strange ebay question i received

[beechfront]

this has got to be some kind of scam... just has that weird scam kindof ring to it. plus the item i'm selling is a directv receiver... pretty sure it won't be much use to somebody in africa.

"Q: HELLO SELLER, After several considerations and examination of your product, i found out that your product will suit my needs .Am ready to make payment thru i shall also be paying you $350.00 plus shipping to africa for the item through BIDPAY MONEY ORDER.i will like to ask if you would be able to ship as soon as your funds is confirmed and approved by western union auction payments.but before i commit myself, i will like to know if the item is in good condition .pls if agreed, get back to me with details(name,address and mobile number). i await your urgent response................ i will like to know the total cost plus shipping thru USPS OR ROYALMAIL to africa ok..... "

[randy]

You could take the money order and wait till it clears.....

[iamphotog]

This is a scam. you can go to the ebay answer center and do some searching using key words from the email or "africa bid pay" and you will find lots of information about this. The best action is to either block this user or report him to the security center in ebay. I would not reply to him.
First tip off is he is asking you to end an auction and sell the item outside of ebay. I have heard of several variations of this.

[don07tncav]

Scam, report them!!

[HadTX750]

Ebay Scam

This is a definate scam and it is not limited to ebay. I have received similar requests after placing an ad for my '78E on this site and in the So. Cal area Recycler. The posts seem to come from outside of the U.S., they are written in poor English, and usually involve the cashing of money orders for more than the asking price and then sending the extra cash to some "agent" or "client" who will arrange to pick up the bike. They are also very interested in obtaining your "full name and address" and even your cell number. Don't give this info to them. This is anything from a fake money order/bank check scam to outright identity theft. I hope this helps.

Austin
P.S. Don't get your hopes up about reporting these asses. They use multiple email addresses and US authorities can't do much outside the country, much less ebay.

[grabberblue]

This is called " buyers Scam" very annoying.
I listed some things in the local recycler and got about 20 of those.
report them.

[Wayne]

I know all the bases have been covered here BUT. I would like to reinterate... REPORT THE A$$HOLE! I have seen all sorts of variations of this scam and ebay is usually very good at following up on any report they recieve.