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Scam? Please help!

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane
U

User62861

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Hi,

I do logo design (branding) for companies and I can do a website setup as well. I usually do it for companies who hired me to make them a logo or entire brand identity.

I got an email yesterday from a guy with full English name but his English is half broken.

He said he has a budget of £1k - £5k for a website setup (this is first time someone reached to me to get a website right away).

He avoided to answer my question on how/where did he find me.

I said the price is 5k, 50-50 via PayPal.

He said no problem right away, but he cant use PayPal, he wants to use Stripe.

Did anyone of you experienced something like this?

How could he scam me if he has to pay 50% upfront?

He might be using a stolen credit card?

This all sounds too good to be true if you ask me.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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He might be using a stolen credit card?

What kind of website? Can you grab an IP? Google search the guy's name?

If it's a stolen card, you might be able to cross reference to public info.
 

minivanman

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He can use PayPal if he wants to. Anyone can use PayPal, even without an account. If your business model is to use PayPal then stick with YOUR business model. Don't do something you are not 100% comfortable doing. You might miss out on a little money but you might save yourself a LOT of headache.
 

biophase

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Doesn't make sense. Stripe is not a method to send money. You should ask him if he has a credit card. The danger is that he pays you and after you complete the website and give it to him that he does a chargeback and tries to take the money back. Or his credit card is stolen.
 
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ApparentHorizon

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Hi,

I do logo design (branding) for companies and I can do a website setup as well. I usually do it for companies who hired me to make them a logo or entire brand identity.

I got an email yesterday from a guy with full English name but his English is half broken.

He said he has a budget of £1k - £5k for a website setup (this is first time someone reached to me to get a website right away).

He avoided to answer my question on how/where did he find me.

I said the price is 5k, 50-50 via PayPal.

He said no problem right away, but he cant use PayPal, he wants to use Stripe.

Did anyone of you experienced something like this?

How could he scam me if he has to pay 50% upfront?

He might be using a stolen credit card?

This all sounds too good to be true if you ask me.

It's a known scam. Or maybe a twist on an old one.

1. Can't use X method of payment
2. Said he sent money
3. You don't get money
4. Threatens you if you don't send the 50% back which he never sent
 

George Appiah

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Anyone can use PayPal, even without an account.

FALSE.

Unless the "anyone" does not include people from countries PayPal doesn't like :)

There are several countries where PayPal is not available at all (including my country, Ghana). For these countries, even PayPal-powered payment via credit card is NOT possible, as you cannot select the country when entering the billing address.

(If I got a dollar every time I've had to explain this, I'd be a millionaire by now!)

How could he scam me if he has to pay 50% upfront?

It's a known scam. Or maybe a twist on an old one.

1. Can't use X method of payment
2. Said he sent money
3. You don't get money
4. Threatens you if you don't send the 50% back which he never sent

A variation of this I've seen is where the fraudster attempts to use you as a money mule to cashout from stolen credit cards. Happend to an acquaintance of mine who was letting his apartments on Airbnb:
  1. Fraudster booked for 3 weeks in a very expensive apartment with a stolen credit card.
  2. Fraudster checked in, but next morning claimed he had an emergency and needed to leave immediately.
  3. Fraudster then presented an offer that the host, unfortunately, could not refuse. Went like this:
    • Too bad, but I'll, unfortunately, have to cancel my reservation for Airbnb to refund (nearly) all my payment back to me
    • But I really need cash now so if you could give me just 25% of my payment in cash, I won't cancel the Airbnb reservation (oh, and you can rent out the apartment again as I'm not coming back)
  4. Reservation was not cancelled as fraudster promised, but Airbnb got hit with a chargeback, immediately put a stop on all the host's payments in transit, and banned him and all his listings from the platform.
 
Last edited:

minivanman

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TRUE in the United States of America and that's why I live here :thumbsup: We have the stupidest government in the world but I wouldn't think of living anywhere else. So for the record.... anytime I say something, it is for the US. No idea about any other place in the world. That's why my wife travels the world, not me. :)
 
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George Appiah

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TRUE in the United States of America and that's why I live here :thumbsup: We have the stupidest government in the world but I wouldn't think of living anywhere else. So for the record.... anytime I say something, it is for the US. No idea about any other place in the world. That's why my wife travels the world, not me. :)

Sure... and OP didn't mention where this mysterious lead is coming from... but as a general principle, shouldn't we be answering people's questions based on THEIR context, rather than our own? Or at least qualify our answers? :humph:
 

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