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MarkC426

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2008
3,697
2,096
UK
How did the buyer make contact with you in the first place....?
Do you have a phone number/email address, if so get onto the Police.
Do you have a ring (video) doorbell, or a neighbour have one?
Did you see their car?

Probably all happened too quick, for any of the above....:confused:
 
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JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,544
26,168
It’s a scam where they say they sent the money (on their fake app), so the transfer is pending that’s why it’s not in your account, so give me the item so I don’t have to call the police on you because you’ll get the money soon.

It was a coincidence for OP to have a notification come through that wasn’t related but made OP think he got the money.

Nah, can't be what you've described.

Anyone in the right mind would be happy to see the police. The money isn't in the seller's account. This would be no different than if the buyer said the money is in the mail, hand me your iPad.
 
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JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,544
26,168
The OP would likely have noticed that it was a different notification if he hadn’t been in a rush for work; these people probably look for times that they think people will be in a rush and say it is the only time they can do.

Even in a rush, anybody in a normal frame of mind would be reading their notification.

The notification wouldn't be as simple as, "You've got money." There would be details on the amount (at minimum). Something is clearly missing from OP's story.
 

jaytv111

macrumors 65816
Oct 25, 2007
1,028
874
Nah, can't be what you've described.

Anyone in the right mind would be happy to see the police. The money isn't in the seller's account. This would be no different than if the buyer said the money is in the mail, hand me your iPad.
They're not going to call the police. They just walk away. Scams take advantage of naive people, but if you get suspicious they know to walk.

Here is a search on reddit about the scam: https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/search/?q=fake bank app&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1

Maybe they just walk instead of threats, but you never know, could be a style thing for the scammer.
 
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Squillace

macrumors 6502
Feb 22, 2016
400
494
Switzerland
"they checked it out then did a bank transfer in front of me as I was watching"

That's the part I don't understand.

If he did a bank transfer in front of you and you were watching, then you SAW him introduce your bank details and you SAW him confirm the transaction, right? If so... then what's the problem? You'll get the money with a small delay...

But if you didn't saw him doing all that, well, yeah, it can have been a scam.
 

iStorm

macrumors 68020
Sep 18, 2012
2,035
2,442
"they checked it out then did a bank transfer in front of me as I was watching"

That's the part I don't understand.

If he did a bank transfer in front of you and you were watching, then you SAW him introduce your bank details and you SAW him confirm the transaction, right? If so... then what's the problem? You'll get the money with a small delay...

But if you didn't saw him doing all that, well, yeah, it can have been a scam.
Read the post just before yours. It's possible the buyer just entered the seller's bank details into a fake banking app while the seller was watching.
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,544
26,168
They're not going to call the police. They just walk away. Scams take advantage of naive people, but if you get suspicious they know to walk.

Here is a search on reddit about the scam: https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/search/?q=fake bank app&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1

Maybe they just walk instead of threats, but you never know, could be a style thing for the scammer.

Wow, I can't believe this is a thing in the UK. People really just hand over the item without seeing the amount in their account?
 
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vrj9

macrumors member
Oct 17, 2022
38
72
Where is OP? There are a lot of unanswered questions here, and they’re the only one with the answers.
 
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MarkC426

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2008
3,697
2,096
UK
Wow, I can't believe this is a thing in the UK. People really just hand over the item without seeing the amount in their account?
No it is not a UK thing.....:p.....we are not ALL morons (in the OP's words).
Just the OP being rushed, by the sounds of it.
 

LogicalApex

macrumors 65816
Nov 13, 2015
1,461
2,318
PA, USA
Life lessons are always best learned with a few scrapes the scars help us fully learn…

Always verify things on your end with your own devices before considering things safe. Even then, you’d want to make sure it is only over payment mediums you understand and trust. For instance, you wouldn’t want to do this transaction in some method the buyer can cancel or reverse once they’re long gone.

For me, I prefer cash on the barrel head. Less room for tricks and zero room for buyer interference after the fact. Use A police station lobby so you’re not at risk of being whopped across the head for the item and cash though…
 
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Gregg2

macrumors 604
May 22, 2008
7,270
1,238
Milwaukee, WI
More importantly, are you automatically entered as a contender for Moron of the Century?

Too bad you'll never know who won. ;)
 

cardfan

macrumors 601
Mar 23, 2012
4,431
5,627
More importantly, are you automatically entered as a contender for Moron of the Century?

Too bad you'll never know who won. ;)

I spoke to the national moron society. The competition is just intense. It depends on each state as they have different cutoffs. He may qualify to be a Commended moron if he doesn’t make semifinalist. That usually goes to the top 3-4% of morons.
 

MajorFubar

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2021
2,174
3,826
Lancashire UK
Pardon the pun but my money's on the bet that OP actually did get his payment in the end.
How on earth could the scammer know OP was going to receive notification about a different transaction to make it look legit. That's beyond just luck.
 

escargot3

macrumors regular
Oct 22, 2013
125
149
Pardon the pun but my money's on the bet that OP actually did get his payment in the end.
How on earth could the scammer know OP was going to receive notification about a different transaction to make it look legit. That's beyond just luck.
Omg! I think you are right!
 
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1rottenapple

macrumors 601
Apr 21, 2004
4,758
2,774
Oh thanks for the reminder I’m selling a MacBook. Sorry man that sucks. I wouldn’t trust eBay or Swappa. People can reverse charge you and you have no recourse. Scammers are everywhere man.
 

MajorFubar

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2021
2,174
3,826
Lancashire UK
Oh thanks for the reminder I’m selling a MacBook. Sorry man that sucks. I wouldn’t trust eBay or Swappa. People can reverse charge you and you have no recourse. Scammers are everywhere man.
Ebay is indeed awash with scammers, but as a buyer you'll always get your money back providing you use a merchant like PayPal to pay for your purchases. Their insurance covers you. If you (someone) use a method which allows a fraudulent buyer to just reverse the transaction, you've only yourself to blame IMO.

But as a seller I'm not sure there's any 100% foolproof method of completely preventing scammers, no matter what you do, nor which service you use to sell your items (eBay, Swappa, CraigsList, etc). The most you can do is take the financial hit of advertising stuff as collection only, then insist on demo'ing it before the buyer takes it.

A few years ago, a guy on a hifi forum sold a £500 CD player on eBay to a buyer who subsequently claimed it was non-functional upon receipt, so the buyer returned it and pursued a refund action through eBay. The seller was 100% convinced the machine he received back from the buyer contained the non-functioning electronics of a different identical machine inside the outer case of the player he'd sold. I've no idea if he finally resolved that dispute to his satisfaction, I suspect not because how do you prove it? Potentially that experience cost him £500, plus listing fees, and all he had to show for it was a broken CD player.
 
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