[mountainwiccan]

Can we not have a link or something ont he home page of Gumtree with a list of scammers operating on Gumtree - i.e their email addresses because it seems that the scammers are no longer using the Western Union/false cheque scam but are using the false paypal one. I have just read a pst by a girl called Caryn who was scammed out of her camera by a guy providing false paypal details which looked totally legitimate.

I know that it is not gumtree's fault but I'm going to stop advertising on this website as day after day after day I am getting these scam emails and its pissing me off now. so much so that I have joined an online scambaiting organisation to teach these people a lesson or two.

These people are "supposedly" clever... I would say devious, dishonest and lacking in morals but we as Gumtreers need to be able to outwit them! Enough is enough!!!!!!

[Bluey]

Mountainwiccan,

It takes 2 mins to set up a new email address and a scammer will have multiple ones - they will be out of date by the time that Gumtree admin can verify them and post them. I don't think posting their email addresses will reduce the prevalence or effectiveness of scams.

It would be much more sensible to have many and obvious links to scam awareness material across the site, or perhaps get the Gumtree admin site to email by default an anti-scamming awareness message each time someone posts a product or service for sale on the site. (Am assuming this is not yet done but I've never placed an ad on the site).

Or see if the Gumtree can bar the IP addresses of known scammers (though if its a shared service, such as an internet cafe, it affects the innocent that use the same PC/server), I think.

Also, be aware that scam baiting can be a dangerous activity.

Bluey

[mountainwiccan]

Thanks for the advice about scambaiting. I use an email address where my IP address cannot be traced.....

I think GumTree does need to ban IP addresses. There are generally loads of internet cafes around even in poorer countires. I travelled to third world countries such as Guatemala and Nicaragua and they were everywhere, so, someone who is genuine could surely go somewhere else if the IP address at the cafe they are at has been banned [this is if they are genuine]. Maybe though a few IP addresses being banned at such internet cafes will make the owners a little more cautious about who they allow to frequent their establishments particularly if they are losing business because of it.

Also to be honest I have to ask why anyone from Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, etc would want to come onto GumTree to buy stuff which could possibly be bought in their own country, particularly Nigeria. Despite GumTree being geared towards Australians, New Zealnders, South Africans [in the main] I have never ever had anyone from these countries enquire about my goods...
Recently I had A Nigerian guy who said he was based in Alabama [ I traced his IP address and he wasn't!] wanting my camcorder for his son in Nigeria... why not just buy one in America... mine wasn't that extraordinary that it couldn't be bought in the USA.

Anyway I digress.. you are right about multiple email addresses re-emerging. I just don't know what the solution is for those people who have the opportunity to sell abroad but do not want to do so now because of the fake Paypal situation. It seems that the scammers are covering every conceivable angle in terms of extorting money from people....

The Gum Tree community/Selling Stuff boards are full of scam stories nowadays so really something extreme has to be done..