Scammer alert

[PRED]

Hi guys,
any experienced member will know if anyone contacts you via email, and in first breath mentions paying by paypal, chances are they're a scammer. This is for noobs really.

Here's email:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Hi,
my name is Peter Bauer and I would be interested in buying your domain XXX.COM from you. Are you interested in selling it? If yes, how much would you want for it?
I would prefer to pay you via paypal. And just incase you are wondering how I got your email, anyone can get that info at whois.net
Regards,
Peter Bauer


I googled him and found a thread on a chinese forum, translated here, someone else had same prob:]
http://translate.google.com/transla...d.php?p=135737&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&history_state0=


btw at best this guy is a spammer, so thought would heads up ya'll





nb: sorry mods if posted this in wrong place, couldn't see a relevant section

[/FONT]

 

[exxe]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[draggar]

I got several of those last night. The funny thing is that every domain that they wanted has already expired - I guess that they didn't check that in the WhoIs?

 

[Sonny Banks]

Because SCAMMERS ARE STUPIDS!

 

[copper]

I got several of those last night. The funny thing is that every domain that they wanted has already expired - I guess that they didn't check that in the WhoIs?

Didn't even change the name :?:

 

[stewie]

thx for headsup

:yo:

 

[PRED]

This time got another:

Hi,
my name is Brandon Birdwell and I would be interested in buying your domain xxxx.COM from you. Are you interested in selling it? If yes, how much would you want for it? What payment method would you prefer?
And just in case you are wondering how I got your email, anyone can get that info at whois.net
Regards,
Brandon Birdwell




Now thing is, obviously same gimp as same wording, but this domain i was gonna drop.
so i guess theres still a risk this gimp will steal some info if i even email him right? or do something to my paypal? or cant he do that? shall i just sell him this turkey?


i mean in this case, this is a shite domain, so what's he after?

 

[draggar]

If you were going to drop it I'd say sell it though an escrow service - buyer pays the fees.

 

[south]

Put it at sedo, tell him to make an offer, send it to auction, see what happens

 

[PRED]

Put it at sedo, tell him to make an offer, send it to auction, see what happens

good idea

 

[Onward]

Well...This dude sent one off to another DNF member...

http://www.dnforum.com/f77/1-800sportsbook-com-got-offer-thread-355800.html

 

[nascar59]

thank you for the info everone,I have received nine of these darn emails in the past two weeks

 

[PRED]

yawn. another :upset:

lets get his email and name indexed, im sure he has many but will help when people search..................

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:24 AM
From: James Johnson <[email protected]>
To:
Subject: Regarding your domain xxxx.COM
Size: 4 KB
Hello,
I came across your domain name xxxx.COM and I would be interested in buying it from you.
Here is my offer, you have to send me a professional appraisal from one of the following companies. and I will pay you 85% of the appraised price.
For payments under $2000 I prefer to use paypal. And for larger amounts of money I prefer if we used escrow.com

I accept appraisals from any of these companies:

-sedo.com
-pedma.com
-accuratedomains.com

If you already have an appraisal from one of those companies please forward it to me, and we will do business.

Regards,
James Johnson



[email protected] is a scammer

 

[draggar]

Oh, Pred, he's willing to pay 85% of the appraisal price?

Do it, what's an appraisal at Sedo (has anyone heard of the other two? I'm willing to put money down that they're cheaper than Sedo.) cost? Tell him that if he is truly serious then he'd be willing to pay up front for the 85% of the appraisal.

 

[james2002]

I got several of those last night. The funny thing is that every domain that they wanted has already expired - I guess that they didn't check that in the WhoIs?

Register them quickly and sell them.

 

[copper]

Yup.
I got exact email this morning.

yawn. another :upset:

lets get his email and name indexed, im sure he has many but will help when people search..................

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:24 AM
From: James Johnson <[email protected]>
To:
Subject: Regarding your domain xxxx.COM
Size: 4 KB
Hello,
I came across your domain name xxxx.COM and I would be interested in buying it from you.
Here is my offer, you have to send me a professional appraisal from one of the following companies. and I will pay you 85% of the appraised price.
For payments under $2000 I prefer to use paypal. And for larger amounts of money I prefer if we used escrow.com

I accept appraisals from any of these companies:

-sedo.com
-pedma.com
-accuratedomains.com

If you already have an appraisal from one of those companies please forward it to me, and we will do business.

Regards,
James Johnson



[email protected] is a scammer

 

[GUA]

Something fishy here... why would he accept appraisals from SEDO if it was the appraisal scam?

 

[slimpickins]

Something fishy here... why would he accept appraisals from SEDO if it was the appraisal scam?

....well, the way I read it between the lines is that:

- he isn't offering to pay %85 of the appraisal cost, but rather of the appraised worth, wherever it is appraised. this "seems" to offer some legitimacy to his offer, but at your expense.

- the "other" appraisal services are probably cheaper AND associated to him, so regardless of how it goes he comes out ahead, and i imagine the appraisal would NOT be flattering.

-since many of the domains he has contacted people about have expired (or were planned to let expire), their actual value is probably less than the appraisal itself.... the seller, knowing this but HOPING that someone who really needs the domain might pay a premium price if the appraisal is high, is put into the position of begging to sell via paypal outright and at a risk of being scammed or coughing up the money for an appraisal at their own expense, only to likely just be disappointed/get burnt.

not sure, but that's how i read it....

thanks everyone for posting the info from various contact emails! sp

 

[Theo]

Report these to Paypal's fraud department as they are most likely controlling stolen accounts.

 

[Momentum]

Hey Pred,

You guys are missing the real scam here. I got a bunch of these emails myself.

Pedma.com is the scam. That is not a real domain appraisal company. Basically these guys are sending these emails to get people to purchase appraisals from pedma.com. They figure the domain owners will check out all 3 of the appraisal services from the email message and then go with the cheapest service which just happens to be pedma.com.

They have no intention of buying jack, they just want you to pay for an appraisal at pedma.com. And who knows they will probably buy a bunch of stuff with your credit card or possibly steal your identity if you pay for the appraisal with your credit card. Very clever...