Aqua Jalil Condo scam (PayPal and Gumtree)

I posted a table for sale on Gumtree. Within a couple of days I received a WEBSMS from [email protected] wanting to know if the table was still for sale, the price and condition (the latter should have warned me as they were clearly stated on the ad!) I emailed this person in response, then 'she' came back with:
Thanks for your swift reply. I am interested and I would have loved to come for viewing and inspection but i am currently overseas at the moment and i want this item picked up before i get back. Due to my inability to make a bank deposit, I would be paying via PayPal which is safer for me. Kindly send me a paypal payment invoice or create an account at http://www.paypal.com.au if you dont have one. I will make a concrete pick up arrangement with my transport agent who will be coming over for pick up once you receive full payment into your PayPal account and if you have agreed to sell to me, kindly remove the listing on gumtree
Have a nice day.
Cheers

Of course, then I provided 'her' with my PayPal account name. It went quiet for a few days over a weekend and I then emailed her back giving her until cob that day to respond or I would be putting the ad back up. She suggested I check my Spam folder and there were two emails from 'Pay Pal'. Second lesson that I was too slow to learn - none of my other emails from the real PayPal ever came into my Spam inbox!

The two emails from the now suspect Pay Pal were:

[email protected] <[email protected]>
Feb 18 (1 day ago)

to me
Dear

personal info deleted

This email confirms that you have received an Instant payment of $1,615.00 AUD from Jane Mile ([email protected]) via PayPal MERCHANDISE Payment Service.

Reversals : This method of payment can not be reversed.
Status : Pending - Transport Company Awaiting Payment.
View the "NOTE" of this pending transaction below
Payment Details
Item Amount: $965.00 AUD
Pick-Up & Delivery Cost:
Taxes and Insurance:
Total:
$650.00 AUD
---------
$1,615.00 AUD
Transaction ID: 62S8492898335130L
Item Description: Merchandise
Item Quantity: 1
Transport Company: "IMPEDIMENT Shippers"
Address: First Name: ANANDKUMAR
Last Name: PALANISAMY
Address: B-9-1 Aqua Jalil Condo
City: Kuantan,
State: Kuala Lumpur,
Zip Code: 53000
Country: MALAYSIA.
Address Status: Confirmed
NOTE: This is to confirm to you that the said amount has been successfully transferred by the buyer and deducted from his Account and it is ready to be credited into your account, but being that this Payment has been subjected to be a Payment for a MERCHANDISE purchased from you, we reserve the right to make sure this transaction is safe, secure and we also reserve the right to verify the legitimacy level of this transaction because of the high sum of funds involved.
The above sum has Included the transport charges and taxes as we and the Transport Company have quoted for the buyer (as per PayPal MERCHANDISE PAYMENT POLICY). You will receive a Message from the PayPal Customer Verification Department Shortly informing you on how to send the Transport fares and taxes to the transport company with the above details as soon as possible.
You may contact PayPal customer service by replying directly to this email using the reply button in your Mail Box and Kindly quote the above Transaction ID for quick recognition of this transaction.
Sincerely,
The PayPal Team.
PayPal Email ID PP307

Then I received a second email:
Dear [/quote]personal info deleted[/quote]

You have received a PayPal payment of $1,615.00 AUD from Jane Mile into your PayPal account.
Your Transaction ID: 62S8492898335130L
Routine Code: Q997- 548- PP89209

A temporary hold has been placed on this transaction!

Details:
As mentioned in the receipt of Payment and as per the New PayPal International Payment security policy to protect both the buyer and the seller in any international transactions, we have fully debited the total sum of $1,615.00 AUD from Jane Mile's account which includes the shipper's pick up fees.
In order to complete this transaction and get the funds credited into your account and show up in your payment HISTORY, We request that you first go to any nearest Western Union office around you and send out a sum of $650.00 AUD (being the shipping fees that has already been deducted from the buyer's account) to the pick up Agent and e-mail us the MTCN # number including your details; i.e the senders name and address used while sending the money.
NOTE:
This is important as a security measure to ensure safety of both the seller and the buyer.
Please find below the name and address of the shipping Agent which you should send the funds to via Western Union.
Click Here To Find A Western Union Location Around You
First Name: ANANDKUMAR
Last Name: PALANISAMY
Address: B-9-1 Aqua Jalil Condo
Kuantan, Kuala Lumpur
53000
MALAYSIA.
Address Status: Confirmed
As you already know, PayPal values your membership and protects you with our best strategies so your funds accreditation is guaranteed as soon as you email the Western Union MTCN number to us. The details should either be sent to us in JPG format or the transfer details written out and emailed to us. Details such as;
Sender's Name;
Receiver's Name;
MTCN;
Amount Sent;
Western Union Charges (We will refund you this amount once you have made the transfer and informed us of how much it is)
IMPORTANT LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
Please be aware that PayPal and Western Union DO NOT in anyway work under thesame company and we DO NOT have any legal payment cooperation as we are entirely two different payment companies. The ONLY reason why you are being requested to use Western Union to complete our security measures is because they are the only payment method/alternative that the shipper's accepts SO DO NOT ASK, INQUIRE FROM NOR INFORM THE WESTERN UNION AGENT ABOUT YOUR PAYPAL PAYMENT/TRANSACTION DETAILS because they do not know how PayPal works and cannot give you the right information.
You just have to go to the Western Union office and transfer the shipper's funds out of your pocket without disclosing your PayPal payment details to any third party, not even the Western Union agent. We say this so as to avoid any confusion or legal conflict between PayPal and the Western Union Payment company.
To submit the required information or to contact the PayPal Customer Verification Department, Kindly contact us by directly replying to this message using the reply button in your email and make sure you include either your transaction ID or your reference number (PP307) for quick recognition of this transaction.
Please understand that this is a strict security measure assigned to help protect both the buyer and the seller, therefore we apologize for the inconvenience that we may have caused you.
Copyright © 1999-2012 PayPal, Inc. All rights reserved.
PayPal Worldwide Pty Limited ABN 93 111 195 389 (AFSL 304962). Any general financial product advice provided in this site has not taken into account your objectives, financial situations or needs.
PayPal Email ID PP1525.

So, idiot that I am, I sent the cash ($AUD700) via Western Union!! Goodbye cash. But it gets better!

I received a confirmation from the scammy "Pay Pal":

Dear

personal info deleted

Thanks for your speedy actions regarding the shipper's payment, We have checked the status of the money transfer and it is now available for pick up, we shall get the money credited to your account as soon as the money has been picked up and we shall email you instructions on how to transfer funds directly into your account. We really appreciate your patience in regards to this. We shall get back to you as soon as we could within the next 1-3 hours with your total fees of $1,675.00 AUD (Western Union charges included).
Thank you for using PayPal!
PayPal Team.

So now I think I'm getting to the end of the process and that I just might have sold this dining table, but no, the next email from these people was:

Dear

personal info deleted

,

Congratulations, The shipping fees have been picked up by the shipping agent. We have also been contacted by the shipping company that the funds have been received for the pick up arrangement of the merchandise.
According to the shipping company's policy, the merchandise must first be insured so that it can be delivered safely. The insurance fee is refundable and the insurance fee has been calculated to be a total sum of $900.00 AUD. After receiving this message from the shipper, we have immediately contacted the buyer for permission to deduct the $900.00 AUD and we have immediately deducted the money from the buyer's account albeit to his inconvenience and it has been added to your total funds with us.
Due to the inconveniences this may cause you, The management and board of finance of PayPal have decided to compensate you with the amount of $300.00 AUD which will also be added to your payment, because we understand that you have been through unwanted stress in this transaction. Also we want you to know that we have confirmed with the shipper and there is no anymore money to pay after this insurance fees.
Presently, You are having a total sum of $2,875.00 AUD (western union charges and PayPal compensation fees included) ready to be credited into your account.
Once you have sent the Insurance Fee, You have to email us the money transfer control number and after we receive and verify the details of the money transfer, then we will send you a "CONFIRMATION EMAIL" stating that your $2,875.00 AUD has been credited into your account within 1-2 hours.
We are truly sorry about all the inconveniences you might have encounter with this transaction and we want you to know that your money will be speedily credited into your account once we receive the western union details for the insurance fee.
Note: The PayPal executives has decided to compensate you with the sum of $300.00 AUD for all the stress you have been through so this has been added up to your total funds with us and after you have sent the Insurance Fees and mailed us the MTCN, your total fees with us that will be credited into your account will be $2,875.00 AUD. Please note that we don't usually do this for our customers but we noticed you are doing everything to make this transaction work out and that was why our board has decided to compensate you to show that we are grateful for making the transaction easy and smooth for us.
We hope you understand and we want you to get back to us as soon as possible and please be rest assured that this is the last payment that will be requested of you.
Thank you for using PayPal,
The PayPal Team.

So now I'm starting to think this may be a scam (since when would PayPal pay compensation?) and send an email back suggesting such and of course, 'Jane Miles' is on Gmail chat at the same time saying how this is genuine and the money is not refundable.

So to buy myself some time while I send an email through my real PayPal account, I suggest that I don't have immediate access to that sort of cash and that it would take me a few days.
I asked for an acknowledgement email that they understood and received one in reply.
This morning I asked for the $650 shipping fee and $60 transfer fee to be credited to my account as Western union had sent an SMS stating that the money had been paid to the beneficiary (the so-called IMPEDIMENT shipping of the above address) and quoting the scammy PayPal email that they would credit my account when they had proof that I had 'truly sent the money'.
Funnily enough its all gone quiet.

After 'googling' the address I came across this site And bingo it really looks as though I've been scammed. So now $700 out of pocket and still have the table. A good lesson to learn and will I be spreading the news

To make myself feel better I sent an email to the scammy Pay Pal and Jane Miles and at the end I very childishly wished that the year of the snake would turn round to bite them. Very immature but it made me feel better,

I'm sorry that you were scammed. Just to be clear, this is 100% scam. Those emails came from African scammers, and you have never been in contact with Paypal.

Unfortunately, there is no way to get your money back, and it is important that you realize this, in case the scammers decide to target you with a recovery scam (when they promise to get your money back, but you'll have to send more money in order to retrieve your money....)

For future reference, keep in mind the following points about paypal, and it will help you to avoid scams:
1) Paypal is not an escrow service. They do not get in the middle of transactions, or hold money until a product is shipped.
2) Paypal is a money transfer service. Western Union (and Moneygram) is in direct competition with Paypal. Paypal is never going to direct you to their competitors.
3) Paypal is an American company. Their standard emails (payment emails, summaries, etc.) will be in American English. Any time you see an email supposedly from paypal with poor English, walk away.
4) Any time you receive an email from paypal, and you are not sure if it is genuine, you can forward it to [email protected]. They are generally very responsive, and will usually quickly confirm if the email in question is a scam.

A couple of simple rules, that I regret are too late to help you Baffled11

If you're selling something - never ever get involved in paying someone else money for any reason.

If a buyer is abroad/at sea/on an oil rig/up a mountain and can't view the object or collect it themselves, the likelihood it's the start of a scam.

Thanks very much to people who responded to me. I have alerted PayPal and Western Union. Can't believe I was such an idiot as I'm normally very careful Clearly got me at a weak moment. Thank you again for all the advice

My dad just got done $600 in almost the same scam. The same ANANDKUMAR PALANISAMY name as well. He was also selling a table on Gumtree to someone in Malaysia.

The alarm bells started ringing when they wanted another $1000 for insurance and he called me to look into it but alas, it was too late for the the $600.

Like you I'm hoping Karma gives them what they deserve. Bloody thieves.

By the way - anything that Western Union could do when you contacted them? They told us to inform our local authority and they can request the ID papers of the thief once the police forwards our report to them. Not sure what course of action we could then take from there though, seeing as they are overseas!

Yes, Western Union also said that I could report this to local authorities. But they also asked for my permission to share with police. Strangely I haven't heard anything from the real PayPal to whom I also reported it.

Usually what you will get from Paypal is a standard email confirming that it is a scam. It could have been filtered to your spam/junk mail folder. They won't go any further than that, because in reality they never had any part of the transaction.

As far as WU goes, they are not going to do anything. They have posted fraud warnings at their locations and on their website, and they state in several places that their service should only be used to send money to people you know. As far as they are concerned, they are not responsible for anyone who chooses not to heed their warnings. If the police open an investigation and contact them, they will provide them with whatever information they can, and that's about it. But because the person is overseas and the losses are considered small, it is highly unlikely that an international investigation would be pursued.

No wonder its such a lucrative business if they can just get away with things like this.

Paypal just wanted me to forward the fake paypal emails to them. I didn't think there could be much either company could do but it was worth a shot.

If the police can get his info, next time I go to KL I might pay Mr. ANANDKUMAR PALANISAMY a visit for us both Baffled11