How not to get scammed

Discussion in 'General Business' started by ListedHosting, Jan 13, 2008.

  1. #1
    This guide was not writen by me! :-D

    Well, I think anyone who has sold has run into some serious problems when dealing through Paypal. Being an experienced seller, I will share some secrets as to how to protect yourself against chargebacks, and frauded money.

    To begin, we'll take this from the approach of a GP seller. In other words, you are selling GP for Paypal money. First of all, it's important to accept the facts:

    1) You can't prove to Paypal you gave them the items
    2) You're breaking copyright laws
    3) Paypal deems Virtual Currency trading as risky, and will Limit accounts that they find doing it.

    With these in mind, it becomes quite obvious that you don't want to get into disputes when dealing with Paypal. You aren't going to win. So, here's the way to avoid getting ripped off.

    1) Be realistic.


    If someone is using THEIR money, realize that they are going to very careful. If the buyer is offering an abnormal price, then that's a good sign they're fake. Also, if they publicly say they'll go first, be very cautious. People using their money usually are verrry hesitant about going first, unless you have a great reputation.

    2) Talk to the customer.

    Talk to your customers on MSN before you do any transactions with them. By simply chatting on MSN, you can usually get a decent idea of where somebody is really from, how old they are, and why they're buying the gold. If your customer can't speak proper English, and seems childish, be careful. Also, if someone is rushing you to do a trade, just block them. Anyone rushing to trade you is trying to make you act against your judgement.

    3) Ask for some Paypal information

    Before your customer even pays you, make sure his account is VERIFIED. Also, it's extremely important that their ADDRESS IS CONFIRMED. These two factors are extremely important if you wish to protect yourself. Also ask them if it's their account, or their parents. Also make sure the address on their account is listed in the phonebook, and is their current place of residence. If your customer hasn't passed each criteria here, you leave yourself prone to chargebacks. Also tell them you will be calling their house, to verify their location, with the address you get from their Paypal account.

    4) Have them include a note with their payment

    With every payment you make on Paypal, you can include a Note, or a Memo. This can help you prove that your customer received their item. Have them include a message like "Thanks for fixing my site for me!" or just "I received my item before this payment was made - I promise not to chargeback". This is a good little measure to help protect yourself. Try to avoid using words like WOW or runescape or any other game, because Paypal does not like people trading virtual currency, trading real money for game money.

    5) Call their listed number.

    After the customer has paid your Paypal, click the Details on his payment. Make sure they included their Confirmed Address in the payment, which is displayed here:

    [​IMG]

    Now, call their house, by checking at whitepages.com for the phone number that corresponds with their address, by doing a reverse address search:

    [​IMG]

    Call them up. If the account is under their name, their consent is all you need. If it's under their parents' name, tell them you need their consent for the payment to be accepted. This is extremely important. This step proves that the account being used is not stolen, and therefore an Unauthorized chargeback can not be filed.

    6) Claim/Cancel

    Last but not least, have your customer File an Item Dispute claim, and cancel it. Although most customers who complied with steps 1-5 will rarely try and claim scam you, better safe than sorry. There are many guides on how to do this, so I won't get into the details. If you are particularily suspicous, have them also file an Unauthorized claim and cancel it as well.

    By following these 6 steps, you have eliminated the vast majority of Paypal scams. The most devastating scams usually involve people paying you from stolen accounts. This guide will prevent these scams, and in turn, keep you out of the red!

    Credits to - R2Pleasent
     
    ListedHosting, Jan 13, 2008 IP
  2. FOX LORE

    FOX LORE Notable Member

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    #2
    I vote this should be made a sticky. Thanks for sharing...
     
    FOX LORE, Jan 13, 2008 IP
  3. Barefootsies

    Barefootsies Well-Known Member

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    #3
    This is KEY.

    If they do not care enough about taking the time to get verified, I do not have the time to talk to them. They can send by bank wire (EFT) then if they are legit, they should have no problem with that.

    Always be willing to walk away from the deal. In the end if you are ripped off for $3k, and they have he domain and site, you will be crying. Best to do business with a VERIFIED user for $2500, then a unconfirmed for $3000.

    That comes from experience.
     
    Barefootsies, Jan 13, 2008 IP
  4. kyrogenic

    kyrogenic Peon

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    #4
    I don't understand #6 why have them file claim then cancel it?
     
    kyrogenic, Jan 14, 2008 IP
  5. 007ragstar

    007ragstar Banned

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    #5
    Sticky please :) And I think most of these steps are only for US or Canada based residents.
     
    007ragstar, Jan 14, 2008 IP
  6. ListedHosting

    ListedHosting Banned

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    #6
    Yes you are right 007. And thanks for the kind feedback. I think this could help others so please do sticky this.
     
    ListedHosting, Jan 14, 2008 IP
  7. abudhar

    abudhar Banned

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    #7
    real nice...
    just wanted to know if u hv any steps for not getting charged back, or if u r already charged back any steps to get ur money back
     
    abudhar, Jan 14, 2008 IP
  8. superstan

    superstan Peon

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    #8
    PLEASE TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT PROTECTING MYSELF AS A SELLER OF VIRTUAL GOODS WITH DIGITAL DELIVERY
     
    superstan, Jan 18, 2008 IP