Is this a scam do you reckon

[leon]

Hi Guys,

Just a quick question, Alice is selling some household stuff which includes a lift bed.

This bed is very heavy over 100 kg's all up.

She just got a message from someone in Broom WA which said please send bank details and and I will deposit into account now, and I will then arrange Auspost Deliveriers to pick up the bed at your address.

This was at 4.30 in the morning, so how legit would/could this be or dose it sound like a scam.

I think a delivery to Broom would cost more than the bed is worth.

Leon

[JA]

Let's see...

Well they will have your name, account name, account details, address, that's always a concern transacting with someone you don't know given risks with identity theft.

Express your concerns to them and ask them for their full name and mobile telephone number and then call them to discuss the transaction to verify the mobile number, which will help the Police somewhat should it turn in to some sort of a fraud/ID-Theft situation.

On the other side of the coin, if the bed is a hospital type lift bed which can cost in to the thousands of dollars, then perhaps you have set a really attractive price, which even when factored in to a possibly $300-500 freight cost might still be a good deal for a family that needs one. If it is the sort of bed I mentioned then perhaps wait for a local buyer. If it's a good deal, it will attract other interest.

If you are concerned with the bona fides of any buyer then simply ask them to arrange to send you a Bank Cheque and then they can arrange the pickup as they wish, once funds receipt and clearance has been confirmed. A genuine buyer should have no problem with that.


There's also another extreme/contorted alternative that could possibly be used to verify an identity, which i could go into if you're interested, but a Bank Cheque once deposited and cleared makes it a moot point.

Best
JA

[sil (Steve)]

Well once you send they can stop/reverse money payment then keep bed, its commonly done that way.. can even be done sometimes once you get money in your account. Just depend how it done and what protections their bank etc offers them, regardless of your bank they take advantage of buyer protection, and around 100kgs is not much for a proper hospital bed.

But of course they are likely thinking are you a scammer? Once you get the money in account or cash in hand with bank cheque they cant know you’ll send anything or just claim it got held up in the floods or whatever. Cash in person is best way to deal. Find a way to do COD? There must be ways to do that for bulky items so all parties are protected, you are not unique in this situation.4:30am has nothing to do with anything being legit or not. I buy online pretty much exclusively and can’t sleep so i buy at all hours.get over your paranoia and figure it out to make a transaction you are happy with or just do it and trust this person, I know better than most that people cant be trusted and will happily kick you while you’re down, but maybe you have more faith in humanity than my experiences have given me.you should be able to sell locally through hospital noticeboards, They are always talking people into buying stuff like this and of course have “arrangements” with equipment suppliers. They likely need the bed and likely take your donation of it but wont pay you for it.

[leon]

Thank you people, we have dismissed the transaction and we did ask for her details but never heard from her again, so far.

Leon

[astroron (Ron)]

I got an almost exact copy of that message in response to
an add I put for a car for sale.
I just junked it.
Cheers

[leon]

Thanks Ron, yea mate there is always some out there waiting to screw you.

Leon

[astroron (Ron)]

Originally Posted by leon

Thanks Ron, yea mate there is always some out there waiting to screw you.

Leon

Vigilance My Friend, Vigilance.
Cheers

[Atmos (Colin)]

It’s most definitely a scam, my wife has had a fair number of those messages on Gumtree.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Australia Post are pretty good these days but there is no way on earth they would pick up and send a bloody bed. Scam? You betcha!

[floyd_2 (Dean)]

+1 on this. Isn't their limit 20kg?

Originally Posted by pmrid

Australia Post are pretty good these days but there is no way on earth they would pick up and send a bloody bed. Scam? You betcha!

[Zuts]

Originally Posted by leon

Thanks Ron, yea mate there is always some out there waiting to screw you.

Leon

1. When i sell something I either require cash on pickup or payment via Osko. Osko is an immediate transfer so you can see the funds in the account within 1 or 2 seconds. I then transfer to another account. It is not possible to reverse the payment. These days all major banks and most second and third tier banks support Osko.

2. I generally never send the item until payment has been received; although once or twice with some Iceinspace sales and before Osko payments were introduced I would post before receiving the funds if i felt that the buyer was honest.

[leon]

Two very good points you made there, and yes I have received payments through Osko, have to admit it dose work instantly.

Leon

[Hoges (John)]

One thing I've noticed on Gumtree - if they ask for your email to continue correspondence, it's likely BS. As is the 'I will arrange to have my courier pick it up'. Also BS along with the fake PayPal receipts they can send to show 'they've paid'.