Paypal scam - [email protected]

I have no doubt that this is a scam, but as I don't use Paypal I don't know how it works.

In the normal world you don't have to receive payments by adding accounts and I wonder if by adding an addie they know the password to, it gives them access to your Paypal account, but I'll leave it to one of my colleagues to work it out and explain.

The other alternative is that they may be trying to launder payments off stolen credit cards through other people's Paypal accounts.

This is a well written scam and devised by one of the more devious scammers.

[email protected]

Thank you for your promptitude. Please allow me to provide information on how it works.

You will have to process payments remotely. A paypal account is needed in order to process payments for our sellers. As mentioned in my previous email you will receive 5% of all transactions handled. In order to keep track for all payments and calculate your final earnings each month (US$ 2,700.00 + 5% of all transactions) you will have to follow the process as instructed.

We will provide an email address for each transaction. One address represents one payment made to your account. For example:

We will ask you to process a payment and will provide you the following information:

email: [email protected]
password: example123
Amount: US$ 2,000.00

You will simply have to add the email address to your paypal account using the Add or Edit Email option from your Paypal Profile section. Once the address is added, Paypal will send a confirmation link to that address. Verify the email address using the user name and password we provided and follow the instructions received from paypal to finalize the adding process.

After confirmation is done, the payment received on that account will appear in your paypal balance, and only than provide confirmation of payment to us. After a payment is received and confirmed it needs to be processed using the Withdraw section so we can start delivery process to our customer. After withdrawal process has been successfully fulfilled you will receive instructions to deposit the money into a secure company account.

Gary Allen
Senior Workforce Manager

Of course, there is no logical reason why any reputable company or person would need to have incoming Paypal payment routed through an intermediary Paypal account, especially at a cost to them of 5%, unless the transaction is illegal. It is by definition money laundering. I wonder if scammers may be having difficulty getting people to accept Western Union nowadays and are looking find a way to abuse Paypal, and innocent victims who will be the ones to lose money and get into serious trouble.

I think I can provide a little more information as to how this will work.

As an increasing number of people become aware of scams and suspicious of transactions involving Western Union or Moneygram, scammers look for other ways to receive money that raise fewer red flags. Paypal, which is accepted by many reputable companies and individuals, clearly meets that criteria.

In order to have a Paypal account, you need to live in one of the countries that paypal serves--and Paypal does not serve the African countries that have very high rates of scam activity. In addition, to have a verified account, you generally need to have a bank account or a credit or debit card to link the account to. Paypal will actually take steps to verify your account/identity--for example, for a bank account, Paypal will actually deposit small sums of money (a few cents) to your account, and you will have to come back to Paypal and enter the amounts of the deposits as part of the verification. These policies prevent many African scammers--particularly those based in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon--from opening paypal accounts.

The scammer is using the "employee" to gain access to paypal and look more legitimate. Scammer will use this paypal account for whatever scam he is running.


Here's how the scam will work. The scenario will be very similar for many different types of scams, but in this illustration I will say this is a Craigslist scam, the scammer is selling a (nonexistent) laptop, and the "employee" (who is actually a victim) is in the US.

1) scammer opens a new free email address that has not been associated with scamming in the past. Since the "employee" will have access to this account, he is careful not to use an account that is full of obvious scam activity as he may lose the "employee."
2) scammer (or victim or accomplice) then goes to Craigslist (probably for multiple areas) and posts ads for this laptop. The price will generally be lower than standard market value.
3) victim responds to this ad, excited at the possibility of getting such a great deal on a laptop.
4) Scammer responds from this address, assuring the victim that the laptop is a great deal, possibly even sending stolen photos. He tells the victim that he can accept paypal, making the deal seem safer.
5) Once the victim has taken the bait, and is ready to pay, the scammer sends the "employee" the address, and has him add it to his own paypal account. The scammer may remove all emails from the box so the "employee" can't see what he was up to, or he may leave a chain of emails that make it look like a legitimate sale occurred. The "employee" needs to add the email address, because Paypal will log a location when the address is added--and when that location shows up as on of the countries listed above or a known proxy, Paypal will not accept the addition. The scammer will continue to handle all correspondence with the buyer.
6) The buyer/victim will only see that it is a legitimate paypal account, and won't know that this particular address was just added. He will believe that the seller is the person who owns the paypal account, not a scammer in Africa. Because the email address has never been reported for scams before, the victim is less likely to learn truth through a google search.
7) The buyer/victim will then send the money for the laptop to the scammer's email address--which means that it will go into the "employee" paypal account.
The "employee" will immediately inform the scammer that the money has been received, and will be instructed to withdraw the money from his/her paypal account immediately, and sent 95% of it by wire transfer or bank transfer to the scammer.
9) Eventually the buyer/victim will realize that the item is not coming and that he has been scammed. When he reports the loss to paypal, Paypal will follow the email address straight to the "employee" account. The "employee" who actually had nothing to do with the fake ads or correspondence will be one held responsible for the fraud. The transaction will be reversed, and the "employee" will lose any and all money in the paypal account, and possibly will have more taken from the linked bank account or credit card.
10) This may happen a few times before Paypal completely closes the "employee" account. The "employee" will be left trying to pick up the pieces, paying back lots of money, and possibly even facing criminal charges.
11) The scammer will try to execute several quick scams simultaneously, using multiple email addresses, because he knows the "employee" will lose the Paypal account, and he will then have to find another "employee" to start over.

In the end, there are at least 2 victims--the buyer/victim and the "employee." The scammer (and the money) will be long gone.

Heavens above.

It had to be a scam, but I didn't realise how complex it would be.

The danger being that anyone desperate for a job won't see the awful trap and trouble awaiting them.

Will people see how preposterous the idea is ?

By the way, this was his opening mail

Thank you for contacting me on such a short notice. I am the leader of this recruiting campaign. High Style Shopping has recently developed a massive hiring in the United States in the last period and now is searching for suitable and devoted members for their billing department. In order to establish your compatibility with this job title I need to receive a few answers from you:

- Do you have any experience processing payments?
- Are you familiar e-commerce?
- Do you have any Paypal experience?

We need to know if you are able to receive payments for our e-commerce activity. It is a positive, supportive new business that affirms the human spirit and personal freedom. Accepting our job offer is the best option for owning your own business and attaining real potential incomes. It puts you in control, allowing you the flexibility to work where and when you want, giving you time for family and friends as Well, as the opportunity to earn a good income. It adapts easily to your needs and ambitions and grows with them, offering you all the personal support and assistance you require to become the Independent Business Owner you want to be. If you decide to accept our job offer your only duty will be to receive payments on behalf of our company.

If you show interest in our proposal please answer the questions mentioned above and please include full contact information in your reply such as full name and address, home and mobile number.

If you are not familiar with this type of business we have a free training program an it will be our pleasure to accommodate you with it. You will be ready in a few steps.

Regarding salary and benefits:

We have a starting package prepared for all our new members:

- Monthly salary of US$ 2,700.00
- 5% of all transactions handled

Your salary will be sent directly to your Bank account, Paypal or as a cheque at the end of every month along with your 5% of all handled transactions. The first month you will receive all paperwork from our company, your contract, insurance and everything.
If you chose, we promise advancement opportunities to the head or your local branch depending of your activity in the company until that point.

Gary Allen
Senior Workforce Manager