pay-checking-us@accountant.com- SCAM

[Sky]

it should have been obvious from the email. but its set up to look so real, even linking back to the real paypal site.
i was selling some camera stuff on craigslist, and this guy sent me an email. ill post the emails here:
---
Thanks for your reply,i am located in Remsenburg city in NY,i really need to buy this and send to my son schooling outside the state as a Christmas gift.I have been trying to buy this on ebay but its so very stressful buying on ebay.I will offer you $250 so as to close the auction as soon as possible.I will be paying through PAYPAL because i have a verified account with paypal.So kindly get back with your paypal email address so i can make payment into your paypal account.Once payment clears,shipment will be handled by me through my personal fedex account,so you dont have to pay for shipment.Get back to me if my approval is granted.I would like to see the pictures please.
Thanks
---
Hello

I have just made out the payment online now.Go and check the mail you
used in opening your paypal account the confirmation mail have been
sent there check the inbox or the spam message you should see it
there........ I will also like you to know that i am having some
little problems with my fedex account as i checked it online now and i
was asked to reactivate it so i cant do that now as i have to sort one
or two thing out with them.So i am sorry as i wont be handling
shipment through my fedex account again.So, pls get the postage cost
to the following address via post office(USPS EXPRESS MAIL) and ship
out the item via post office(USPS) asap cos i have told my son to be
expecting it.I have also included $100 extra for the shipping.i think
that should be enough for you to ship

Name: Olubowale Gbenga
Address: No 4 Ijeja Street,
City: Abeokuta
State: Ogun State
Postal Code: 23439
Country: Nigeria

Let me know how much it costs you to ship.After you ship get back to
me with the amount you used to ship. .I am really sorry for the
inconveniences
---
you know what you have to do,you have to get it ship and email paypal about it now through the confirmation they send to you,and tell them about it,but there is nothing bad in it just send the item to my son and once you get back to them with what they required from you they will release your funds ok..so you dont have to be confused..ok
---
yeah the address is Nigeria thats where my son is study art and craft..and i want it to get to him asap,,so make sure you help me ship it via..post office USPS(EXPRESS MAIL)thanks
---
ok i understand you so kindly help me ship it first thing tomorrow morning so my son can have it asap thanks and i will be waiting for your reply asap.its nice doing business with you
---


i had a feeling from the start that this was a scam, but i was eager to sell it and almost fell for it. the fake paypal emails said that they were doing a new security precaution, saying that the money is on hold in my account until i give them the tracking number. i called paypal because it made no sense, and sure enough i was right.

it seems to me that this is either the same guy or just the same trick as a lot of people here on this forum have encountered. always thanking for the fast reply, always "buying for a friend or relative" and always overseas.

not a week later and a girl is trying to scam me. saying paypal takes 1-3 days to receive payment.

the first guy's name is kelvin brookz and the girl is Lorient Pires

[Dotti]

Welcome Sky,

I'm glad you were able to avoid being scammed.

There are several scammers running this particular format--scammers are more than happy to copy or steal each other's scripts if they work.

Paypal never gets into the middle of a transaction; if the money is removed from the buyer's account, it is immediately placed in the seller's account. Any "buyer" that suggests otherwise is a scammer.

[ivebeenscammed2010]

I DID fall for a scam. Color me embarrassed. It, too, was to someone in Nigeria, and it was a fake PayPal account. Beware.....

[Dave Yamato]

okay. I had insurance on the package. The address is REAL (4Ijeja road off mida, Abeokuta, Ogun state Nigeria 23439) and no you don't get your money back. No international stop packaging/return to sender ISN'T authorized in the U.S. (per mobile customer service) and You can't file a claim. if your lucky it'll be lost in the mail and you can claim your insurance or it'll be returned to sender. bunch of bullshit but I just got off the phone with a supervisor representative. Sorry everyone, There are no winners, we all lose....

[wslines]

There is a new twist on this one! Please read---

I sold an iPhone on Craigslist.com and the seller said her name was Christina Smith, and provided me with her email address being: christianasmith1979@gmail.com, where she communicated with me.

She wanted to send me the payment through PayPal... fine... I created an invoice in Paypal, sent it to her, and within a few minutes, I got an email from "PayPal® <pay_palteams@accountant.com>". Since I was on my phone it looked real enough, and I told "her" as soon as the payment showed up in my account I would ship. 2 days later, nothing. I call PayPal, and they confirm nothing has been sent... lol

The shipping address they wanted me to send the package to, was in California.
Here it is:

Shipping address - confirmed
Name: Afolabi Adeoti
Address: 7950 Woodley Ave. Unit A
Suite# 108153
Van Nuys, CA 91406

The above address is a company called "www.myamericanshipper.com", which has physical storefronts all over the nation, and which will forward your packages overseas! They wait till you have a bunch of them, and then they box them all up for you, and send them!)

The email that accompanied the fake recipt from this "PayPal® <pay_palteams@accountant.com>", said this:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hello (My Name) ,

You have an instant payment of $550.00 USD from Christiana Smith.
You are required to ship out the item and get back to us with the tracking number.

Payment Sent (Unique Transaction ID #098234541674337F39E)
Original Transaction

Date Type Status Details Amount
Oct 17, 2012 Credit Card Pending .... $550.00 USD

Related Transactions
Date Type Status Details Amount
Oct 17, 2012 Credit Card Complete Details $550.00 USD

Funding Type: Credit Card
Funding Source: $550.00 USD - Visa Card XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-1014
This transaction will appear on your bill as "PAYPAL".
You can report a transaction problem in the Resolution Center within 45 days of this payment. Have a problem with this transaction?"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

And below that email it had this:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Merchant: Christianasmith1979@gmail.com

Note to seller You have to provide to us the shipment tracking number so that your funds can reflect in your account as soon as possible.

Shipping address - confirmed
Name:Afolabi Adeoti
Address:7950 Woodley Ave. Unit A
Suite# 108153
Van Nuys, CA 91406

Issues with this transaction?
You have 2 days from the date of the transaction to open a dispute in the Security Center

IMPORTANT NOTE: This PayPal® payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited to your account until the shipment reference/tracking number is sent to us for verification so as to secure both the buyer and the seller. Below are the necessary information requested before your account will be credited. Send tracking number to us through this mail account (customer_system@emergencymail.com) and our Customer security service center will attend to you. As soon as you send us the shipment's tracking number to us for security purposes and the safety of the buyer and the seller,the money will be credited to your Account.

**PLEASE NOTE**
Once item has been shipped and the tracking number sent to us,
You will receive a "CONFIRMATION EMAIL" from PayPal® Team informing you that the Fund has been credited to your Account.

You are require to ship out the item and get back to us with the tracking number or custom form number.
For more information Please Get back to our customer care @ (customer_system@emergencymail.com).

Thank you for using PayPal!

The PayPal Team."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________



So. In a word--- very complicated scam! I'm posting in case someone else has the bad fortune of having to run into these individuals, or if they ever use any of the above info, it will be searchable online and people will be able to find it, and recognize it for the scam it is.

So let us examine/point out why it was a scam---

First---
Her name and shipping address name didn't match up. She explained it was for her husband... I said, fine. Whatever...

Second---
She was texting me from this cell phone number: 347-467-7319, which is a mobile phone from New York! Her shipping address is in California?

Third---
PayPal will never use an email address of: "pay_palteams@accountant.com", and will always use a "@paypal.com" address. So don't fall for that.

Fourth---
The email address in case there is any concerns, was: customer_system@emergencymail.com which is also NOT PayPal.

So. Please always LOOK at EACH peice of info when someone is trying to buy something. If it doesn't match up, SLOW down. Nothing is worth getting scamed over like this. WAY too many things that just do NOT add up.