I Need To Know If This Elena Smith Person Is Really A Scammer Need Help ASAP PLEASE!!!!

[MrLeal25]

OK so I sell things on letgo, 5 miles,and also offer up. So recently I posted an item (Samsung Galaxy S7) a almost 700$ phone it was still new and I posted it on OfferUp for 450 and immediately it started blowing up with people with unverified account so I didn't really reply to them then this Elena Smith Person start responding to me asking "is the item still for sale" and I said yes it is are you interested she said yes and told me this story about her boyfriend is in Africa for work and would like to buy it for 400 plus another 100$ to mail it to him and that's what the extra money was for and so I said yes but I don't have a debit or credit or PayPal account so she said just sign up for PayPal it's free and tell me once your done so I did and when I was done I gave this elena smith person. My email and she said okay I'm sending payment and then I got an email from PayPal stating she made a payment of 500$ to my account but it's pending and will be released one she is satisfied or once the buyer receive tracking number to speed process up so me and this person been talking on hangout she sends me pictures of herself so I did a reverse image search and the person name was totally different from the one she has on her hangout and offer up so now I'm at the post office right now and need to know if she is a scammer or whoever this and how would I know if the money is really pending in my PayPal account? Let me know ASAP and thank you .

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@MrLeal25

THIS IS A TYPICAL PAYPAL SCAM.

They encourage you to use paypal and often ask you open an account and to send the item as a gift to a relative somewhere often Nigeria.

You will get/got a "fake" email that looks as though it is from paypal.....it isn't.

It will say the buyer has paid ...you won't have been paid.

They will tell you that the payment is released when you provide paypal with a tracking/shipping number......this won't happen.

They also threaten legal action...have a laugh at that one and ignore it as its rubbish.

Paypal NEVER tell you to send trackable, they advise it for seller protection etc but it is not compulsory.

Paypal NEVER tell you to send an item before the payment is showing in your paypal account. Even if pending it would still show in your paypal balance but with pending next to it and the transaction would show in your transaction history list.

Delete any emails and ignore the scammers.