Here is a scam that presumably must work with some people, or they wouldn't keep trying it, but if it does work, then they must target some very vulnerable people.
So firstly you have something for sale on Facebook or some other marketplace, in this case we have a desktop PC:
Then the scammer comes along (rather amusingly called Sou Malia) and starts a conversation:
Hi, is this available?
You sent
Yes
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
Ok so I will buy your article But for more security I will send a DPD courier to your home to check the article to give you your money in person then to collect the article to bring it to me at my home.
Tues 20:02
You sent
Ok if they'll agree to that
You sent
I personally think giving the cash to a courier in advance isn't that secure
Tues 21:45
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
The postman will come and give you your money personally, please let me know your contact details, first and last name, home address, the price of the item and then your e-mail address for confirmation.
01:01
You sent
berkshire computers is the name and the address is Unit 7
10:30
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
the postman will deliver your money to you personally and collect the item but postage is my responsibility but there is the £50 charge which you must pay in advance to allow the postman to arrive at your home but don't worry I will add this to the initial sum so you will receive the sum of £100 not the postman who will come to your home today
10:48
You sent
Ok see you later
12:47
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
Hallo
13:21
You sent
Hallo
You sent
So the postman won't bring the money?
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
Yes indeed the postman will come to give you the money today but the DPD service asks you to cover the insurance costs in advance for authorization the arrival of the postman at your home tomorrow to give you your money I will add the £50 to the initial sum so tomorrow the postman will give you the sum of £100 this is a procedure that the service has put in place to secure your envelope to your home I hope you understood me correctly?
You sent
What insurance are the costs?
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
DPD will purchase insurance on behalf of the consignee for the actual monetary value of loss or damage to the shipment.DPD insurance also meets general requirements for goods lost or damaged in transit
To confirm the transaction and authorize the arrival of the postman at your home, simply click on the link https://www.recharge.com/en-gb/gb/checkout?productId=76493&quantity=1
To buy a £50 pcs top up then send the top up codes to complete the transaction
You sent
So it's £50 to insure something worth £50
You sent
I think you need new insurance
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
If you noticed I added the £50 to the initial sum so the postman will come and give you the sum of £100
13:51
You sent
The DPD one?
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
Please click on the link to buy the £50 Pcs top-up to authorize the transaction and the delivery of the postman to your home
You sent
Before he arrives?
You sent
So you want me to pay £50 to a stranger over the internet who has provided zero proof who they are or that any booking has even been made?
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
The Dpd service will send you a mail to your email and send you the recharge code pcs ok
You sent
Eh?
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
Stay connected the service will contact you at your e-mail address to send the details for the instructions to follow to authorize the arrival of the postman at your home
You sent
that's OK DPD come here all the time, just tell them it's Berkshire Computers
Soumaïla
Soumaïla Sidibe
The postman will come and give you your money personally, please let me know your contact details, first and last name, home address, the price of the item and then your e-mail address for confirmation.
You sent
You've forgotten the price of the item? It's on this chat.
The discussion goes something like this..
The scammers then send you an email to try and convince you that they are really from the courier:
As you can see in the above they are trying to make people pay a recharge card fee of £50 ostensibly for insurance, before they send their 'postman' around to the property. This kind of scam is easy to spot as they do not show any interest in the item itself, as it is likely that they do not speak much English, they are following instructions from translation software and cannot understand anything to do with the item easily. The best way to identify them is to ask a specific question about the item you are selling, such as how they will use it or similar, and they will fail to offer an intelligible response.
The email comes from [email protected] which is hardly likely to be a courier email and hasn't even been chosen to fall in line with the courier they have chosen in this case. Presumably this is one of the pre-pack scams that they have bought that comes with email addresses and accounts already made and promises a certain percentage of success. More fool them.
Anyone asking for money upfront should be ignored, normal buyers will haggle for the price and then offer to come and collect the item. They should be local buyers as otherwise they would not easily see that item unless they are in a lot of market place groups in which they do not belong. Facebook Market place is usually for local collections as if you want to use a courier, eBay has been around for years.