Bank wire transfer?

[ampgalore]

Seems like I am getting involved in this "scamming" mess more and more these days.

Someone in London offered to purchase my amp. But he likes to do a direct wire transfer to my checking account.

Should I be worried? I am never comfortable giving out my bank account info.

Plus, that guy's English is pretty bad, full of grammar mistakes.

Something just doesn't smell right with with whole thing.

The people at audioasylum are saying that wire transfers are okay. But I don't know. I trust you guys more.

 

[viviorunitia4]

i wouldn't do it if you have a bad feeling about it...
I would see if he will pay with paypal

 

[JMT]

Never give out your bank or personal information to someone you don't know. Even with someone you do know, exersize caution.

 

[warubozu]

I wouldn't give out my bank info to someone whom I'm not familiar with even if it was for a transfer to receive money. See if the buyer can complete the transfer thru Paypal, it's cheaper than the wire transfer and safer.

 

[braillediver]

I couldn't think of a good reason why I'd give my bank information to someone I knew so a stranger is out of the question.

Escrow of your choice to also avoid fraud. PayPal or just sell it to someone in the USA. As nice as a sale is it isn't worth the risk.

It kind of goes back the the idea of having a unique bank account for these transactions. One with out overdraft protection. So you only deposit the money needed to complete the transaction.


Good Luck

Mitch

 

[RYCeT]

If he doesn't want to do paypal but willing to do wire transfer, why don't you ask him to send the money through western union then

 

[Judge Crandall]

I don't know about escrow. I know a guy who set up a fake escrow and scammed people. He set up a fake website and everything, fooled quite a few people, for quite a lot of money. A friend of mine is a good friend, which is how I know. Not like my friend just heard stories about it, he was actually involved for a bit. However, I've never actually used escrow, just wanted to point out that escrow can be a scam as well. But definitely don't give out your bank info. Paypal seems to be as safe as it gets.

the Judge

btw, the escrow scammer used western union

 

[braillediver]

"Escrow of your choice to also avoid fraud."

Oh yeah- they'll recommend a fake escrow service to help alleviate your concerns. That’s why YOU chose the escrow service.

The best thing would be to contact your bank and discuss the issue and find out the risks and options.


Mitch

 

[ampgalore]

Thanks guys. Appreciate your opinions.

I have a bad vibe about this buyer. Bad grammar, very pushy, tried to appear slick but his bad English just destroyed this whole slick thing. I'll pass on this deal.

 

[ampgalore]

I read up on the posts on audioasylum, people there seem to favor bank transfers. I am not going to give out my bank account info, and that's that.

But all these people on audioasylum saying bank transfer is safe, am I missing something here?

Audioasylum thread

 

[greenhorn]

What can anybody do just having your bank account information

A credit card number is different - but the bank account details?

 

[cosmopragma]

Our european bank system must work in a very different manner than the american, here there is absolutely no risk in handing out the account info.
Here in Europe Paypal is risky.

 

[greenhorn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmopragma Our european bank system must work in a very different manner than the american, here there is absolutely no risk in handing out the account info. Here in Europe Paypal is risky.

Why is Paypal risky here in Europe?

I just registered yesterday

 

[Permonic]

You can even see bank account details on the websites, e.g. Meier Audio (http://home.t-online.de/home/meier-audio/howtoorder.htm). I personally use bank transfer for various purchases. The negative thing is that many banks have high fee for foreign currency rates.

 

[cosmopragma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhorn Why is Paypal risky here in Europe?

First:As far as ebay deals are concerned Paypal is safe since ebay (owner of Paypal) insures Paypal payments.
Outside of ebay there are some problems:
A:In case you are the buyer you are transfering money without getting a verified adress, fraud is easy since the barretor can take your money and run before you'll have a chance to react.Paypal does not verify anything .What do you think how much do you have to pay to a junkie for opening a bank account for you, one shot?
Always use a credit card when you are purchasing something using Paypal, this way you can complain and you'll get full refund from your CC organisation if the seller doesn't deliver, but that will probably be your last Paypal deal.The Paypal procedure itself for complaining and getting refund is a pain and doesn't work well as others reported.
B:In case you are the seller the buyer might have used a stolen CC to open a Paypal account, or he might complain and ask for refund after he got your item.Starting a lawsuit is unpractical in most cases since Paypal doesn't know the real adress of your opponent, and even if your lawyer is able to get the real name/adress you'll need a lot of money and patience.
E.g. a lawsuit in Germany in minor cases lasts at least 18 months.