Am I being scammed?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 13 Aug 2010 Posts: 4

I bought an item from ebay.it . Because it was in italian I messed up the shipping ammount and the buyer is requesting an extra 15 euro which is fine. What isnt fine is that he wants by city of birth and my date of birth. Here is the email I recieved, what do you think?

Hello Brad, thank you very much!
Just 2 things ..:

1)About shipping cost I think you did something of wrong when you did the
payment because as you can see in the list about this thing ..for Australia
the cost is 30 euro with standard shipping! So about this it need just do
the transfer for the little difference of 15 euro. If you want you can use
always PayPal with email adress of destination [email protected]

2)For a new international law about invoices we need just of a couple of
details on you ..we need to know the DATE and CITY of birth (it's a strange
thing but to do the invoice correct it need this).

Thanks again for now and speak to you later.
Kind regards, Mauro

Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 4:13 pm

hard to say with the info at hand.
could you post the whole email (header) then we can try to figure out a bit more.
For now, birth date and place are easily made up, so no worries there.
I like to use, if they already have my own name my dad's info, he has been dead for a long time now and will not complain too much Smile

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 13 Aug 2010 Posts: 4

It was all through ebay - this is the whole message

eBay sent this message to xxxxxxxxxxx
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.

Seller has responded to your question about this item

Do not respond to the sender if this message requests that you complete the transaction outside eBay. This type of offer is against eBay policy, may be fraudulent, and is not covered by buyer protection programs. Learn More.

Dear getmobile620,

Hello Bradley,

on 06-ago-10 18:41:57 we have sent you an email to [email protected] with object DETAILS FOR INVOICE ..and we are waiting again for your news.

In the text there was written:

Hi getmobile620,

Hello Brad, thank you very much!
Just 2 things ..:

1)About shipping cost I think you did something of wrong when you did the
payment because as you can see in the list about this thing ..for Australia
the cost is 30 euro with standard shipping! So about this it need just do
the transfer for the little difference of 15 euro. If you want you can use
always PayPal with email adress of destination [email protected]

2)For a new international law about invoices we need just of a couple of
details on you ..we need to know the DATE and CITY of birth (it's a strange
thing but to do the invoice correct it need this).

Thanks again for now and speak to you later.
Kind regards, Mauro

- mauro998 Click "respond" to reply through Messages, or go to your email to reply

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jan 2009 Posts: 1440

Not sure, but if you Google his email addy, he seems to be who he says he is....

Not quite a Newb Joined: 24 Jul 2010 Posts: 68

I certainly would not be giving out my date of birth or my place of birth to anyone. This information can be used easily in an identity theft.

I know that the Australian .gov recently brought in new regulations for transfer of funds overseas, and these new rules have to be enforced by paypal. This includes proving to paypal that you are over 18 years of age and also (after a certain $ amount) proving your identity with passport, licence, birth certificate etc. (Just like when you open a bank account here).

However, when asked to do this you are asked by paypal - not the seller. Your paypal account will be restricted until you comply.

Never, never give out this type of information to a seller.

Perhaps you should write him back and ask him for further details, as this type of request if quite alarming.

I would be very keen to hear any further info on this. Thanks.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 13 Aug 2010 Posts: 4

Well, I need this item and the language barrier makes things hard. I paid the last 15 euro and gave a fake date and place of birth. ~
I have checked him out as much as I can and he does seem legit, but I will email him and ask him more about these "regulations" and post back, Cheers guys

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:13 am

I remember being concerned by a German buyer on Ebay asking for my bank account details a few years ago so I didn't sell him the item - I found out later it's a common method of payment in Germany. What seems suspicious in one country is another country's way of doing things - this guy probably is legit but you're right to ask questions of him.

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:01 am

I must say, when I googled him, I got him selling a horde of items in all these different countries' eBay web site

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:17 am

Don't be fooled there are plenty of scammers on ebay. I always use PayPal and would never give my personal details to any seller.

If you lose 15 euros isn't good but to have your ID stolen would be a nightmare.

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:23 pm

Date and City of birth are both common password reset questions - there's no info on ebay regarding any requirement to give such PII, and indeed I can see not one legal reason for doing so.

I'd suggest you report the seller to ebay asking them if they think that's a legit request - if not they'll be alerted to an account to watch closely.

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 6:05 pm

BjornYesterday wrote:

German buyer on Ebay asking for my bank account details a few years ago so I didn't sell him the item

Sure, how else could he transfer money from his bank to your bank account in your bank ? Wink

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:03 pm

I agree with MBL, report the seller.

Sadly people will reveal such personal data almost automatically when asked for it. Sounds like a good way for him to get into your accounts (email, PayPal etc. and possible bank).

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 16 Aug 2010 Posts: 2

I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with the exact same ebay seller, in our messages back and forth he's reminded me twice now to include my date of birth and city of birth to put on the invoice, says it's a new international law in Italy. I'm still checking things out but so far it's looking legit, some of his ebay buyers have given good reviews etc. the name is mauro998 he sells motorcycle parts. you might also want to try the user to user help forums at ebay.

419Eater is my life Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 255

Can the feedback record of an eBay user usually be trusted?

In this case, he has 100% positive feedback, he seems legit. Although I still wouldn't give out such information.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 16 Aug 2010 Posts: 2

xbeejx if your still checking this thread could you give us an update ?