Never trust anything to do with Nigeria, simple.

Hard to believe you can't even trust selling something on Craigslist anymore. Hard to believe you can't even sell you products without watching out. I felt safe on Craigslist, it just seems so "local".

Well, I was selling a laptop, and simply put, got the whole thing about I sent you money to Paypal, bla bla bla...the second I saw Nigeria, I knew, search the web, and found this site. Thanks to whomever does this, it could really help someone not get reamed. My counterpart was named "Faith Rowland".

My only concern is that I sent these people my email address, which is my Paypal account...anything I should be aware of after supplying this to them?

Also, the email I got from "Paypal" did in fact have it's bad grammar and missed some spaces here and there. I will not say just what, for I see no reason they won't just subscribe to this group and watch for ways to improve their tactics my becoming intellectual.

For what it is worth, I am now having fun trying to drag this out as long as possible...at leasy I am occupying their time and now allowing someone else to get suckered. So, right down to offering to gift wrap the laptop prior to shipping as a nice gesture...from asking to explore FedEx instead of USPS, etc. etc.

Next, I am going to provide a tracking number I did get from a recent shipping of the exact same type of laptop...weight, dimensions, etc...perfect. I will wait until 5:25pm, right before the USPS closes and let them know...darn, I just missed them. Then maybe in a few days, after I get the legal action threat, I will act as scared as they are going to be and pretend to take the threat seriously and beg for another day....I can't go on as long as they will let me...they don't seem to be too bright. They need an American education possibly to assist them.


Well, other than them having my email address which is my paypal address, I have nothing to worry about.

So good you are here helping the community.

I did install a product from Paypal called Iconix that supposedly verifies and stamps real paypal email address, from my Yahoo!, but it didn't work the first time.

Take care and happy holidays.

[AlanJones]

Hi nadsrsnug and welcome to ScamWarners,

Well done on recognising the scam and avoiding it. Just a word of warning it isn't just Nigeria that is a problem, the scammers are located everywhere and in some cases make use of 'mules' in the US and other countries.

So regardless of where you are being told to ship your item, don't believe the emails you receive saying you've had a payment. Physically log on to PayPal (type the URL don't use any links in emails) and verify that the money is there.

Also, we don't recommend playing with the scammers using your real life details. It is far safer just to ignore them.

Hello nadsrsnug,

I want to support what Alan said. It is best not to mess with scammers like you are doing. I specifically would NOT use a tracking number that is linked to me or any one I know or anyone I have done business with.

You expressed concern with giving your email address that it might lead to you. Certainly using a tracking number that you have used is an exposure that is NOT worth the risk.

Walk away and post the information here for others to find especially the email address.

Please also note, not all scammers are from Nigeria. One of the big warnings you are dealing with a scammer is when the person you are communicating with wants the process to move quickly. Another is when they want to use a pay service like Western Union. Yes, scammers do pretend to be other pay services too. Always enter the address to sites like PayPal yourself, do not trust a link.

Welcome to Scamwarners!

If you want to waste the scammer's time, please DO NOT use your real name, real mailing address, real phone number, real IP address, or real anything else! If you'd like to learn how, join 419eater. We'll teach you how.

If you just want to avoid being scammed, ignore anything the scammer sends you.

Nigeria has a concentration of scammers, but by no means all of them. The region where most of the 419ers are extends as far west as Senegal. I've dealt with scammers in Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, and Udmurtia. Scammers have mules or accomplices in various countries. I've gotten scammers' bank accounts shut down in Spain, the Netherlands, and possibly Indonesia.