Quick question about bank transfers and being scammed!

Punt

Punt

Punt

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Joined
17 Nov 2003
Posts
1,958
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Gateshead
Evening all

I'm selling an item and the potential buyer will only use bank transfer, I prefer PayPal gift. It's a few hundred pound so concerned about being scammed.

If they transfer the money to my bank, can they then say or do something to get their money back, after I've sent them the item?

Cheers!
 
99 percent of the time if your bank confirms receipt into your account, the money is yours. I would prefer a BACS transfer over a Paypal family and friends "gift" any day of the week. The sender is far more at risk, if he's a bandit, than you are as a recipient.
 
Slam62 said:
What his bank account?
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Sigh

Depending what the OP is selling, where its been sold and if its being posted there is risk. If OP is selling on gumtree something of reasonable value and the person wants to pay via BT and have it posted. Reasonable to assume they will pay with a compromised bank account so you see the money and post it. Then the money will be clawed back due to fraud and OP is out of an item and the money.

Just google "gumtree", "ebay" and "scam" etc in GD and there are ample posts about this. Hence why i asked where he sold the item and highlighted the payment may come from a compromised account
 
Zenduri said:
Sigh

Depending what the OP is selling, where its been sold and if its being posted there is risk. If OP is selling on gumtree something of reasonable value and the person wants to pay via BT and have it posted. Reasonable to assume they will pay with a compromised bank account so you see the money and post it. Then the money will be clawed back due to fraud and OP is out of an item and the money.
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No it won't
 
Slam62 said:
No it won't
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Well i asked for more info and highlighted a risk but obviously you are the pro here it seems. If the bank transfer went to the wrong account in error then its down to the recepient to agree to send it back (know this as a friend made a payment to wrong account and had to go through this).

If the money is sent from a stolen bank account.... its gonna get clawed back...
 
Zenduri said:
Well i asked for more info and highlighted a risk but obviously you are the pro here it seems. If the bank transfer went to the wrong account in error then its down to the recepient to agree to send it back (know this as a friend made a payment to wrong account and had to go through this).

If the money is sent from a stolen bank account.... its gonna get clawed back...
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No idea, the first one obviously isn't an issue in this case, obviously the second one could conceivably be a risk but PayPal is more risky.

Fwiw if you receive money you know is not yours you legally have to give it back.
 
Semple said:
If the money is sent via BT from a fraudulently accessed account, the bank can reverse the transaction.

Whether they would is the obvious question, but they can.
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Ofgs go and live in a cave then, but be careful a meteorite might land on your head on the way there.

Apart from cold hard cash, what would you suggest then?
 
Are they remote? I.e. will you deliver?

See if the money ever actually lands, OP. Odds are when you say "yes" they may then end up in some **** and bull story about how they've sent too much or something.

I've sold stuff remotely on Gumtree before, but only because it was a niche product that no scammer would have targeted.
 
Slam62 said:
Ofgs go and live in a cave then, but be careful a meteorite might land on your head on the way there.

Apart from cold hard cash, what would you suggest then?
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Lol overreaction much?

I'd still go the BT route. I was just pointing out that banks do have the power to reverse the transaction when you claimed they didn't.
 
Slam62 said:
Bank transfer is by far the best way to receive payment
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I agree, it’s so quick and simple.
This isn’t in line with the OPs query, but my wife’s brother had to give my wife a few k for a family holiday that she was organising, and the family members were going to give their payments to her brother, and he was due to pass this on to her.
First he mailed her a cheque, and didn’t sign it, then he sent another cheque and put the amount where the payee’s name should go.
He then asked her to drive 65 miles to pick the cheque up at his house.
She phoned him and told him to send the £ by bank transfer, telling him her a/c number and sort code.
He demurred at this, pleading that his wife was terrified of being scammed.
She then emailed him to say that his 3 adult children had given her their bank details, so that she could send money to buy her great-nieces and great-nephews birthday and Christmas presents, and none of them had ever suffered financial loss.
She added, “You’re my brother, and will be transferring the money to me, your sister’s account, how TF are you going to get scammed?”
He still wouldn’t have it, and got his wife, (he can’t drive), to drive the 65 miles to our place and give his sister the cheque!
I shouldn’t be surprised, he’s a 62 y.o. retired area manager, but whenever he goes on holiday, he has to get my wife to check-in online for his flight, as he has no idea how to do it.
He even phoned her from Madeira once, to ask my wife how he could get a Covid test certificate to fly home.
 
A quick update...

It was indeed a scam. I received a very poorly designed and formatted email from a 'bank' with a Gmail account, stating the funds had been released and once I provide proof of shipping they will appear in my account.

Needless to say I told the buyer to **** off! In hindsight, I should have strung them along a while longer.
 
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