

Ask HN: Domain offer - is this real or fake? - guynamedloren

Just got an email a few days ago regarding a domain name I own.  It doesn't seem to be legitimate at all, but the interesting part is that he offered to buy the domain outright over paypal, which is relatively secure.  I have heard of scammers using paypal before (resulting in repercussions on the receiving end), but if I decided to take him up on this offer - what risks would I be facing?  I no longer use or want the domain, so I am not opposed to selling it.  Here's the exact e-mail, with names and domains concealed for the sake of privacy:<p>Hello,<p>I've tried to register xxx, but i see you've already registred it a couple of weeks ago.<p>Anyway, I know a method that will earn you +/- 200$ a day with 20min of work with that specific domain.
You can read more about it on the page below.<p>http://www.partnerwithpaul.com<p>You do need to enter your name + e-mail to receive the method though.<p>Greetz<p>Michael
AIM: xxx
MSN: xxx@hotmail.com<p>ps. If you want to sell your domain, I'm willing to pay you 500$ for it (paypal or wire)
pss. Why am I telling you abou this method?? To make up for all the bad stuff i did last year lol...
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mikerhoads
I get scam offers through Paypal all the time. If you agree to it, they will
email you a fake/spoofed "you've received money" email from Paypal but nothing
will actually appear in your paypal account.

I can't actually view that url because my work network filters it as "illegal"
but I assume it is bullshit.

If it were me, I'd offer to sell it to him through SEDO or some other
trustworthy domain market+escrow service. If he declines, he's scamming you.

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guynamedloren
Sounds like a good idea. I'm operating under the assumption that it's a scam
anyway, so I think I'll just go with it and see what happens. What do I have
to lose?

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terrellm
Paypal is not safe as the buyer could be using a stolen account. Even if they
are using their own account, they can still file a dispute and Paypal will
side with them since there is no physical delivery.

If you want a secure transaction for selling domains, use an escrow service
like Escrow.com, Moniker, Afternic, or Sedo.

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useruser
I received the exact same email word for word - must be some sort of scam -
what douchbags

