So I listed my old laptop (Macbook Black here I come!) on ebay with a Buy it now price of £200. Yesterday I awoke to an ebay notification informing me someone had bought it, the notification provided a German address and asked for a postage price. Funny, I thought, I could have sworn I had put UK postage only. So anyway I mailed back telling him the cost of postage and requesting paypal payment. In return I received this email:
Hello,
How was your been..this day is right to inform you that the payment was carried out and the money was deduced from my account paypal also that I want that you know that the will paypal also confirm the address of forwarding to you.So please obtain again with me as soon as you obtained the confirmation of the service custormar paypal.
Name – Olayemi Badmus
Address – 37 Thomas salako street
City – Ijaiye Ogba
State – Lagos state
Country – Nigeria
Zip code – 23401
Phone number- +xxxxxxxxxxxx
I have the email of confirmation of paypal which you are to obtain the announced article and the email the reference number of forwarding to the service to the customers paypal of customer for the acredition of your account.They do this to protect the salesman and the buyer.I will wait for reading you. Have one fine day. Wills
My reply (complete with impatiently typed typos):
I have not received your payment and am convinced that you are not a genuine buyer due to the fact that you gave a german address originally and now give one in Nigeria.
I will not be desptaching the item to you and will be reporting you to Ebay complaint service.
Please do not contact me or bid on the item again.
His reply:
hello send u payment today i wos in german bot is my son want to us the item in african pls send the item to im pls u we resif you payment at soon aat osible
I then received this ridiculous spoof email from Paypal cc’d to 20 people:
Dear Seller,
We want you to Know that We Still have your money on our desk and is now ready to be Transmitted into your personal Paypal Account as soon as We have receive the shipping tracking number as a Shipping Verification.Warning: You are advise to arranged for the shipment via Standard Special Delivery to the address required by the Client .
Note: that Immediately the item has been send to the address required by the client in Nigeria you hereby to contact our customer services care at : (status-tracking:consultant.com) for the shipment Tracking Number ,so that we can transfer the payment status to your personal Paypal Account .
However, As soon as the item has been ship you are advise not to mail the buyer the International shipping tracking number only to us for shipment verification.
You can only mail the buyer the tracking number immediately you have receive an order from us.
This is done against any attempt to Fraud.
We Look forward to serve you better online.
Thanks For Using Paypal.
All rights reserved. 
Copyright© 2007 PayPal Inc. All rights reserved. ,
My subsequent and final reply to the ‘buyer’:
You did not read my listing correctly I do not post to addresses outside the uk. I am blocking your email address now as you are harassing me.
So now I’ve had to relist my laptop and eBay have advised I owe them £13 fees. I can make a complaint to ebay but not until after 10 April…goddamnit!
