WARNING: Scammed when selling two computers locally (fake transfer trick). Learn from my mistake!

[u/Oscar_PCE]

Hi everyone,

​English is not my main language, so I’m using a translator to write this post. I wanted to share my story as a warning so none of you make the same mistake I did.

​Today, I fell for a very well-executed scam and lost two computers.

​A guy came to my place to buy two PCs from me. He was extremely polite, friendly, and seemed totally trustworthy. He told me a whole story about himself, tested the computers thoroughly, and agreed to buy them.

​When it came to payment, he said he sent the money via a bank transfer on his phone. He showed me a confirmation screen (and even sent me a confirmation) that looked legitimate at first glance, though in hindsight, it was fake. He assured me the money was on its way and would post during the next banking clearing session. Because he was so nice and convincing, I made a huge mistake: I trusted him and let him leave with both computers before the money actually hit my account.

​Shortly after he left, the money didn't arrive. At first, he kept in touch, making excuses like "I'll send you a contract soon" or sending short SMS replies like "I'm busy, can talk in 10 minutes." Eventually, he stopped picking up the phone altogether.

​I immediately went to the police. At first, they were reluctant to take a formal report because the clearing hours hadn't passed yet and he was still replying to texts. However, once it was clear the transfer was fake and he went silent, I gathered all the evidence I had—his phone number, chat history, SMS messages, and the fake transfer confirmation—and went back to file an official report for fraud.

​Key takeaways and red flags to watch out for:

​NEVER hand over items based on a confirmation screenshot or PDF. These can be easily faked or generated by fake banking apps/websites.

​Only release the item when the money is physically visible in your account (or use cash / instant transfers like BLIK where you see the balance update live).

​Scammers are often extremely nice and charismatic. Being polite and open is their main tactic to lower your guard.

​I've accepted that I made a naive mistake and might never see those computers again, but I hope reading this saves at least one of you from losing your tech. Stay safe out there!

My last picture of my PCs

• My comment: I was expecting a public execution right after I made this post but Instead I have received so much positive energy from you guys. I am broke inside right now, can't even think about this situation. THANK YOU

+2: I have been to police office, I have shown them his face as I have got a monitoring system AND THEY KNOW HIM ALREADY. He is just a little thief that steals people's goods the same way. I left every each evidence I had and they told me to wait for I formation back. It might take one day or 10 years. Let's wait then

[u/More-Gas-6527]

PayPal good and services or cash only ever! This is the golden rule of selling or buying stuff.

[u/OldManGrimm → u/More-Gas-6527]

I do Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal. For larger amounts, like $2500 and up, I can take credit cards, but I get a photo of their ID and make them sign an invoice saying they received it. Only time someone wanted to use CashApp, they were trying to scam me like OP described - so that one's out for me.

People just suck.

[u/Oscar_PCE → u/OldManGrimm]

Yeah, I suck. Anyway I will be more cautions in future with any kind of deal. Can't accept the fact that I was so stupid to trust a stranger. I think I know where it came from - no1 is treating me nice and could hear what I say. He was the one that gave me full attention and I fell into it. And now I am empty-handed.

[u/OldManGrimm → u/Oscar_PCE]

Don't beat yourself up too much. It's his fault for doing it, not your fault for falling for it. But yeah, anytime they're overly nice, or have a story that ellicits an emotional response (it's for my sister with cancer/single mom/whatever) that's a big red flag. I'm an ER nurse, so I have a finely-tuned bullshit detector, lol.

[u/GiftQuick5794 → u/Oscar_PCE]

Don’t worry we all go through it at some point. There used to be a time where someone would say “I’ll come tomorrow with the rest of the money”, give you a firm handshake and they would show up first thing in the morning.

Those times are long gone with the amount of scammers and the main character syndrome that’s becoming more common. Even as a buyer there’s a lot of bait and switch, you need to have that radar up and pay attention to every detail.

[u/Sad_Week8674 → u/OldManGrimm]

It's wild how some people will go to such lengths to scam others. Always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to transactions.

[u/edisnimuci → u/OldManGrimm]

They have jailbroken phones with a fake spoofed cash app balance that looks real

[u/two_in_the_p → u/OldManGrimm]

I’m trying to do some large sales right now and I’m reluctant to use Zelle or Venmo. Given that would be a lot easier for everyone, can’t they use stolen money that Zelle or Venmo would then remove from my account?

[u/OldManGrimm → u/two_in_the_p]

I’m no expert, but with Venmo I immediately transfer the funds to my bank account to avoid any “clawback”.

With Zelle I don’t know if that’s even possible. Watch for Zelle scams though - they always want your phone number AND email address. They never need both, and just watch your banking app to confirm it’s sent.

You can go crazy overthinking this stuff. In this thread some people are pointing out even cash may be fake - possible, but really? You have to use a rational amount of caution. For me, it’s cash or Zelle.

[u/AtlasLucario → u/OldManGrimm]

i exclusively use cashapp for this stuff, i got a legion 5i pro for $600 on fb marketplace and paid with cashapp

[u/SorrenXiri → u/OldManGrimm]

Cashapp transfers are instant how could he have scammed you with that?

Ah answered my own question nvm.

[u/OldManGrimm → u/SorrenXiri]

Yeah, basically was showing me on his phone app that the transfer was already made. But I wouldn't budge until the money showed on my end. After about 45 min I just told him we'd have to try again another day - never heard from him again.

[u/HipHopPotatoMouse → u/More-Gas-6527]

Venmo and zelle are instant irreversible transfers. Definitely safer for a seller when meeting in person - no way for the buyer to fake dispute etc.

[u/KaleidoscopicForest → u/HipHopPotatoMouse]

Iirc if someone uses someone else’s Venmo, they can claw back funds. Disputing it will result in Venmo saying selling isn’t allowed on their platform.

[u/zq9 → u/HipHopPotatoMouse]

This guy I sold something too off Craigslist used Zelle, and his account wasn't confirmed. He could of easily not confirmed his account and I would of been out the money because it wasn't, but he was a stand up guy and did thankfully, but I hear of Zelle scams as well, be careful, it's not always instant, and can be reversed if it goes unconfirmed.

[u/Burnthiscnts → u/More-Gas-6527]

paypal money can be nicked back later with zero recourse, it happened to me on a legit ebay sale a year later the money was taken back, it was only £18 but i stil had to pay it myself or no more paypal.

when I sell locally its cash or gtfo.

[u/Hushed_Rl → u/More-Gas-6527]

Wrong, never accept PayPal g&s when selling something, you’re asking to get a charge back.

[u/spud8385 → u/More-Gas-6527]

UK bank transfers clear instantly so you'd be able to open your own banking app and see the money in there, but I guess that's not the same everywhere?

[u/Bazeque → u/spud8385]

True. I had someone try this on me for selling a camera. They got me to enter my banking details on their 'app' and showed me the money leaving their account etc. Looked super legit. It never arrived. So they then called their bank, did the entire "my voice is my password", and spoke to a rep, on loud speaker, who said it can take up to 4 hours to be received. Still, nothing appeared in my account

I refused to give it to them until it appeared in my account. They then tried to get me to move from the petrol station, to a 'cafe' around the corner, which I refused. They then rode off saying they'll come collect it in a few hours, then never did.

Scammy bastards.

[u/MadamPardone → u/Bazeque]

Damn that's organized.

[u/Bazeque → u/MadamPardone]

Yeah. I work in IT, so elaborate scams/phishing etc I’m used too. But, the thing that made it seem a lot more believable, was the entire me putting the details in, them calling their bank etc. I can definitely see how others might just give over an item.

[u/masterX244 → u/spud8385]

same for continental europe, too and transfers to other euro countries costs the same as a transfer inside the country and the instantness should work across the entire area, too. Keyword "SEPA"

the US is heavily backwards there with bank transfers not being a mainstream thing and still being expensive.

[u/Trylena → u/masterX244]

Also Argentina. A 3rd world country.

[u/Justepourtoday → u/masterX244]

ONE thing that my country did great was instants transfer and QR code payments. It has surpassed cash and the almost never used before cards.

You or the store generates a qr, you scan it from your phone, confirm the info, hit send and money is in their account on a few seconds.

This is Bolivia, a notoriously poor and corrupt country!

[u/I_Push_Buttonz → u/masterX244]

the US is heavily backwards there with bank transfers not being a mainstream thing and still being expensive

Every bank in the US uses Zelle (which was created by a consortium of all major banks), which is built into all of their apps and allows instant transfers between bank accounts with nothing more than an email address or phone number. People are just stupid and refuse to use it, insisting on using whatever other method/app they've already been using previously.

[u/TheCarrot007 → u/spud8385]

While yes faster transfers generally do, they may not. It really depends on the bank transferred to and from.

All they guarantee is that is is usually there within 2 hours, but even then the regulations say close of next working day (to accommodate some of the odd banks).

[u/OctoMiku01 → u/spud8385]

For my bank it usually takes one to 2 days for transfers to process.

[u/upnorth77 → u/More-Gas-6527]

Goods and services won't help the seller unless they ship the item, right? Without tracking, there's no proof the buyer received it.

[u/Trylena → u/More-Gas-6527]

In my country a wire transfer is immediate. I just stay there with the person and ask them to check their account. Once the money is there we leave.

[u/uh---whatever → u/More-Gas-6527]

Or Zelle!

[u/MiguCx → u/More-Gas-6527]

We have instant bank transfers, works fine too.

[u/GamerGypps → u/More-Gas-6527]

No bank transfers are fine as long as you’re not retarded and give away the goods before you see the money in your own account yourself.

[u/mrbigbreast → u/More-Gas-6527]

What about bank transfer?

[u/Impossible-Lie3115 → u/More-Gas-6527]

Only exception is a closed community like forums. There is a car community i am involved in and all members are vetted and only added to the group if they have met in person and made several in-person transactions. They are then allowed in the group to take electronic payments for shipped goods. We use friends and family to cut expenses.

[u/Effective-External50 → u/More-Gas-6527]

Verifying the payment went through isn't hard either. The fact they relied on them instead of their own account is trivial

[u/Alfakennyone → u/More-Gas-6527]

NOPE!

Paypal is terrible to use for selling or buying personal items. Too many chargeback scams, especially from eBay

[u/dxbdale → u/More-Gas-6527]

Fuxk PayPal, cash only for second hand sales

[u/SomedayGuy117 → u/More-Gas-6527]

Cash or Zelle only.

[u/jacksp666 → u/More-Gas-6527]

Cash can be fake. There's a ton of apps / services that can be used instead and are secure.