Gumtree scams: is it safe to give out your bank account details?

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Published on

Updated June 6, 2018

Is it OK to give out BSB and bank account number for a deposit?

I asked myself this very question when I had listed some furniture for sale on Gumtree.

safe to give out bank account details number bsb gumtree ebay

You would think my answer would have been a resounding "yes!"

After all, I've given my bank details to just about everyone and anyone who wanted money from me or owed me money and I've had no problems whatsoever.

But when I was asked for my bank account details by a potential buyer, I hesitated.

There's a reason Gumtree prefers all transactions to take place locally and in person - there are shady characters online.

Within half an hour of posting my son's bed I got a message from "Anita" asking if it was still available and, if so, could I contact her via email.

Warning bells rang immediately. Not only was this buyer quick to respond but she didn't even discuss the price, even though I said it was negotiable.

It was as if an alert had gone out that a new victim was online. Out of curiosity I emailed her. The rest played out like a typical scam.

She worked on an oil rig (New Zealand Oil & Gas) and was presently offshore so was unable to answer any phone calls.

A courier was to pick up the bed and she would deposit the cash into my bank account.

A quick search on her "employer's" website revealed this scam warning: "New Zealand Oil & Gas does not directly employ staff on offshore platforms. Do not trust online traders who ask you to transfer money because they are offshore."

Clearly, Anita wasn't interested in my son's bed. After a few more web searches, it appeared Anita's story was doing the rounds.

Eventually she would have said that she was having trouble with the courier, and could I spot her the pick-up fees?

She would pay for the bed and the fees once the courier confirmed the pick-up.

Whatever the ending that waited for me, the thought of giving her my bank account details concerned me.

Which leads me back to the question, is it safe to give out your bank account numbers? And is the New Payments Platform (NPP) making it safer for us to receive money?

"Giving your BSB and account number to a third-party to receive or send funds is generally safe, but you should only give out banking details to organisations or people who you know have a genuine need to know this information," says Peter Marshall, Mozo's product data manager.

Technically, if somebody has your account details, they could set up a direct debit and have their insurance or gym membership paid courtesy of your bank account.

Of course, this is fraud and how long it would go on for depends on how often you check your account. I suspect that after one or two withdrawals you would have picked it up but it is a possibility.

Some businesses are more cautious and verify that the nominated direct debit account is yours by asking for some kind of proof but whenever I've registered a direct debit no checks were involved.

"While unauthorised direct debits from accounts can and do occur, the possibility is relatively small given banks in Australia are generally required to verify signatures. Australian banks also have sophisticated fraud protection systems in place to catch suspicious transactions," says Marshall.

how to earn flybuys points from shopping with ebay

ING Direct says it is safe to give out your details but it recommends you monitor your account for unauthorised transactions.

According to ING's David Breen, "In the unlikely event that an unauthorised transaction takes place on an ING Direct account, the customer will not be liable for the unauthorised transaction, provided they have complied with the terms and conditions of the account."

Commonwealth Bank says that providing account details to a third party to receive or debit funds occurs daily and while this is OK it does advise that "any personal information, including banking details, should only be given if there is genuine need for a third party to know the details, ie, to receive funds or to set up a regular direct debit".

So what about the NPP?

"With the NPP comes PayID, which allows you to use your phone number or email address rather than a BSB or account number as a simpler form of identification when sending or receiving payments," says Mozo's Marshall.

"However, like your BSB and account number, your PayID can only be used to receive funds - it can never be used to take money from your account.

"Registering for a PayID is done within your usual mobile or internet banking and requires you to go through a number of identification and verification steps.

"So unless you forfeit your details to someone else, it will be difficult for them to create a PayID linked to their account using your personal details."

The platform also has a payee confirmation step, where you'll be shown the name of the person linked to the PayID you're about to pay. This is designed to reduce the risk of mistaken payments.

"Many Australian banks are working to ensure payments using NPP will be protected by their own fraud and security initiatives," says Marshall. "In fact, they had to prove that they were capable of detecting fraud in real time before gaining access to the NPP infrastructure.

"However, the onus is on consumers to keep a watchful eye out for scams and never give away their login passwords to anyone - even if the person is claiming to be from your bank."

So what, if any, are the risks? Some time ago, then Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson revealed his bank details in a newspaper column to prove that nobody could use them to withdraw money from his accounts.

He was wrong. Someone set up a monthly direct debit from his bank account to a charity.

Apparently, this charity didn't require a signature to set up a direct debit but it would be a little harder to do it in Australia as signatures are generally required.

Putting this aside, though, unauthorised direct debits from accounts can and do occur.

If you're still concerned about giving out details, Mozo suggests opening an extra account (with no monthly fees) and keeping it separate from your main account.

By the way, I sold the bed to a lovely gentleman in Victoria. We did it the old-fashioned way - he sent me a cheque.

Ironically, it was he who suggested I could be a scammer. True. I could have banked his cheque and not delivered the bed but by this stage he knew who I was and figured I was good for my money.

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Effie Zahos is editor-at-large at Canstar and a financial commentator. She is the author of A Real Girl's Guide to Money: From Converse to Louboutins, and a regular money commentator on TV and radio across Australia. In 1999, a background in banking Effie helped kickstart Money, which she edited until 2019. Effie holds a Bachelor's degree in economics.
Comments
Lucas
June 24, 2016 6.31pm

The answer is a big fat NO. Here's why. Someone you are dealing with knows your name and your bank account. They in turn open up a paypal account - in your name, which is possible because Paypal do not do a 100 point check. They then link your bank account to the Paypal account they set up using nothing more than an email address (i.e. yahoo.com, gmail etc) and presto, they start transferring money into "your" (i.e. their) Paypal account.

How do I know this? It happened to my business partner today. He spent the whole day ringing Paypal (and go se how long it takes to even FIND their number let alone speak to a human) and his bank before now having to change bank account numbers. Every automated payment into or out of his account is now screwed up. Total nightmare.

Never EVER give out your bank account/BSB number is my advice.

Trevor Jolly
June 18, 2021 12.48pm

Well said. I Uses a second bank account and ONLY put money ~ and the exact amount ~ in it when I want to pay a bill. ANYTHING else is strictly COD:- when the item is delivered I pay the delivery-man cash and get a receipt. If that's not acceptable I take my money elsewhere, and make a point of tell them so. Cannot believe how STUPID people have become ('Cryptocurrency us another example!): I STILL use cash for almost everything ~ up to and including buying real estate.

Nicola Adams
September 5, 2023 10.41am

Setting up a PayPal account with someone else's' banking details in order to receive money is one thing - and people should feel free to give me all the money they want😉 - but I'm pretty sure you have to confirm your identity with PayPal before you are able to actually send any money.

Anhelica
August 16, 2016 4.18pm

Hi Lucas,

PayPal only authorises the process when you log into your account and match the reference number from a deposit they have made into your account to prove that you are the owner. Therefore if you are not the owner you can not access that deposit and reference number :)

Kyle Hay
May 21, 2020 10.50pm

This is very late to the party, but this would only then mean you need to swipe a statement from the bank if the target still uses paper bills.. the "reference numbers" are 2 sub 5c amounts deposited into your account.

Sure it requires a bit more set up but would then allow a correctly set up scammer to be totally 100% untraceable (you could then make purchases to another household address, track and intercept, or you could order items delivered to an empty house etc..) from there you could monetize the asset or just revel in your new, and free 70 inch flat screen, or whatever.

Ronald Mcdonal
May 24, 2020 11.24am

The reality is that you would also need to know the billing address in the very small chance the user is still receiving regular paper bills. Further, the Paypal authorisation is likely to expire in the time it takes you to steal the person's paper bill (which would be very very conspicuous).

zek
September 2, 2016 10.05pm

The article is accurate - BSB and account numbers aren't a risk for withdrawals against you.
These could be used in certain frauds, but the scenarios aren't useful for non-attributable scams. ie Direct debit agreement where payment goes to a merchant, as per the Clarkson example provided.

They are however a risk for deposits - never use any online direct deposit payment option. Your options for recovery if goods aren't received is close to nil.
Credit cards will provide you with recovery options/protection if you monitor it.
Paypal will protect you to an additional layer by not leaving your credit card details in systems for years that are subject to security breaches.

S
November 2, 2016 11.34am

Lucas - you and your friend are quite right to be alarmed over PayPal's self-serving and frankly, downright illegal interests.

I had an account hacked earlier this year and the cause was solely because my bank account had been linked to the PayPal account.

Only after threatening to report a flippant and dismissive PayPal to certain financial authorities, did they do an instant 360 degree turnaround and couldn't help me fast enough, even going to far as to refund every dollar that had been stolen almost instantly.

However, I was lucky in that respect because most people just lay down and swallow whatever bullshit PayPal dishes out without realizing they DO have the legal right to fight back.

But here's the kicker - even my bank strongly urged me NEVER to attach a bank account to PayPal under any circumstances for exactly this reason.

Trevor Jolly
June 18, 2021 1.06pm

Including banks!! Apart from anything else 'computer-glitches' can destroy ANY system ~ and your 'account' (including addresses/phone-numbers/etc/et... is available to anyone (via subpoena/otherwise) AND on the permanent record, adding to 'digital profiling'. Even the US military and the CIA have been hacked.

Jack Guinness
July 13, 2023 12.05am

Jeez Trevor. Go back to your bunker and wrap that tin-foil hat extra tight.

sita
January 4, 2017 11.30pm

Hi Guys

10 min ago I received an sms and email with the exact same story but with a different name, from someone working in the mining in NT asking for my PP or BSB as I want to sell a suitcase in gumtree. Then I doubt if someone can scam you with these numbers so I browsed and I found this page

I know now this is B***s**T

thanks!!!

Shiva
March 26, 2017 7.46am

Thanks for your write up on the possible scenarios of online scammers. I just received a text message from someone named 'Jane Brock' saying she was interested to buy my gym equipment and advised she will transfer the money on paypal and asked me to share my bank account details. I strictly rejected the offer.

Be careful everyone!!

suzanne
May 2, 2017 1.47am

If I give someone my account number on my card can they hack my paypal account or do they need more info?

Money
Verified
May 2, 2017 7.01am

Hi Suzanne,

For most Australian banks the number on your card is different to your bank account number. Your bank account requires a BSB and account number.

Disclosing either of those numbers does not allow someone to access your Paypal account, but we do recommend you take the safety precautions mentioned in the story.

- Money team

Susana
January 31, 2018 1.35pm

Same story happened to me. I was selling a couch and I got an offer really quickly after putting the ad, the person called Elisabeth (email: elisabethkeartland.gmail.com) offered me $100 on top of the price to take down the ad as she wanted to buy it straight away and she said that had already spoken to the curier even though she said that she couldn't talk to me over the phone because of the nature of her job, very strange... I felt it was dodgy so I found this page where you confirmed my suspicions...

Thanks for the article,
Susana

Jen
April 3, 2018 6.25pm

Jane Broock is still at it as just today I received an SMS followed by emails in regards to gym equipment I was selling.

Jonathon Rowling
April 16, 2018 7.08pm

I just had the same thing on Gumtree, I'm selling a motorcycle, first email asked what the minimum amount was that I'd take, second email said where he was working didn't have phone reception and he had already organised a courier. Wanted to pay via PayPal linked to his ANZ account. In that second email he said he was happy to pay what I was asking. That's when alarm bells started ringing and I googled how safe it was to give my details and this was the first page it lead me to. Just sounded dodgy in the email. Company name he used was falcon oil and gas in beetaloo basin Northern Territory.

Money
Verified
April 16, 2018 7.26pm

Thanks for sharing your story, Jonathan, glad you dodged a bullet!

- Money team

Nicole
May 1, 2018 3.25pm

Oh dear I am afraid I have been scammed well I definitely have. I am selling a ute on gumtree I was contacted via email and offered asking price and an extra $300 to take the add down, Daniel Jonothab asked for my bsb and account details which I stupidly gave. I was then told funds would be transferred but I needed to pay a courier $950 first I started to cotton on at this point and told him this is too werid and too much fuss for an old ute. What do I need to do as i jave given out my bank details....help

Trevor Jolly
June 18, 2021 1.11pm

Close the account and open a new one. That will also allow you to nullify other suspicious/outdated accounts.

Money
Verified
May 1, 2018 3.50pm

Hi Nicole,

The buyer should not be able to access your funds with just a BSB and account number.

We recommend reporting the scam to Gumtree and ceasing all contact with the buyer. You should also make sure your internet banking is secure with a strong password, and monitor your accounts for suspicious activity.

- Money team

Lucas
May 1, 2018 10.18pm

Hi Money team,

What if BSB, account number AND the name of your account was given? Can they access your account? If possibly so, what can you do to prevent or stop this?

Money
Verified
May 2, 2018 10.14am

Hi Lucas,

As the story says, scammers won't be able to access funds in your account without a PIN, ID or online banking information.

If you are still concerned, we recommend you contact your bank.

- Money team

flo
May 7, 2018 4.48pm

Hey guys,

Here is an example I have also received today with having an ad on Gumtree for my wedding dress of which I posted for $999, he is offering more for no reason.

He is using the following Hotmail account [email protected]

Thanks for the response, i will take it for $1100 including PayPal Sub charges since i am interested in the immediate purchase and also satisfied with pictures of it i've seen. How i wish i could come to inspect your ads listing myself, but currently I'm working away from the country... But the issue is i am an oceanographer and i have a contract now so am presently on sea. The contract is strictly no call due to the lack of reception on the sea area. But I'm able to access email anytime as we will make use of laptop so my only quickest payment option is PayPal as i can send money via PayPal anytime. Since I'm requesting this transaction to be done via PayPal, i will be responsible for all the paypal charges on this transaction and if you do not have an account with paypal, its pretty easy, safe and secured to open one. Just log on to www.paypal.com. I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible? I have a mover that will come for it once payment clears and they will take care of every necessary paper for me. I need your PayPal Full name and email address so i can send the money now.

Sheldon
May 21, 2018 11.31am

HI Nicole,
I too just received an e-mail from our friend Daniel Jonothan with pretty much the exact story ($300 to take the add down etc), claimed he was a medical doctor. What happened in your case in the end? Were your accounts ever compromised?

Trevor Jolly
June 18, 2021 1.18pm

The lesson is:- DO NOT ENTRUST YOUR MONEY ~ or anything else (eg your ID/'profile'/etc.) that is even possibly capable of compromise ~ to 'accounts' of ANY sort; and most particularly 'digital' accounts. Cash and Carry.

Ralph
May 21, 2018 10.51pm

Here's what got for my response:

Thanks for getting back mate, I'm ok with the condition as described on the advert and what price are you willing to sell without the reg and rwc. I work on North West Shelf in the Rowley Sub-basin in Perth and the reception here is terrible. We do not have access to phone at the moment,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility. This lovely car will be as a surprise!

Regarding the payment, I will be paying you through PayPal linked with my bank account, if you have a paypal account, all I will need will be your paypal email address, you can alternatively send your bsb acct name and number if you have no PayPal acct. I have also contacted my courier who will come for pick up and deliver it to Darwin after the whole funds has been cleared into your acct.

Mike
May 30, 2018 5.27pm

The BSB and account number are on every cheque you write...so no the Victorian gentleman didn't escape that exposure anyway.

felix nguyen
May 31, 2018 8.57pm

i just gave someone the account name bsb and account number. What do i do know . please help

Money
Verified
June 1, 2018 6.56am

Hi Felix,

If you've sold something online, the buyer should not be able to access your funds with those details.

Scammers can't access funds in your account without a PIN, ID or online banking information.

If you are still concerned, you may want to contact your bank.

- Money team

Trevor Jolly
June 18, 2021 1.22pm

Scammers are only part of the story; hackers, too, seek ANY information.

Chris
June 5, 2018 5.43pm

Word for word with my potential buyer......there must be a catch. When something is too good to be true, it isn't true

Peter
June 12, 2018 10.48am

I'm very pleased this site is following this. I got suspicious very quickly as well. I just put an add on Gumtree last night and within 12 minutes I got a SMS on my phone asking to communicate via email. I did and the email I got is essentially the same as others:

This person is using the email address Esq Liam Veitch:

It's so nice to read from you, Am really impressed in purchasing. How I wish I could come for viewing and inspection as am currently busy due to the nature of my work and can you assure me that it's in good condition and that I will not be disappointed with it, I want it picked up before I get back. Due to my inability to make a cash deposit, I would be paying through PayPal which is safer for me or bank transfer as well safe. Kindly send me a PayPal payment invoice or create an account at www.paypal.com if you don't have one or your bank details for me to make payment. I will make a concrete pick up an arrangement with my transport agent who will be coming over for pick up once you receive full payment into your account. Have a nice day and plz inform other buyers you sold it and take the ads off the site as am ready to purchase it right away. Cheers.. Liam

So they are still red hot at it! I just cant believe that Gumtree is not putting up a warning on their site. Unfortunately not everyone goes to the trouble of searching online to see if anything is wrong with sending their EFT details to a potential buyer.

Tom
June 22, 2018 4.56pm

Phew, just got one in response to my car listing

Wizkid Davido
1:46 PM (3 hours ago)
to me

Thanks for the response,I would have loved to call you directly but due to the nature of my work we do not have access to phone at the moment,which is why I contact only contact you via email. I work with the Australian Naval Service.

I want it to be the perfect graduation gift for him and am making it a surprise package as well ,Does it have any history I should be aware of? and why are you selling it if you don't mind my asking. I don't mind adding an extra $300.00 for you just to take down the posting..I am already in talks with freighters that will handle the pickup and delivery .I will really appreciate if you can email more info

Due to the nature of my work i am a very busy woman working all day, we're presently on the sea, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my ANZ bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through PayPal to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account,please get back to me with your BSB and account details or PayPal account so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in NT for my son.

Andre
June 25, 2018 11.46am

Same case:

Thanks for the response,I would have loved to call you directly but due to the nature i work with the The Australian Army Corps. we do not have access to phone at the moment,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility.

i am buying this for my first son who just graduated on top of his class at Aviation University ,I want it to be the perfect graduation gift for him and am making it a surprise package ,Does it have any history I should be aware of? and why are you selling if you don't mind my asking. I don't mind adding an extra $100.00 for you just to take down the posting..I am already in talks with freighters that will handle the pickup and delivery .I will really appreciate if you can email more info

Due to the nature of my work i am a very busy man working all day, am a (Operating officer) am presently on-board, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my ANZ bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through Account to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account ,please get back to me with your BSB and account details or PayPal account so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in NT for my son .Await your reply

Matt Hine
February 10, 2022 1.24pm

Haha - I got the exact same wording and even a picture of a fake western australian licence when I queried. Glad i found this site to ensure I don't proceed any further.

Jo
July 16, 2018 5.48pm

I got the exact same wording as above but mine is from George, who offered me and extra $200 to take the ad down! I will report this to Gumtree immediately.

Anita
July 23, 2018 12.56pm

Just had the same story given to me from a lady called Theresea Benson saying she cannot view due to working in the oil rggs and wil deposit money in ASAP as she wants it delivered to her holiday home before she gets back.

Thank god I came across this as it saved me from fraud from her.

Sick of scammers
August 7, 2018 10.37am

I've just been through this while selling a car.

The red flags for spammers on Gumtree are usually dodgy English, asking questions already answered in the ad, brand new Gumtree accounts, and insisting on transactions being done by email rather than phone.

The scammer messaging me today is named Rob O Martin.

The first message he sent me (which I've found elsewhere online) was:

"Is there anything I need to know about it?
When can I inspect it?
Please contact me.
Thanks!"

I figured it was a scam but wanted to confirm it so I replied to him. He responded with:

"Good, I can only make the payment from my PayPal to your PayPal account or
Bank account by using your Bank account details and you can easily set up
account with PayPal on their website it takes less than 2 minutes and I
will only need the PayPal email or Bank account details to make the payment
to you ASAP. Thank you"

I'm posting these here so other people can find them and avoid getting ripped off by dodgy Gumtree buyers.

Mick
August 21, 2018 4.02pm

Thanks so much everyone for sharing these messages from Gumtree scammers! I was selling a motorbike on Gumtree and I thought something seemed off about this guy, then he sent me this message.

Hello mate,

It sounds good to know that it is still available for sale. I did go through your advert and I am satisfied with it. I am okay with the asking price and would love to go ahead with the deal right away because this meets my perfect search for time being now. I am
contacting you via email, I am on duty and coming to your residence for inspection won't be possible, so you have to assure me that its in condition described. You may now consider me a favorite buyer and if possible withdraw the posting from the site immediately so that I can be rest assured that it is all mine . I don't mind adding an extra $300.00 for you just to take down the posting.

Like I said earlier, I'm very busy with my job as I currently work as Marine official, so I will be paying you online via my PayPal account which is attached to my bank account because it is the only form of payment that I have access to right now and also because of its good security nature. If you are interested in selling it please provide me
with the following information:

1)Your full name
2) Paypal email address,
3)Address for pickk up
4)Your personal mobile #

Kindly get back to me with your paypal email address or better still you can send me a paypal invoice so that i can complete the transaction.
Due to the nature of my work i am a very busy man working all day,am a Marine official, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my ANZ bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through PayPal to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account ,please get back to me with your BSB and account details or PayPal account so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in NT for my son .Await your reply .Best regards

Dodgy f**k. I reported him to Gumtree but it obviously doesn't do much good.

Linda P
August 21, 2018 5.35pm

Thanks Mick! I ended up here thanks to your comment.

My Gumtree message was almost identical.

Thanks for the response,am ready to buy the it and pay $4,700 by paypal and including PayPal surcharges since i am interested in the immediate purchase for my In-Law as a surprise gift he just moved to the Darwin where this is needed and i will be making use of a shipping company to have this picked up from you and have it delivered to him .Further arrangements will be made with you in regards to the pick up once i have paid you,advice soon i am an oceanographer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an SMS regarding it.

I would appreciate if you email me with more pictures (if available) too since i won't be be able to see this in person,what's the PayPal email to send funds to in order for me to pay you ASAP,And if you don't have a paypal account, it is very easy to set up, go to www.paypal.com.au and get it set up.

I will need this following details so i can proceed with the payment right away.

Are you a serious Seller:

Are you the first owner:

Your PayPal e-Mail Address:

full name:

What is your reason for selling it?

Address:

I'm sorry, just want to be sure about the sale before i proceed, i will be happy if you remove the AD from the site and consider me as your favourite buyer by ignoring all other offers

Due Regard.

Help
August 22, 2018 7.01pm

I just got this message. Do you think it's a scam?

Great! please consider both sold as i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap,
i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it,
sadly i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and I'm just recovering from heart surgery so I'm home-bound.
I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal once you are ready.
Kindly get back to me with your location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now?

Chris
September 12, 2018 4.28pm

Chris at Launceston Tas
12 Sept 2018
So glad to see Exactly the same scenario as happened to me today. Selling a ute and the offer to purchase came from onboard a Navy vessel so direct contact could not be made however a courier car transporter would pick up the vehicle and money would be transferred to my bank. "Please give details and I will pay $200 extra if you take down ad on Gumtree immediately"......and so on.
Three other similar emails arrived within minutes of placing the ad.
Pleased to say I felt uneasy and did not fall for it. Subsequently found this blog. Good work Money Team!!

Ally
October 12, 2018 5.45pm

This Exact thing just happened to me. Almost immediately after posting my bed set I got a text asking if the 'furniture' was still available, and could I reply to this email [email protected]. Below is the email I received. We had a couple of back and forth emails but no real challenges to the price but loads of reference to giving my PayPal or bank details so she could send payment. Something was off so I google and found this page and cancelled the sale. Please don't trust this kind of weird goings on.

Thanks a lot for the email. I am away at sea at the moment,i work with New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) and we are presently offshore in New Zealand Taranaki Basin on kapo project. We do not have access to phone at the moment,its 5days off and 25days on,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility. Where is it located at the moment?

I am buying it for my for my holiday and i want it delivered before my arrival.I won't be able to come for the inspection due to the nature of my work and i would have called but our calling is restricted.Regarding the payment,pls get back to me with your final asking price and your paypal details so i can process the payment,you can alternatively send your bsb and acct number if you have no paypal acct.I have also contacted my courier who will come for pick up after the whole fund has been cleared into your acct.

Await your reply.

Lennard
October 13, 2018 2.28pm

Same thing happend to me, selling my car. An anonymous number gave me a text from GeoOp asking to e-mail Michelle Dobbins on [email protected].

First she was really interested in buying without even taking a look. Further she wanted to buy it and I disclosed my E-Mail address I'm using for PayPal and also my BSB and account number.

Do I have to worry? Please help

She then asked to me to pay her agent which organises the pick-up via western union, she'll just transfer more money to do so. At that point I realized it's fraud, because the agent sits in Malaysia. I said it's too dodgy for me to do so.

The name and address of the agent is Tegan Wosley, 12 Jalan Yap Kwan, Bukuit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, 50450, Malaysia.

Be aware of this scam.

Renata
October 30, 2018 12.25pm

I don't understand. If it is safe to provide a/c and bsb details as some are saying, then why are the scammers after this information? How on earth do they use this to scam?

Cathy
December 3, 2018 11.16pm

Hi all,
The above responses are invaluable to me. I received same messages as 2 of above within minutes of posting my car on gumtree for sale. Both responses were from persons working offshore with no phone facility but wanting my email address and then wanting further information from me (which I supplied by email) and then requesting I consider my vehicle sold that without inspection, couriers were coming to collect it, they'd paid $300 for
me to take my ad down immediately, and asking for ymy full name BSP and account number and where did I live (address not emailed but suburb and city was provided). I smelt a rat, slowly I'll admit but mainly as I thought it unusual to get pretty much the same story (of being offshore and not having a phone) from two different people within minutes of ad posted and further one of the people first said he was Mark and in a later email his address was James.

To answer Renata's question I think if a person has your full name, your email address, your phone number, and your bank bsb and account number, they can steal your identity or set up an account pretending that they are you and then make withdrawals from your own bank account into the fraudulent thank account- If gumtree is taking no action I suggest reporting it to the police and maybe that they can trace the email addresses back to the source- if I have the energy and financial resources to do so . Thank you everyone.
Cathy

Glenda
January 16, 2019 1.13am

I've just been through similar thing several times regarding a gold necklace I had for sale on gumtree. Each one said working offshore/OVERSEAS could I post it to them. Agreed to do so then they supposedly sent funds through PayPal but they never arrived although I would receive a confirmation email SUPPOSEDLY from PayPal asking me to provide shipment tracking number and then my funds would be released. Luckily it set of alarm bells and I rang PayPal who assured me that it's fake and they Never ask for items to be shipped before payment.

Sarah
January 30, 2019 10.14pm

Reading all the above I've realized scammers must have created some sort of tracking code on gumtree to alert them of new postings over a certain $ amount. (Or they have people whose job is to just watch gumtree all day? Also not sure if this is correct - the scammer sends you an automated text message to contact them via email, purportedly from Gumtree.
Here's what happened to me: I listed my car - approximately 40mins after, I received a text mesaaage from +61 451 266 432 stating: "From GUMTREE: Davido emailed us regarding your listed vehicle, is it still up for sale? reply him directly via ([email protected]) now". I thought it was weird they were asking if it was still up for sale because I had just listed it. (Of course it is, I just posted my ad?) Anyway I ignored the niggling feeling because I was a bit excited I had a potential buyer so quickly. I also ignored the bad grammar in the text (missing 'to'). I then emailed and got a reply approx. 20mins after stating the below. Gullible me eagerly started typing a reply, but then I thought, hold up, stop rushing, their story just doesn't sound right. So I googled the dangers of giving bank account details and came across this article - thank you :).
Here are the silly questions popping up in my head - I thought how can your daughter be graduating, you must have been about 14, or 15 when you had her (sorry to generalize - many people use the last two digits of their birth in their email ID, and I thought born in 1987 and has a daughter already graduating? That can't be right - or it can just very uncommon). Why would you pay $300 for me to take down the listing? Why are you providing so much information about your situation?? (e.g. So, we nurses perform with significant autonomy, and make medical decisions when necessary) I don't need to know this. Why have you already talked to freighters for pick up nd delivery so quickly before you have even contacted me for more info??? Why aren't you writing in coherent sentences?????! Lol anyway here is his reply to my intial email.
"Am Glad to read back from you because I would have loved to call you directly but due to the nature of my work we do not have access to phone at the moment,which is why I contact only contact you via email. I work with as an onshore nurse here in Australia and provides around-the-clock medical and emergency care for illnesses and injuries sustained by members of the oil rig crew. Most rigs do not have doctors on board. So, we nurses perform with significant autonomy, and make medical decisions when necessary. I want it to be the perfect graduation gift for my daughter and am making it a surprise package as well for her, Are you the real first owner? and why are you selling it if you don't mind my asking. I don't mind adding an extra $300.00 for you just to take down the posting..I am already in talks with freighters that will handle the pickup and delivery .I will really appreciate if you can email more info. Due to the nature of my work i am a very busy man working all day, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my National Australia bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through PayPal to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account,please get back to me with your BSB and account details or PayPal account so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in Australia Capital Territory for my Daughter"

Chey
February 11, 2019 4.57pm

Ive had the same from davidowizkid, claimed it was going to be sent to Tasmania, offered to pay an extra $100 for me to just walk it to post office, claimed it was a graduation gift and told me to add a card and gift wrapping.
Kept saying he had put money into my PayPal and nothing showed up so I blocked him quick smart

jack watson
April 25, 2019 3.53pm

Thanks for the swift response am 100% keen to buy this Vehicle, Am buying it for my lovely Son who just graduated on top of his class in Australia national university (ANU) ,he studied Business Law and Professional Ethics Minor and am so proud of him . I want it as a surprise package to appreciate him towards his achievement and to be delivered before my arrival NT as my family lives in NT

I work in a Military. We do not have access to receive calls at the moment,its 15 days off and 15 days on,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility. Where is it located at the moment? Does it have any history I should be aware of? and why are you selling if you don't mind my asking. I am already in talks with the courier that will handle the pick-up and delivery it in NT.

As regards the payment, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my ANZ bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through Account to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account ,please get back to me with your BSB and account details or PayPal account so i can proceed with the payment And again i have sent some of my co-worker to search this for me so you can see this kind of email so deal with me directly

Await your Response

Ray
July 21, 2019 4.06pm

This just happened to me!!
Below is the email transcript I received with a couple of minutes of posting the Ad on gumtree:
"Thanks a lot for the email. I am away at sea at the moment,i work with New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) and we are presently offshore in New Zealand Taranaki Basin on kapo project. We do not have access to phone at the moment,its 5days off and 25days on,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility. Where is it located at the moment?

I am buying it for my new apartment and i want it delivered before my arrival.I won't be able to come for the inspection due to the nature of my work and i would have called but our calling is restricted. Regarding the payment,pls get back to me with your final asking price and your paypal details so i can process the payment,you can alternatively send your bsb and acct number if you have no paypal acct.I have also contacted my courier who will come for pick up after the whole fund has been cleared into your acct.

Await your reply."

Thank goodness my instinct knew this was a bit 'phishy' and I did a if research and discovered Effie's article.

Beware of [email protected]

Nick
July 26, 2019 9.30am

Hello Sarah. Enjoyed reading that.
[email protected] has just written to me, wanting me to take down my add for a camera lens and send it to his kid in Tasmania. I live in Canberra, and reading your exchange with him, he told you that his daughter lives in the ACT :)
I'll write back to him with this information just for fun. Assume he will have to change his email address from now on to further scam people. Pity what the world has come to.
Everybody beware of [email protected]

Nick
July 26, 2019 3.17pm

Unfortunately Gumtree will not do anything. This [email protected] has been doing this for over years and is still doing it today using the exact same email address.
He hasn't even bothered changing it which goes to show how useless our complaining is.

ANITA SIM
September 3, 2019 8.08pm

Add this Gumtree scam to the long list:

Thank you , I'm happy to read back from you. I'm a member of the Australian Defence Force and our Australian personnel are also currently deployed to the Middle East Region for the Force Support Element (FSE) till December. I will not be able to meet you for inspection and collection, but I have a personal representative courier agent that will meet you for collection after payment has been made, the courier agent will also handle and sort all paper work or registration if needed on this purchase when they meet you for collection.

I cannot take calls or make one during this mission because it is prohibited, we are allowed to use internet facility only and I squeezed out time to search for the advert because I want the courier agent to deliver it to my new house in Riverton, South Australia before my arrival. I am ready to make the payment so get back to me with the details below :

Account number:

BSB:

Name:

Final price:

That is all I need in order to make the payment through a secure online bank transfer from my bank to yours. I will transfer the money to your account and my personal representative courier agent will meet you for the collection and deliver it to my new house in Riverton after you confirmed the payment.

Best Regards

Scott

Ken Langas
September 9, 2019 2.00pm

FYI - this is details from scam email I received 8 Sept 2019

From:

Theresa Benson

Message:

Thanks a lot for the email. I am away at sea at the moment,i work with New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) and we are presently offshore in New Zealand Taranaki Basin on kapo project. We do not have access to phone at the moment,its 5days off and 25days on,which is why I contacted you with internet messaging facility. Where is it located at the moment?

I am buying it for my for my holiday and i want it delivered before my arrival.I won't be able to come for the inspection due to the nature of my work and i would have called but our calling is restricted.Regarding the payment,pls get back to me with your final asking price and your paypal details so i can process the payment,you can alternatively send your bsb and acct number if you have no paypal acct.I have also contacted my courier who will come for pick up after the whole fund has been cleared into your acct.

Await your reply.

Kate Marshall
November 23, 2019 10.23pm

The EXACT same thing just happened to me!!! But he had letters from Westpac, but I called Westpac and it was NOT from there. TOTAL SCAM

rebecca smyth
January 13, 2020 1.06am

Just got one to, literally 30mins after putting the post up.

Am Glad to read back from you because I would have loved to call you directly but due to the nature of my work we do not have access to phone at the moment,which is why I contact only contact you via email. I work with as an onshore doctor here in Australia and provides around-the-clock medical and emergency care for illnesses and injuries sustained by members of the oil rig crew. Most rigs do not have nurses on board. So, we doctors perform with significant autonomy, and make medical decisions when necessary

I want it to be the perfect graduation gift for my daughter and am making it a surprise package as well for her, Are you the real first owner? and why are you selling it if you don't mind my asking. I don't mind adding an extra $300.00 for you just to take down the posting..I am already in talks with freighters that will handle the pickup and delivery .I will really appreciate if you can email more info

Due to the nature of my work i am a very busy woman working all day, i don't have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here but i have my National Australia bank account link up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through PayPal to your nominated bank account or better still is if you have a PayPal account,please get back to me with your BSB and account details or PayPal account so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it for my Daughter.

Joe De Gennaro
January 13, 2020 6.00pm

I listed a car for sale on Carsales and after a few hours received the email below from a Kim Phillips. Same story as many examples described previously. Whilst I answered the questions I did not provide my bank account details. I asked for a scanned copy of the prospective buyers drivers licence before I will release my bank account details. I suspect I will receive no further contact from Kim Phillips!

Email reads:

Where is it located at the moment? what's your final price? Why are you selling it? does it need anything to be replace or repair? I'm cool with the condition as described on the advert. I work for Fly In Fly Out (FIFO)Mining Oil and Gas and we are presently in remote area .We do not have access to phone at the moment and that's why I contacted you with internet messaging facility. Regarding the payment, I can pay you through direct bank deposit (EFT),using PayPal instant bank wire transfer service. I will need your Account name, BSB and Account number. If you are not comfortable with that, you can set up a PayPal account properly at www.PayPal.com.au and I will make the payment through PayPal, this way, all I will need is your PayPal email address.

I have also contacted my courier who will come for pick up and deliver it to my place in Darwin after the whole fund has been cleared into your account. With the issue of my details, transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the pick up agent. If you are not comfortable with that, you can cancel the registration and i will buy Unregistered.

Await your reply

Regards

Alex Sabastian
February 19, 2020 11.52am

Oh no! I am trying to sell my car on Gumtree and Car Sales. I just gave Kim Phillips my bank details via email, so now s/he has my name, email address, approximate location and bank details. I have notified my bank to be wary of unauthorised account debits, but I'm concerned about the possibility of identity theft. I can't believe I was so naive and really wish I had seen this article first.

Other than notifying my bank how do I avoid identity theft and fraud?

Chris N
May 31, 2020 5.54pm

Adding that It seems the scammers are clueless about geography Darwin is not close at all to be cost effective delivery from any city. And i dont believe there are any PayPal fees for what would be personal transfers, and with all the repeated phrases about payment via PayPal (counted "PayPal" 7 times in one email) a real person wouldn't need lengthy and repetitive sob stories explaining further sob stories to buy a simple secondhand bed or car or old dog blanket from gumtree. Obviously its clear those are scam emails and steer clear, but if its not obvious to you, and the emails are rather pointlessly lengthy and focus more bout PayPal payment than the actual item, ask a friend, report or ignore. Err on the side of caution.

One last thing, if they say in an email "help me [obiwan Kenobi] you're my only hope" its a SCAM. what, they chose you, helpless internet user, you're about to ride the millennium falcon for the simple fee of selling an old spare tyre to make some beer money for yourself. You are the real scammer lol!

Chris N
May 31, 2020 5.49pm

You have to wonder about these scams, like is there a set of scam rules that all emails must have spelling errors, must appear written by someone unfamiliar with English language or subject matter, and constant repetition of nonsense.

A person working remotely on an open ocean oil rig or defence job would have a very high paying job and wont bother with 2nd hand gumtree stuff. Moreover if someone is prepared to pay extra for the item and more for shipping halfway across the country for a 2nd hand item, then show me the money first in my separate safe account before I even dust it off. Obviously any regular person would just buy it new from the retailer and have it shipped.

Do you know who buys a 2nd hand vehicle over price and wants it shipped 2000km without even inspecting? Nobody.

"in talks with freight company to discuss pick up" - someone with that kind of money to waste and time to waste buying a $50 old bed from gumtree, pay for it to be sent halfway across the country would not be in "talks with freight company". It is one phone call: hi I want this thing picked up from here and delivered here.

seriously if u had 1000$ to spend on something would u buy it over price from gumtree in another country and have it sent to another city where u aren't without so much as inspecting the item? No. It makes more sense to source the thing locally or even just new from online shop.

I got the same type of scam wen I put my old beat up junker car for sale. The guy said it was a surprise for his son in Melb and would pay over price for it to have delivered. I'm thinking sure u can have this rust bucket just send the $$ first. Not even going outside to wash off the dust but I gave a PayPal invoice to receive payment but then came the sob story about needing me to pay the courier first and Mr Big Bucks Oil Rig Job will pay me back, but the courier has to be paid via his/her PayPal. HAH! Yeah right. So I played the waiting game, nothing happened so reported as scam.

Bev Austen
June 3, 2020 11.14am

Same through happened to me... selling a car... got 4! of these types of emails. And was curious why they wanted my email address outside of gumtree messaging ... of course now I realise why... and why they wanted my paypal account details.

Here is an interesting link on how they use it in a scam

https://community.ebay.com/t5/...

rohini Nayyar
October 30, 2020 4.02pm

Just almost got scammed. Thankfully another very similar email (same story lime as able) raised suspicion and I was saved in time. But by then I had given out bank details to one of the scammers.

Now waiting to talk to bank to make sure nothing fraudulent can happen.

Shawgi Sukumaran
September 11, 2021 11.54am

Almost scammed. Received a Whasap msg offering to buy my dining table and to pay askign price before courier can pick up and trandport to Alice Springs ( from Adelaide) - the asking price was 250/-.The interesting bit is is received a link gumtree.au-post-id26859.site/r... This link was for me to receive my askign price

Clicking on this link takes you to a site which prompts you to enter your credit card details and bank details. I almost went through the entering the details before realising that this is a scam. I had constant WA messages 'instructing 'me how to enter my details. Immediately blocked card and changed passwords in my bank account and with it the messages stopped. BEWARE

Nnaemeka Emodi
October 27, 2021 12.55am

Guys, I received a similar request when I posted a car for sale on Gumtree. His/Her new name is Martil Ryan and their email address is [email protected]. The person also informed me that he/she works for New Zealand Oil and Gas. Please beware of these scammers.

Renee Prochazka
January 17, 2022 3.54pm

I just received this message too - thought it might be a scam, thanks for confirming that for me!

ANTHONY Giannoulis
January 18, 2022 9.34pm

Happened to me today. Same method but from the UK.

Ian Eckermann
July 20, 2022 8.14pm

So glad I trusted my gut on this one. Thankyou for this forum, was definitely a life saver.

I've had the exact same story as these. One worked in a gold mine, the other for Australian Air Force. Both can't ring but can email. Both had amazing couriers that are just waiting around apparently to pick up random things for them. And of course both asking for bsb and acc details.

I may have gone too far, but this was my response to them after reading your messages.

Thankyou again.

Hi Zhang.

Apologies, but my banks are currently under renovations through the cold dark winter months here in Southern Australia. So it seems I am left in a dilemma, as I won't be able to supply my bank details with you. Also, my family has a 76 year long tradition, that we don't deal through PayPal. Due to indifferences left from the War.

So here is my counter offer.

I really wish you to be the one to buy the car off me, as I feel you are the right fit for its seats.

I will gladly accept your offer to buy the car, if the purchase is done in Cash.

You'll be able to transfer the money to your courier, and they'll then be able to withdraw the cash from the ATM, and bring it to us on the date of delivery.

All I will need to know from you is your couriers name, registration number of their vehicle and their favourite colour for me to have as a safe word when they arrive to pickup the car.

I hope these terms work for you.

I look forward to this arrangement, as it will help me and make my family smile at bedtime.

Much love, take care and stay safe.

Ian

Rex Mcleod
December 18, 2022 11.08pm

I think you will find that most transactions on Gumtree are cash only payments on delivery of the goods or on completion of the services provided These are the same arrangements as applied in the days of the old trading post newspaper, before everything went digital. However their are exceptions to this rule mainly with established businesses doing credit/debit card payments or electronic funds transfer as mentioned in the article. EFT must be reasonably safe otherwise it would not be as popular as it has been for a very long time and banks would be forced to withdraw it as a payment method If their was major financial fraud taking place with it.

Bernadette Shipton
January 15, 2023 7.15pm

I fell for same scam from "[email protected]&... who supposedly works for FIFO Mining, Oil and Gas. She didn't have access to phone but could email and wanted to pay via PayPal wire transfer. Unfortunately I didn't catch on quick enough and sent her copy of my drivers licence, but luckily I didn't send any bank account details. Her email was word for word identical to an email from a Kim Phillips sent on Feb 19/2020 in this forum. I just wish that I had cottoned on sooner and hope that no harm comes of it. Any suggestions?

Jack Guinness
July 23, 2023 2.37pm

Bernadette, giving your drivers licence is worse than bank account details! If you sent a photo of the front of your drivers licence it's considered the golden ticket to ID theft. If that happened to me I would replace my drivers licence ASAP.

al davey
April 24, 2023 11.56am

get them to send you photo of them holding their licence

A K
April 29, 2023 8.57pm

Got same email and same story today. Working in mining in NT and without negotiation and inspection was ready to pay my asking price and her courier would pick up after funds are cleared and just need my bank details. Than fully bell rangs in my mind as it sounded 'too good to be true'. I looked up and found this forum with heaps of similar stories. Please be careful and never ever share personal details including phone, bank details, ID etc..Oh by the way when I sent her last reply that I will only accept cash, she just vapoured.

Robert Laidlaw
June 26, 2023 12.13pm

Beware of people pretending to buy something at full advertised price, or higher, sight unseen and offering to get an agent to take care of delivery.

Michael Schaffer
January 14, 2024 10.22am

This is still happening now! I wonder how they on sell or make money out of

this?

On Fri, Jan 12, 2024 at 4:13 PM Jason Miller wrote:

What's the Final asking price?Why are you selling it? Does it need anything to be replaced or repaired?Your postal code? I'm cool with the condition as described on the advert. I work on a remote mine site presently. and the reception is terrible. We do not have access to a phone at the moment, which is why I contacted you with an internet messaging facility.I will be paying you through PayPal Banking linked up with my Nab bank account,Kindly Provide your bsb and account number so i can proceed with the payment.

I have a courier who will do the collection and deliver it in Darwin after the whole fund has been cleared into your account. As regards to the paperwork, all I will need is a receipt, the rego will have to be done in NT Darwin at my place of residence, so there will be no use for the existing Reg and RWC Or Alternatively, I can purchase it without registration.

Cheers