![]() There are legitimate sellers who offer shipping, and buyers who need to arrange for someone else to pick up an item. Instead, you need to select the goods and services option, although it does attract a fee. In other words, you’re not covered if you provide your email address or mobile number to make a PayPal payment. PayPal doesn’t offer protection when you use the friends and family option to send or receive money. PayPal is a safe way to pay, however there are some things you should keep in mind when using it on online selling platforms like Gumtree. Does PayPal’s buyer protection cover you? Gumtree and most other legitimate companies for that matter do not send such emails. They ask you to immediately verify your details otherwise your account will be closed, or all future ads removed. For example, emails that tell you your Gumtree account has been disabled or locked, or that your ad has been removed. Treat urgent messages claiming to be from Gumtree with caution, especially when they’re combined with the need to click on a link to provide your personal information. When you transfer the overpayment, they place a complaint to PayPal and say their account has been hacked and that they never meant to pay at all, so PayPal reimburses them the full amount, and they also pocket the ‘overpayment’ made by you.Īnother version of this scam involves the scammer asking you to send the money they paid ‘by mistake’ along with the item they bought when in fact they haven’t paid you at all, so they end up receiving the item and money you sent them. The scammer tells you PayPal is holding the full amount owed to you until you transfer the overpayment. They may also produce a fake receipt to show you the payment. For example, they pay you $300 for a printer that you listed for $100. In this case, the buyer gets in touch with you to let you know, for whatever reason, they have accidentally paid you more than they should have. The excuses vary like, the animal unexpectedly fell ill or got into an accident, so you’ll need to send money for medical expenses or for special insurance costs. They normally ask for an upfront payment before they send your new pet, however along the way, they find new ways to ask for more money. For example, they may say they’re based interstate or they’re moving home. Buying a pet on Gumtreeīe wary of pet ads where the seller insists on transporting the animal to you because, for whatever reason, you can’t pick it up in person. Ignore any messages you receive with a link directing you to a Gumtree or Australia Post website – they’re fake and try to scam you by asking you to enter your credit or debit card details. It also does not have its own payment system. Gumtree does not offer a delivery service. Buyer offers to arrange pick up or pay through Gumtree Messages like this, and variations of this story, are a scam. So, would it be possible for you to pay the courier directly? They promise to add the courier costs to the amount they’re transferring to you. The story normally goes something like this: ‘due to their situation’, they’re going to arrange pick-up by courier, but the courier needs to be paid upfront and unfortunately, for whatever reason, they can’t pay them right now. For example, they claim to work offshore, in hospital recovering from surgery, or have a serious illness or medical condition. Scammers are known to use a range of excuses to explain why they can’t pick up an item in person. It's best to ignore messages from people who immediately provide an email address. They like to communicate over email so they can copy and paste pre-prepared scripts. If a buyer responds to your listing asking you to email them, it’s most likely a scammer. Warning signs: what to look for Buyer asks you to email them What to do if you think you have been scammed.Does PayPal’s buyer protection cover you?.Also, test yourself and see if you can spot the red flags in a real-life scam email. In this article we explore what to look out for when buying and selling on Gumtree. Being aware of their bag of tricks can help you protect yourself when buying and selling online. Scammers try their best to make up stories to trick us into handing over personal details and/or money. While many Gumtree users have a positive experience, there are unfortunately a few bad seeds that seem to ruin things for the rest of us. Gumtree is a great way to sell items you no longer need giving you an opportunity to declutter, reduce landfill and make some extra cash at the same time.
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