Paypal Security as a Seller

[theendofit]

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First of all i would like to apologize in advance if this has been discusses many times. i also apologize for rumbling on.

Well to begin with, i have/had an account for roughly five years. I used to raid quite a lot from time to time so at this moment the two main characters have 6300gs( the rogue is top 1-2 best geared on the server) and 6000gs . I listed the characters in the site and the account was sold quite fast.

To be honest i didnt expect it to be sold since the expansion is coming and since i am not the guy that gets excited by achievements or mounts. I just wanted to press my buttons correctly.

I will try to get to the point now. I get contacted by a spanish guy( not a fluent English speaker i have to say) that wants my account and seems willing to pay the maximum price (buyout price). After exchanging some emails (he used his paypal address) he sent me 600euros from a not verified paypal address.

I tried to explain to him that first of all i just want to get rid of the account( so account reclaims are off the table) but that doesnt mean that i feel like getting scammed too. So the deal was you get any contact details you want (mobile, landline,facebook or whatever), you pay and you get just the username and the password. When the funds are cleared in my bank account i'll give you the rest of the details. He seems to agree with everything i say and he just wants to close the deal. I get the money, cancel my subscription, leave my guild, transfer the funds to bank account and send him the access details.

I started going through various scam posts on the board and i have to say that its sad ( or whatever) what ppl can do for few more bank notes. I am writting asking for your experienced advice to understand things like:

1. What information should i not give him at all (including secret question and answer) to make sure that i will not end up getting a reversal claim and losing the account.
2. Can paypal withdraw money when the funds are already in my bank account?
3. If paypal balance is 0 and he goes for a reversal will paypal try to force me to pay them and how?

I apologize for the very long post but your replies will be appreciated

 

[TJP]

Here is what I can say on the matter. PayPal has no seller protection policy for what you are selling. If he were to do a chargeback, he would probably win the case. What you have to watch out for is stolen PayPal accounts as it may be likely this person is using one to pay the £600. To be truly safe, clear the funds in your bank, close your PayPal account, then give him any information he'd like. Just make sure you have the money in hand.

As for what PayPal can do. If your bank is linked to the account, they can put their hands in it. If you ever get a negative PayPal balance, they will try to withdraw from your bank. If your funds are dry, it will keep trying to withdraw and pile on overdraft fees for your bank. Be careful when you link your bank to PayPal as these are the types of consequences you may encounter.

 

[theendofit]

First of all thanks for the reply

I did a quick search for his nickname/email address and he has uploaded a warcraft video on a weird spanish site from a different wow account. Armory shows that his account is active and i have the impression that this character is also bought since the characters past achievements are not in accordance with the current situation.

I had some friends calling me and they told me that he has logged in twice in 2 days for like 10min checking the characters' bank. He has not even changed password etc.

I had the impression that Paypal cannot withdraw money from the bank without your permission. In any case, i have the feeling that the deal is too good/easy to be true ( it took 6-7 emails in total ) so i think that since i made the mistake to accept the funds, i have one option which is to close my current paypal account

I also read in a post that its quite common to mail the SQA etc so there is a confirmation that he actually bought something and that this thing was indeed delivered to his address.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Trish]

Yes, I suggest that (next time, as it's too late now) you do what I did.

Tell paypal that he is paying for "a piece of paper". Send it via verified mail to his address - the one on his paypal - and on it include the SQ/A. This way, he has to sign for it to get it and he cannot dispute the money.