IF you’re planning to sell some unwanted Christmas gifts online watch out for scammers lurking about.
Receiving a present that’s not right for you is an awkward situation, but it won’t do any good gathering dust in the back of a cupboard.
So selling them is a good way to get some cash instead.
eBay is one popular option, but another is Facebook Marketplace because there are no listing fees.
However, it comes with the risk of ever-present scammers always trying new tricks.
So if you do decide to sell stuff, keep an eye out for messages like the one below – and end the chat immediately if so.
It all starts off with a very normal request, asking if the product is still available.
Then the person starts to make a strange payment request.
“I will make your payment via TNT Express delivery in an envelope, as soon as you receive the money, I will send TNT to your home to collect,” they’ll say.
Fraudsters have been doing it across the world using other delivery services like FedEx and UPS too.
Sadly some people have fallen to the trick but we know from their mistake what follows next.
The buyer will then ask you to pay for insurance of the envelope supposedly carrying your cash.
They claim that this is a requirement from the deliver provider and promise to leave the additional amount in the envelope so you’re not out of pocket.
To lure victims in further, the fraudster will ask for your email address.
They’ll use this to send you a fake email pretending to be from the delivery company where you need to deposit the insurance money.
It’ll include things like a fake tracking number to make it seem authentic.
If you go ahead, you’ll end up paying the scammer and no such delivery service will ever arrive.
And should you get suspicious and refuse, things can turn nasty.
The bad actor may start off with the sympathy card, saying they’ll lose money because the delivery order can’t be cancelled.
This can even lead to threats if you keep refusing.
So if you get a message just like this, ignore it.
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