this one is a tough one for a new user, esp given one with no paypal experience at all. lets put it this way, it is VERY likely that while using paypal, you will get scammed.
personally, i would recommend that we work to a compromise between paypal and western union (please read this:
http://www.markeedragon.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1665603#Post1665603) at the very bottom of the page, it dictates what you must to do make a paypal to WU transaction (or you buyer must do).
this way, you can walk to the western union teller after you have receive the WU information from the buyer (who has paid via paypal using WU as a 3rd party), walk away with the cash in hand...
now, at the risk of repeating myself:
for YOUR security, only give them the account information AFTER you have walked away from the teller with the actual physical money in hand. now, the buyer may not be willing to trust you, so give him/her whatever information is necessary to make them feel secure (e.g. your phone number, address, scan of ID card etc...)
as long as the MTCU, buyer's first and last name / address / phone number match, the WU teller will let you simply walk away with the money and that will be that. in this case, you do not really even need a phone call, matter less checking their paypal information. though if it makes you feel better, call their LANDLINE to verify who they are, then go to 411.com and match their landline to registered name and address stated on the WU.
personally, i would not give anything to the buyer first, but giving them the account name and password first before payment is acceptable.
paying a seller with WU is like asking for a scammer unless the sellers is really reputable... people who are willing to do WU here on MD are rare to come by. keep in mind though, it IS possible to recall a WU payment up to 6 MONTHS after if it was paid for with a credit card... you are never 100% safe... verifying their identify is a good way to prevent this if you want to be extra careful.
good luck! feel free to follow up on this thread with more questions!
last thing! before you direct the potential buyer to your reputation page, keep in mind that it is not an officially recognized form of user feedback here on MD... again, good luck and contact me or post here if you need anything else.
again, i STRONGLY do NOT recommend paypal, as the number of ways to scam WAY OUTNUMBER the ways to protect yourself. moreover, if you are using your father's account, you would be asking for a whole lot of issues later...
