I had an email last night from someone called “Barbara Barnett” who was interested in buying my Yeti Big Top. It’s a bargain, take a look.

She seemed pretty genuine: asked all the right questions… But claimed that, as she was recovering from surgery, she wouldn’t be able to come and check the big, see if it fit etc. We agreed a price and she asked me to send a payment request via PayPal. Which I did. At this point, I wasn’t financially at risk, so my suspicions were not aroused.

Next morning, she said that she had sent the money to my PayPal account, plus an extra £300 so that I could arrange a MoneyGram transfer to her courier (which she described as the ‘moving company’) so they would come and get the Yeti. She claimed that she couldn’t get to her local MoneyGram… that surgery again.

This sounded like BS. But I got a VERY CONVINCING email, purportedly from PayPal which backed up instructions (including the details of the MoneyGram recipient, in Paris).

HOWEVER, when I checked my PayPal account, my original payment request was still ‘pending’ and no money had been deposited into the account.

So it’s a scam. You MoneyGram them £300 and you never get the balance.

Bastards. Be careful out there.

Yes that seems like a thorough con. At least you sussed it.

Hi thanks for the heads up I too got an email from Barbara Barnett on gumtree regards my Corsair Maelstrom she couldn’t actually come and see the bike as she was recovering from surgery (sound familiar ??) She too asked questions like how many owners has it had ? any accidents ? and he replies were within 10 minutes of my reply.
When she asked whats my lowest price I said whatever it is its cash on collection only I have heard nothing since and that was 3 days ago.
My advice is if it smells wrong it is wrong.

Recognised fraud this I have come across it at work normally involving cheques that don’t go through and people then pay out to a ‘courier’ before it bounces. Quite low value at £300 but still relatively high compared to your yeti, it used to often to be done on expensive cars

The scammers are finally getting a little more convincing it seems. Good you spotted it. I had a similar thing a few years ago where someone tried to convince me they had sent a cheque for £1,000,000 in the post instead of £1000 and that I should cash it and send the £999,000 back to them (in broken English no less)! For some reason that one looked a little fishier a little sooner

The l’ll overpay and ask you to transfer the difference to someone thing is a frequent scam, had it when selling cars and bikes, first time E was in 2002 so it’s certainly nothing new.