HELP, is someone attempting to scam me ?

hi all,
im trying to sell two pieces of musical equipment on the internet, on the site gumtree. i had an email of from an address "[email protected]" which asked for both of my items, "Do you still have this item forsale?" i replied yes i have the both of them.

the next email then was from a different email address "[email protected]", and saying it was from adod ggg. this one said,

"Hi,

what condition and how much is your final asking price ?

How many items do you have forsale again ?

I will like you to send me Picture of this item with your reply to my email

Hope to read back from you

GERRARD"

i got a tad suspicious from that because of the different email and the way it was worded. i replied by saying the same prices as stated on the ads, and what the items were, and the condition of them. i also asked whether they would be picking the items up.

the next email said it was from a Bobby Gerrard. the email said
"HI,

Thanks for the prompt response.........i am willing to proceed with the transaction now, i am buying the Item as a gift for my son study music, i will like to offered you £1,300 for altogether and i am at sea at the moment as i am a marine engineer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. I really want the Item to be a surprise gift for my son so i wont let him know anything about the Item until it gets delivered to him, i am sure he will be more than happy with the Item . I insisted on paypal because i don't have access to my bank account online as i don't have internet banking, but i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it, i will need you to give me your paypal account name, email address and your final asking price so i know how much i am transferring in order for me to proceed with the payment or you could just login to your paypal account if you already have one and use the request money button at the top of your paypal account home page and send the payment money request invoice to my paypal account which is [email protected] so that i can send payment to your account asap for the Item and pls if you don't have paypal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to www.paypal.co.uk and get it set up, after you have set it up i will only need the name on the paypal account and e-mail address you use for registration with paypal so as to get the money transfer into your paypal account or you could just use the request money button at the top of your paypal account home page and send the payment money request invoice to my paypal account which is [email protected] so that i can send payment to your account asap. I have a pick up agent that will come and pickup the Item after i have transfer the funds into your account...
I will also appreciate it if you could email me some pictures of the Item.
You can ring me on +447045761187 if i am chanced to receive your call, i will do.

Thanks

Bobby Gerrard"

this set off a few alarm bells, the fact he offered 1,300 for the both when my price for the both would of been 1,175. ( i didnt give that price but i assume they could add up the two seperate prices), because of the wording used, the kind of story, and and pick up method. i tried the number but there was no dial tone, and all that could be heard was the kind of sound where it seemed like there was someone on the line.

is this a scam ? or is it just some foreign fella ?

i would greatly appreciate any help
thanks

Hi and welcome.

This is definitely a scammer, well spotted.

First, there are the red flags you've already noticed. Also notice that language style and back story, which is very typical for a scammer. He's traveling, it's a gift, he refers to it as an "item". He doesn't even know what it is he's buying because it doesn't matter. He's not really buying anything, just trying to steal your money.

Here are two key parts to the emails you've posted:

I have a pick up agent that will come and pickup the Item after i have transfer the funds into your account...
I will also appreciate it if you could email me some pictures of the Item.
You can ring me on +447045761187 if i am chanced to receive your call, i will do.

The paypal payment will be fake and the scammer will want to send you more than your asking price, with the overage sent to the supposed shipping agent. The scammer is hoping to get you to send money to the shipping agent before you realize the fraudulent nature of the paypal payment. The scammer will also play the role of the shipper. No doubt he'll want the "shipper" to be paid via Western Union.

The phone number appears to be a UK number but is actually a redirect. Calls to it are redirected to cell phones anywhere in the world. Any phone number beginning with +44 70 is this type of redirect number.

Stop all contact with the scammer and let us know if you have any questions.

thank you very much, i was pretty sure it was a scammer because of all those obvious signs. i wasnt 100% though because i wasnt sure how exactly someone would steal money from me when they werent asking for any.

i made a point of withdrawing all my money from my bank this morning as a precaution (not very well off so it wasnt a hassle )

should i delete the emails or keep them ? would it be ok for me to send an email saying F**k you, you scamming B*****d ? hahah

the next email then was from a different email address "[email protected]", and saying it was from adod ggg.

It's likely that the first address was reported to Yahoo as used by a scammer and closed (not something we don't advocate). He had to try and continue the scams with only the email addresses.