If you want to know about first-hand experience about Costa Rica, you can visit an online Costa Rica Forum. Reading forum comments is more engaging because it is interactive. It is more interesting and reliable than any online encyclopedia when it comes to providing first-hand impression about Costa Rica. This Latin republic is the most visited country in Central America. Small as it is, it has a world-class tourism industry. It is estimated that in 2007, the country earned US$1.9 from tourism. Its main attraction is its natural resources. The country offers excellent ecological attractions, such as forest parks, lakes, rivers, water falls, and mountains. These natural marvels are paradise-like havens for western tourists. These are retreats from the hassle and bustle of everyday urban life. Simply read Costa Rica Blogs written by tourists who experienced visiting the country. You will be impressed and encouraged by the testimonials of these bloggers. Reading blogs and joining forums would serve as some sort of survey that will help and guide you in your visit to Costa Rica.
2008-08-19
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BEWARE! PayPal-Nigeria Scam!
HOME||CONTENTSMy wife and I have recently started this online store for second-hand laptops and collectible items. For the past few days, we have been receiving SMS and email messages inquiring about the items we are selling. Some already made orders and reservations but we are still waiting for actual payments. Most of our prospective customers are relatives, friends, and former co-workers. I have been helping my wife promote our online store through Craigslist, eBay, Multiply, and other auction sites.
Hence, I was not surprised when I received email inquires from two prospective customers outside the Philippines. They have three things in common: (1) they both want the items to be shipped to Nigeria, (2) they both want to pay through PayPal, and (3) they are both willing to pay immediately.
On the other hand, I was a bit puzzled because these two prospective customers were too eager to buy without asking questions about the specifications of the items we are selling online. They seemed to be very trustful. One prospective customer has purportedly sent me payments via PayPal but I was unable to confirm it from my PayPal account.
Here is the screenshot of the said email. As you can see, I supposedly have a pending payment amounting to US$ 710 (seven-hundred and ten US dollars) via PayPal:
I was being asked to send the tracking number of the item I was shipping before they can credit the money to my PayPal account. At first glance, the email seemed to be legitimate but if you look closely at the email address, the sender used a bogus PayPal email. Here is the screenshot:
I did some research on this and I was able to find an online forum that discusses this Nigerian PayPal scam: http://forums.gumtree.com/topic18831.html. If ever you are selling a legitimate item online, please of this type of scam. Do not be fooled in sending your items without confirmation from PayPal. You can easily do this by logging into your account. Legitimate PayPal transactions are also confirmed by emails that use PayPal.com as the domain.