[email protected]
Complaint 256463 Details

In response to an item for sale on Craigslist, I received the following email:

Thanks for the respond my name is Philip James and am 60 yr old deaf,
But you can txt me on (347) 670-0317 i live in New York (waterstown) i saw
your listing while checking on CL and i will like to purchase from you, i
want you to know am buying this as a gift for my son and i want to keep it
as a surprise to him on till it delivered. I tried buying here but I
realized that there are only few items here. I will not be able to view it
but I have a Mover who will come for the pickup so please get back to me
with some resent pictures and also I will be making the payment via PayPal
as that is the only payment option I can access from here I hope you
understand.I have some questions for you;
Are you the first owner of it?
Where do you live?
What is your final asking price?
Does it have anything negative i should know about?

After responding, thinking it was a legitimate inquiry, I received an email stating that they had deposited payment and additional funds for me to western union to their shipping company. The email said that paypal would provide instructions.

I then received emails from "paypal" advising me to send the money, provide them with a confirmation number, and that they would then credit the payment to my account. The email said:

Please Follow Procedure:

We wish to inform you that Philip James has made his intentions known to PayPal® that he will like $680.00 USD to be sent to the recipient's address below.You are required to send the $680.00 USD via Western Union Money Transfer.

All you have to do is reply directly to this email with the MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number) and the Sender's Name and Address plus the test Question and Answer used when sending the money through Western Union Money Transfer . Then you will receive a "Confirmation Email" from PayPal® Service informing you that your PayPal® account has been credited with $1,730.00 USD as soon as the above information's has been received and Verified by us.

This payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited into your account until the MTCN is sent to us for verification, so as to secure both the buyer and the seller.


Click Here to locate nearest Western Union Agent in your area or send money online.


Pick up Information

Below is the address where the money is to be sent:

Agent's Info: Name :Roy F Celis
Address :7901 Cameron Rd
City :Austin
State:TX
Zip code:78754
United State

Do not fall for this, it is a total scam! I caught it before it was able to cause any damage.