scammers ordering from our web site

As we get closser to Christmas the number of attempts to get one of our boats is increasing. the latest is from [email protected]

They refuese to provide an address. email is

Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate your cooperation and yes i got the paypal information and that is all i need to send the payment to you,i am ready to make the payment now, but you will do me a favor please i got a message from my trusted shipping company with the estimated price for pick up and handling to my new house which is $800 and as I said in my previous message,I cant access another form of payment from here due to my work so i was left with no choice than to know if you can help me give the extra $800 to the shipping agent that will come for the pick up at your place making the total amount of $7,800.00 i will be sending to you and i will pay paypal charges also, please let me know if we have a deal.Thanks

Please do get back to me with your contact no.

This is the same format used in several emails from different names and addressess

This is a very typical scam. They will send you a fake check for the $7800, someone (probably a mule) will come and pick up the item, a month later the check will bounce and you will owe the money.

Actually, it's even simpler than that. They don't want your boat at all. They want cash. The increase in attempts at holiday time is simply because people are often more anxious to sell their merchandise because they need the cash for the holidays, so they may be less thorough in their review of offers. And of course, the scammers themselves want to pick up some extra cash too, since many scammers consider themselves to be devout Christians and do celebrate Christmas.

Nobody is coming to pick up the boat. The scammer would send you the phony paypal emails, and you would be instructed to send the "extra" $800 to the "agent," most likely by Western Union or Moneygram. The phony emails would claim that the money is on hold until the shipping agent is paid, as an "explanation" of why it doesn't show up as available in your account. (In reality, paypal does not hold money pending shipping, and in the infrequent situations when there is a hold because the transaction is in question, your account would still show the money--you just wouldn't be able to withdraw it.) The scammer or a mule would pick up the cash from WU or the bank--nobody would ever come to your home or place of business. Then the scammer would disappear (some scammers will try a second approach to get more cash--demanding special taxes be paid, etc. but in this scenario most don't bother.)

There is a variant of the scam in which the scammer does actually want what you are selling--but that is usually only the case with phones, electronics, and jewelry. In those cases, the scammer will actually give you shipping instructions, including an address, and the fake paypal will indicate that you have to provide a shipping tracking number in order for the money to be released. Of course in that case the scammer is hoping you will send the item off before you question the email from paypal.