The Online Sales Zoo

[soulman969]

@soulman969 I just read a Zelle scam alert on Nextdoor. Scammer offers to buy an item for X dollars and claims that he sent the $, but says that seller can't receive it because the seller does not have a "business" account. Then says seller should refund the $ and create a business account that the scammer will then send money to.

So that's one trick they use.

Do these scammer actually get someone to refund money they've never received?

If this was PayPal it would be like someone saying they sent $$$ to your PayPal account but you can't have it until you open a business account. With PayPal if money is sent it shows that it's there. In fact I even get an email alert telling me it's there and I'm allowed to access it any number of ways including with my business debit card.

If Zelle is bank to bank and money is deposited in a personal account which employers often do with an employees salary why would any bank require someone to open a business account to access funds coming from another business account? The bank doesn't give a rip about the source of the funds as long as the transaction is legit.

Unless I'm somehow misunderstanding this whole deal these guys are dependent on a seller being a whole lot dumber than most anyone I know. It's almost like the way Harry Anderson used to scam Coach on the early Cheers episodes.

 

[Davis Sharp]

Unless I'm somehow misunderstanding this whole deal these guys are dependent on a seller being a whole lot dumber than most anyone I know.

That's your answer.

 

[Raiyn]

Unless I'm somehow misunderstanding this whole deal these guys are dependent on a seller being a whole lot dumber than most anyone I know.

That's your answer.

There are PLENTY of folks out there who are dumb enough to fall for this.

As a reminder, the IRS, <insert government agency>, your boss etc. WILL NEVER ASK YOU TO BUY GIFT CARDS TO FIX A PROBLEM.

 

[soulman969]

That's your answer.

I suppose they believe that if you're listing locally you're a guy who bought a nice guitar then never learned to play it so you're selling it and never have participated on forums where we discuss scammers.

Maybe it's all of my years working in the investment field that makes me naturally suspicious of anything that's too far out of what's more typically expected. There's always some chicanery there to see through.

But for me, and hopefully others, it's more or less just common sense. I mean why would a legit buyer on CL ask a seller to contact him via an email other than the one he used to respond to the listing? Why would anyone use an email they never check in order to engage in a transaction? It makes no sense and it shouldn't make sense.

The other stuff with agents or relatives picking something up is pretty legendary by now but these newer payment methods were something I had not seen before not that it mattered much other than to pique my curiosity. With any local sale cash is king and it's my only choice. If that's not good enough well then it's no sale. No one has ever refused.

In the 21st century maybe some feel OK accepting alternate types of payment but in my entire life whenever I've bought locally whether it was a piece of gear, a car, or whatever it was always pay in cash so naturally I demand the same when I sell. It's clean and it's simple.

A buyer can see what he or she is getting prior to payment so there's no buying a pig in a poke. If it's what a buyer wants and the price is right pay and take it home. If not walk away or make an offer. I just want both parties to walk away happy and in doing it this way it always has.

 

[Davis Sharp]

I suppose they believe that if you're listing locally you're a guy who bought a nice guitar then never learned to play it so you're selling it and never have participated on forums where we discuss scammers.

you are overthinking this, my friend. They don't care whether you're selling a guitar, bicycle, or leather jacket. They will just refer to it as "your item." They don't think about whether you are a guitar forum member or not.

Think of a telemarketing call center. Now imagine that the dozens of people in that room are scammers. They spend all day responding to ads on Craigslist, eBay, Poshmark, etc. They aren't even in the US. If they're using Zelle, they have accomplices wo open bank accounts and close them as soon as they withdraw the scammed money.

They deal in volume. If they can get just $1 from just 1% of the US population, that's $3M.