Anyone got cheated in eBay before?

[macgroovy]

Strange auction, claims not to accept paypal. But Paypal is accepted. Very odd. Anyway, it might not be the one.

Agreed, this screams of a scam if the seller offers Paypal then retracts that as a payment option.

I had a similar scam almost happen to me last year when I bought a buy-it-now MBP of Ebay late last year. The guy had Paypal as an option but then phoned me to say that he was having 'problems' with the Paypal account and could I please do direct deposit!

I also thought it was suss when the seller left me positive feedback before I had even paid for the goods - I guess hoping that I'd reciprocate to enhance his scammer feedback.

I phoned Paypal to find out what the account 'problems' were and they gave the standard line of - we cannot give information on another person's account status to you - but then the lady said in a hushed monotone voice.. "I would advise you not to proceed with this transaction" - so I didn't.

I alerted ebay to this potential scammer and later found that his account had been shut down.

Basically, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.

 

[RedTomato]

Oh Lord, the seller has sold four MacBook Pros in the last 10 days, including the one to the OP....and nobody has left feedback yet. How many people did the OP say he'd warned?

Right, I've sent the following message direct to all 3 other sellers.

Hello, I notice you have won the bidding for a Macbook Pro. Concerns have been raised over the identity of the seller. It is possible the account holder has has his/her identity hijacked.

I suggest you read this (rather long) thread about the seller at https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/465386/

It is of course possible that the auction is genuine and that you will receive your goods. I do strongly suggest that you take sensible precautions to protect your money.

Best wishes

I also noticed that the seller uses the same two photos for all 4 sales, and that the first photo is of a 15'' MBP (DVD slot on the bottom of the case) but the second photo is of a 17'' MBP (small keyboard, large speaker grilles, power button near keyboard) !

 

[AppleMatt]

Has anyone reported this to eBay?

AppleMatt

 

[za9ra22]

In regards to protecting future buyers from him, I have updated my feedback and followed up on his reply to my feedback. His reply was really untrue and nasty. If buyers still buy from him after reading my feedback in the ebay site and ebay does not block his account after my report to ebay, then I really got nothing else to do to protect his potential victims.

Judging by the fact that further buyers continue to bid on his auctions, you aren't doing a good job of protecting others from the scam. What you have succeeded in doing is little more than playing a prolonged and silly game with us here, and done nothing much elsewhere.

Given you were so sure you'd been scammed even as you had just paid your money, why haven't you contacted the police?

 

[Hello.there]

I sent a message to OP's seller on Ebay asking if he had any more MacBook Pros - he replied and said yes, he has two more They're not listed, presumably he's looking to do a little off-Ebay selling. But his account hasn't been suspended yet - why not? Why haven't Ebay acted on this? The OP contacted them about it, didn't he?

 

[phannon666]

Ask the seller for more info on the neg feedback he received, see what his side of the story is, could be interesting to hear.

 

[Hello.there]

Ask the seller for more info on the neg feedback he received, see what his side of the story is, could be interesting to hear.

Good idea. Just sent the message....we'll see.

 

[Lyle]

OK, subscribed. I always get suckered into these kinds of stories.

I've only bought a few things off of eBay, and all of those transactions went smoothly, so I don't really have any complaints.

I did attempt to purchase something else using PayPal, however, and when that turned out to be a scam, PayPal did nothing to help me out.

 

[dazzer21]

Be aware - be VERY aware

10 pages long, I'm at work, haven't read past the first couple of pages, but here's my input:

I got scammed. Full stop.

Was prepare to buy an iMac 2.4Ghz, 24", 1Gb, 320Gb from Jigsaw over here - had the money in my back pocket - about £1300. Then I <stupidly> had a look on eBay and found a 2.8Ghz, 24", 2Gb, 500Gb for £200 less. The voice in my head siad "Apple don't discount - can't be right" but like a blinkered fool, I went for it.

Cutting the story short, the transaction was a 'buy it now' and it did detail that the company selling the machines was based in Austria, although the seller was based in Bristol. I emailed, got a reply, was directed to their website, all 'looked' cosher (of course, I still had my doubts, but anticipation and all that...). Instructions were to pay by bank transfer (again, should have had alarm bells ringing, but anticipation and all that...) so down to the bank I went.

Was told that the tracking number would be sent upon shipping; the money reached his account, the Mac didn't reach me, 'nuff said! Of course, I wasn't going to take it lying down.

Firstly reported it to Bristol constabulary (incidentally, by this time, based on the bad feedback I left, two others contacted me to say that they'd been scammed by the same seller ON THE SAME LISTING!) and they didn't really do much except get in touch with the 'seller' in Bristol, and flatly accepted his claim of having both his eBay and email accounts compromised.

I decided to do my own on-line research. I managed to access the ip address of both the website and it's isp server, the company who registered the domain, the name of the person who purchased the website and address details. Interpol won't get out of bed for anything less than a million these days!

So I got the perpetraitor bang to rights, but no-ones interested in following it up. So, no-one can say that you're unlikely to come across something like this, because you can, and you can easily get taken in by it. I think the title of my post says it all...

 

[LeahM]

Ok its official, I am totally addicted to this thread. I'm a junky

 

[jackc]

I sent a message to OP's seller on Ebay asking if he had any more MacBook Pros - he replied and said yes, he has two more They're not listed, presumably he's looking to do a little off-Ebay selling. But his account hasn't been suspended yet - why not? Why haven't Ebay acted on this? The OP contacted them about it, didn't he?

I think it takes 10 days before you can file a dispute with eBay.

 

[notjustjay]

Has anyone reported this to eBay?

I hate these stories, I really do. I feel for the people that fall victim, and am angered by how little eBay and PayPal are willing to do (and why would they? They keep getting paid...)

Have you considered reporting to Apple as well? Manufacturors have "big guns" when it comes to shutting down fraudulent listings. For example, just try to list a bootleg Windows DVD, and Microsoft will shut you down. Maybe Apple would be interested to know that people are falling victim to scams involving their products -- smearing Apple's reputation and robbing people who want to buy Macs of the ability to do so.

 

[Son of Matrix]

Judging by the fact that further buyers continue to bid on his auctions, you aren't doing a good job of protecting others from the scam. What you have succeeded in doing is little more than playing a prolonged and silly game with us here, and done nothing much elsewhere.

Given you were so sure you'd been scammed even as you had just paid your money, why haven't you contacted the police?

10 days is up today! Trying my best here... please don't whip me more...

 

[jackc]

I hate these stories, I really do. I feel for the people that fall victim, and am angered by how little eBay and PayPal are willing to do (and why would they? They keep getting paid...)

Have you considered reporting to Apple as well? Manufacturors have "big guns" when it comes to shutting down fraudulent listings. For example, just try to list a bootleg Windows DVD, and Microsoft will shut you down. Maybe Apple would be interested to know that people are falling victim to scams involving their products -- smearing Apple's reputation and robbing people who want to buy Macs of the ability to do so.

You can try, but it would seem kind of silly for Apple to get involved in second-hand sales that have no licensing issues.

 

[Hello.there]

As mentioned above I sent an Ebay message to the OP's seller to ask him if he had any more MacBook Pros for sale. He said yes, he had two. I messaged him again to ask him about the feedback OP had left him, and if he had sorted out the 'problem' - just got this reply:

"That problem is all sorted i will list now if you want it privatly let me know that problem was sorted its becuasde seller sent me instant payment when my account monthly recieveing limited was reached so i had to call paypal and get them to arrange payment reverse which took over a week!"

Hmm, what do you think?

PS Have you ever met a scammer who can spell?

 

[tivoli2]

As mentioned above I sent an Ebay message to the OP's seller to ask him if he had any more MacBook Pros for sale. He said yes, he had two. I messaged him again to ask him about the feedback OP had left him, and if he had sorted out the 'problem' - just got this reply:

"That problem is all sorted i will list now if you want it privatly let me know that problem was sorted its becuasde seller sent me instant payment when my account monthly recieveing limited was reached so i had to call paypal and get them to arrange payment reverse which took over a week!"

Hmm, what do you think?

PS Have you ever met a scammer who can spell?

Holy cow - LOL... that, my friends, is a good example of obfuscation absent any skill. This is the same dude they hire to write those "I'm a deposed prince, help me regain my fortune" scam emails. Sheesh - what a crock.

On that note, I took a couple seconds and checked out the "seller's" profile and I'm leaning towards thinking it was hijacked, because like another poster pointed out, she (I'm seeing the rightful owner as a she, based on a gut hunch... no other reason) was a big buyer of CD's mostly, and the only thing she'd sold before now was some electronic pocket-pet toy for a couple pounds (quid? not sure how that term is used...) and her description is all pink and pretty and she can actually construct a real sentence. Here, look for yourself: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140195117542

And therein she also says she accepts PayPal and personal cheque, with no mention of people who try to pay via PayPal being "TOTAL IDIOT AND TIMEWASTER!"

And to continue that thought, in that weird little feedback rant, the "seller" goes on to say "Makes PayPal payment when we don't accept!" We? Who's we? You and your boob accomplice, perhaps? Ugh. I somewhat dislike scammers.

 

[Son of Matrix]

So I got the perpetraitor bang to rights, but no-ones interested in following it up. So, no-one can say that you're unlikely to come across something like this, because you can, and you can easily get taken in by it. I think the title of my post says it all...

How much did you lose? £1300? And I think I am starting to agree with you that no one is interested to follow it up. Who the hell is responsible here???? Obviously, it's only me...

I called the police today and they said that ebay with have their own fraud team to investigate and help me with the tracking no. (not sure what she is talking about, i assume the royal mail tracking no.). She also said that if I report it, they will not do anything. Ebay will contact them to do something after ebay finish investigation.

This really make sense.

Look at the mail from ebay.
Excerpts:-
I assure you that I am equally concerned about violations on the site.
Let me assure you that we will investigate "XXXX" and will take
appropriate action following the completion of our investigation, in
accordance with the policies of eBay. The actions that are appropriate
in these types of circumstances but may not be limited to:

- Issuing a warning,
- Temporary suspension
- Indefinitely suspending their eBay account or,
- Terminating their membership with eBay.

These actions are very helpful but any slightest hint that I will get my money back?

Should you want to take this matter further, you can either contact the
police or pursue a claim through a civil court.

- Contact your local police

eBay will gladly help the police with their investigations if needed.
Please ask the investigating officer to email us by using the "report
information to eBay" link on the following page:

When should I call the police? The police says will wait for your call and you say you will help the police if I contact the police. Who is protecting my right? No wonder he's not afraid of the police as it will take ages before he really get caught. How many scams cases that the fraud department are taking at any one time? Anyone seen a survey report on this before?

Is there a police department / independent govermental regulatory department that specialise in fraud which I can get in touch?

 

[Music_Producer]

I have repeated this plenty of times, I think it should be posted on top of all the threads :

NEVER use your bank account to pay for anything, unless you really really know the person (i.e. a business partner, relative, etc) Sending a bank wire to a stranger is.. well, you will never see your money.

If you are dealing on ebay, always use a credit card to pay, or if you have to use paypal.. use a credit card as the funding source, and not your bank account. PayPal's 'buyer protection' clearly states in one line.. that they will, to the 'best of our abilities' try and retrieve your money if the goods are not delivered.

So if you pay the seller via paypal with your bank account and the seller withdraws all the money from their paypal account, you can't do anything, and paypal can't do anything either. They will shut their account down, that's all. If you pay with a credit card you can file a chargeback with your credit card company and they will pretty much get the money from PayPal.

So, please, use a credit card for transactions all the time. It doesn't matter if the seller has 2 million feedbacks, just use common sense.

To the OP - honestly, I don't think you will get your money back. The authorities won't want to waste their time as the money involved is too 'small' for them. Sorry

 

[RedTomato]

Shall we invite the seller to read this thread?

Is there any way of contacting the original owner of the account? Maybe contact some of the people who bought CDs and toys off her and ask them to pass a message to her personal address? (if they have it)

 

[/dev/toaster]

I personally avoid eBay these days. I have only sold 1 item ever on eBay (Which was a Murloc pet for $700 LOL)

I have purchased items off eBay, and it has always been a hassle. Either the item takes way longer then expected or doesn't show up with the same quality as expected.

Craigslist works better for me, because I want to meet the buyer / seller in person. (And no, I do not meet them alone)

If you are buying a new laptop off eBay, you might want to question where it came from. Either it fell off a truck, or something else is wrong. Especially when its a new or relatively new item way retail value.

 

[Son of Matrix]

Shall we invite the seller to read this thread?

Is there any way of contacting the original owner of the account? Maybe contact some of the people who bought CDs and toys off her and ask them to pass a message to her personal address? (if they have it)

we should not invite the seller to read this thread. not yet.

i have tried to contact her in WAYN...but to no avail...she's not replying...

 

[cheekybobcat]

Shall we invite the seller to read this thread?

Is there any way of contacting the original owner of the account? Maybe contact some of the people who bought CDs and toys off her and ask them to pass a message to her personal address? (if they have it)

I think this might be a good idea. This person needs to see that people are catching onto her (I'm gunna call this scammer her since I read 'she' somewhere on this thread). I don't really see a negative trade-off to inviting this scammer to see this.

Oh. And I think this thread a sign for people to utilize extreme caution when purchasing, or even selling for that matter, on eBay or any other online auction. It can be a dangerous world out there; you just need to be a bit more vigilant.

 

[macgroovy]

Right, I've sent the following message direct to all 3 other sellers.

Nice work RedTomato, you have really done some good work for the OP and to alert the other buyers.

Have you heard back from the other buyers with regards to the email you sent them?

 

[Macky-Mac]

...These actions are very helpful but any slightest hint that I will get my money back?....[/B][/I]

Unfortunately for you, since ebay & paypal didn't process the payment, they have no way to reverse the process and get your money back to you.

You'll have to look to the police and the legal system for help. But even if they catch the scammer, if the money has already been removed from the bank, then it's most likely gone for good.

 

[Hello.there]

Strange, I messaged the three other buyers on Ebay to warn them about the seller, but no reply. You'd imagine they'd want to know what I knew about him? One of them had zero feedback, though, so I'd guess that might be the seller himself indulging in a spot of shill bidding (that didn't work).

Are the other 'buyers' genuine, do you think.......