A POSSIBLE SCAM

[bob561941]

Two months ago an african women replied to my Garage to Let advert in the local paper,she agreed to rent the garage and paid me a deposit and the first months rent,the second months rent was paid in cash. Now that the third months rent is due she says she would rather pay the money into my bank account and is asking for my details Name,Address,Sort Code, Account Name and Account I am suspicous of this and asked her why she can't send me a cheque. Has anyone heard of a way of plundering an account once you have the details ?

[chrissa1]

When we had a Holiday Let business, we gave these details out to our guests all the time. That was the only way they could pay us quickly and we preferred it that way.

[woofgang]

set up a paypal account and give her your email address, problem solved. I ban online and would prefer nt to faff with cheques or postage either.

[woofgang]

sorry I bank online

[chrissa1]

Paypal take a % though, don't they?

[factor-fiction]

I'm not sure her being African makes any difference here.
Your name, sortcode and account number are printed on your cheques and many organisations have their account numbers and sort codes published on websites, so that information on its own is unlikely to be risky to divulge. The address isn't needed for a bank transfer but I suppose she knows your address already.
Why not set up a paypal account and ask her to pay into that

[rojash]

Why on earth go to the trouble of setting up a paypal account?
She probably wants to use her online banking to transfer funds directly to you account. This is efficient, fast and cheap. As has been pointed out, the info she wants is pretty much public domain, and is not enough for her to steal your identity.

[cassa333]

I have heard of this before and can use a cheque as well.

They pay by cheque or directly into your account that is for a lot more thn the amount they owe but before it can be cashed or cleared ask for the remainder to be paid back. You pay it back, there cheque then bounces and you are left out of pocket.

Giving out your bank details won't be a problem. Just be careful that it isn't suddenly have an overpayment in it!!!

I also heard when this was done that the cheque appeared to clear but strill was refused later!! I don't know how this works with the bank though.

[Wordist]

Why not just call your bank and ask their advice?
They can tell you how much information is safe and necessary.

[climbingtiger]

be careful bob most scammers ask for bank account details,usually what they write is spelt wrong or written strangeley,they usuall claim to come from ghana or canada,sometimes saying their parents are dont ,never give em ur bank dtailsunder no circumstances.

[joko]

those details are printed on all cheques so are in the 'public domain'... not much she can do with just those really.

however for your peace of mind, open a new account just for this - then remove the cash as soon as she pays it.

other than a paypal account its the only way really.

[factor-fiction]

Whilst we always have to be wary of scams I think the some of these posts are being overly cautious. Maybe it's the African connection

[climbingtiger]

sorry meant to say ,sometimes they say their parents are dead ,to go for the sympathy vote ,sounds fishy to me!!!if you google internet scammers it will tell u more.

[factor-fiction]

climbingtiger- maybe you have misread the question. This is in effect an ongoing business transaction with a customer, not an email scam

[Kiki-frog]

It's quite possible that it's a scam. Then again, she could just want to set up a BACS transfer. If you're concerned, insist on cash.

[Old_Geezer]

Well mine are dead, so if anyone wants to send me money in sympathy please feel free.

[climbingtiger]

yer factor 30 but wat bob is concerned about is being scammed once she has the details and the answer is yes,once she has al those details she could possibly open accounts online,pay for goods online ,possibly obtain credit cards with these details,and as kiki frog said keep it cash and i will expect once u have refused her ur bank details u will not hear from her again ,like i said most scammers claim to be from africa,canada ,for some reason ,dont give out ur bank details.

[hc4361]

This is a perfectly acceptable way of transferring funds in to your bank account.

I have those details on my website so buyers can pay money directly in to my account. As already said, those details and more are printed on each cheque anyway.

Perfectly safe.

[hc4361]

climbintigger, whenever I pay for anything online I need a lot more info that what is on a cheque.

[boxtops]

This is a real person, though, not an email scam!

[climbingtiger]

yes but the question says she wants his bank account details ,not to send him a cheque !