A FORMER private investigator dodged a scamming attempt when asked to offload his bank account details over the internet.
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John Beagle, an 82-year-old Canberra man, received an SMS message and email from an interested buyer, after placing an ad to sell his 1985 Mercedes in The Weekend Advertiser.
The buyer claimed he could not be contacted over the phone or in person due to his long working hours.
Mr Beagle first received an SMS and then an email response shortly after on Saturday morning.
"It came back in a flash, no one could type that fast," he said.
The email outlined the buyer was unable to inspect the car due to work commitments.
"As for the payment, I will be paying you via the fastest and secure way to pay online (PayPal)," the email stated.
"I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment has been made, so no shipping included.
"You can now send me your PayPal email so I can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply.
"All I need from you is the exact details."
Mr Beagle has worked as a law enforcement officer and private investigator, so it was his experience and instinct that prompted him to phone the police straight away.
"What I'd like to do is scam this bloke myself," he said.
"This bloke could be anywhere in the world, quite frankly."
Mr Beagle said other people risked falling victim to similar schemes, suggesting scammers preyed on those who advertised in newspapers because it was a less sophisticated form than eBay or online car sales.
"The old saying, if it's too good to be true, it probably is," he said.
"There's always other buyers out there.
"Be careful and be patient."
Mr Beagle, who ranks the Mercedes as one of the best of 200 cars he's owned, informed PayPal of the attempted scam yesterday.
A PayPal spokesman confirmed the recipient of a PayPal payment didn't receive financial information, and that privacy and security were paramount.
"PayPal processes billions of dollars in payments around the world each year, allowing us to continually perfect our anti-fraud protections," he said.
"Our state-of-the-art fraud models and proprietary fraud engine work together to help stop fraudulent transactions before they happen.
"In addition, PayPal continues to stay at the forefront of security, developing many anti-fraud technologies each year whilst working with consumer organisations and law enforcement agencies around Australia to catch criminals and keep our customers safe from a potential scam.
"If a customer notices a transaction that they didn't authorise or feel they have been the victim of a scam, they should contact PayPal immediately through our Dispute Resolution Centre."