing suspicious activity and/or breaching the Gumtree Terms of Use." So I left it there.

Now, for the interesting part. I gave up looking for an Xperia and started looking for a HTC One. Found one on Gumtree for £215 new as an unwanted upgrade, so I messaged them, day and a half without a word. Found another ad, new £220 HTC One, messaged them today, been a few hours without a reply which is obviously understandble, I mean no one's on their computer all the time. But then I realised all 3 of these phones/ads I've found for decent prices are based in Iverness - I don't know whether to think this is a coincidence of if I'm just being too paranoid about being scammed.

What do you think? Cheers, Jon.

Welcome to Scamwarners JSC.

The simple truth is that if someone can take your money without sending you anything, they will. That's not to say that there aren't honest people in the world. It's just that dishonest ones will overwhelm the honest ones if there's a way to exploit them. Paying into a bank account gives you no security or comeback if you don't get your goods, so how do you intend to pay ?

The location is suspicious as we've seen that it's a favoured location for those who want to avoid anyone offering to come and pick up the goods, not to say that sellers don't live there. It's just a reason for caution.

There's so much fraud on ad sites I wouldn't go near them, and unless you have a method to protect your money, I wouldn't go for it, especially one that's too good to be true. They usually are.

Well I just thought it was a coincidence that the best priced "new" phones were all based in Iverness, to be honest I think it's the same person.

I was going to suggest Paypal for the payment and if I hadn't recieved the goods then claim but I'm not too sure on the likeliness of people getting there money back. Some forums say Paypal is completely safe and if you claim you WILL get your money back, but you can't trust anyone really.

Do you suggest I just leave it then? Thanks for the reply, I'll let you know if I hear anything back from these other two ads - Oh, and none of these 3 ads have contact numbers, is that unusual or a normal thing on Gumtree?

I know little about Paypal and would never connect any card of mine to anything on the internet.

I do know that the second tier of scammer weapons is the spoofed Paypal confirmation of payment, which snares a lot of people. Personally I don't need the hassle and would prefer to shop where I know the risks rather than where I know the better the deal, the more likely it's a scammer.

Ring him on his landline and enjoy his accent. It won't prove that he's not a scammer, but at least you'll know he's not working from West Africa or Malaysia.

On a map of the UK Inverness is the most northerly and remote city that shows up on a large scale map.

Okay, cheers for your advice, I'll leave it.

Oh, I got a reply, "don't have paypal". Shock.

If you go on ad sites looking for the best deals, you've found the most effective way to locate scammers.

It's slightly more sophisticated than telling you out of the blue that you've won the lottery, but it's the same principle.

Offer someone what they want and the blinkers go on. The additional benefit is that the victim has found the scammer. All the scammer has to do is overload ad sites with their ads, and make them all bargains.

unfortunately i have been a very recent victim of this scam. feel like a right naieve idiot but i'll relay the story.
i live just outside inverness and have recently been looking on gumtree for a new phone.
i came across 2 ads with the title NEW HTC One. i emailed both of them and started to get a reply from only 1. having asked whether the phone was still available and where the sellers location was i got these replys.
it is still available, im in wick, i dont drive so cant meet.
at this point i was very wary and wasnt sure how to go about buying if i was going to buy at all so i pressed for more information. name, address etc. after recieving what looked like very ligitimate details. i investigated through bt phone directory and electoral roll and it seemed to match.
LOUISE SMITH
26 TOWER SQUARE
ACKERGILL
WICK
KW1 4RN.
After this i gave my phone number so the person could make contact through text. they replied using the phone number 07967766705. Texts continued to try and organise the sale and we agreed sale. the person then continued to give me their bank account information.
CO-OPERATIVE 08-90-82 SORT CODE, ACCOUNT NUMBER 24054087.
I investigated this and found that this bank account is located in Doncaster. i challenged the person on this and gave the excuse that they had moved to wick and not changed their bank. i wasnt wholely convinced but the person seemed to be giving quite a lot of detail away and the two way continuous texting sounded genuine.
After investigating further through BT directory and the electoral roll it all seemed to match up and i paid £105 into the account given which was the negotiated half. the other half would be paid on reciept of the phone.
the person said that they would post the item in the morning special delivery after payment.
i had made the payment and immediately i felt conned as i informed the person of the payment but got nothing back. i phoned the mobile number given, no answer. so i phoned the landline found through the BT directory search and the person answered, a female Leanne Smith, who had never heard of a Louise Smith.
i reported this to the police, and hour later i got the email from gumtree telling me i had been in contact with a suspicious posting and at that point it was obvious i had been done!! or had i?
after an angry text and another unanswered call to the number provided, still no reply, but then an hour or so later got a text saying they had recieved my money, been advised by the bank to leave it 24 hours before posting the item. i text back calling them a scammer.
no im not hence the reason i am replying to you, if i was a scammer would i be replying??
after a few angry exchanges the person then went on to say that i was pathetic and i was harrassing them and would cease to communicate with me anymore but said the item would be posted.
no item, no more contact up to now.

a bit long winded i apologise but i cant believe the depth of contact and detail given.
you never know there maybe a phone waiting for me today but i very much doubt it.
ive been an idiot i know before anyone comment, couldnt be more annoyed at myself.
STAY WELL CLEAR
ANY ADVICE PEOPLE??