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Fraud

HunnieBunnie said:
I have filed reports with PayPal, my credit card company, the police in Noblesville, Indiana, and the U.S. Post Office Fraud Inspections Unit. He may never be punished, but he committed a felony, folks, and at least now everyone knows about him, so if he tries anything like this again, there will be a record on file with everyone.
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Hopefully the local PD will look into it. Smaller departments tend to be more responsive to stuff like this, bigger cities tend to have more pressing priorities unfortunately.

Also don't forget to leave negative feedback on ebay! That's the best way to warn others.
 
yourtoys7 said:
+ tax. We don't no if it was 32 or 64gb.
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I have said previously that this was for a 64GB 5s, which can no longer be purchased on Apple's site or in their stores.

Good news is that I found another one, and this time I only paid $500 for it. It is not the colour I wanted, but for 4500 for a brand new 5s 64GB, I can overlook that. The money I saved can be used for other things.
 
ZebraDude said:
This is why I just sold my 5s to Amazon for $400.00 in store credit. To much fraud!

:cool:
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The lesson here for an honest seller is to bring the item to a Pack and Mail type store and have them ship it. That way, you will have neutral third party who knows what was sent to whom.
 
DVDxR said:
Hopefully the local PD will look into it. Smaller departments tend to be more responsive to stuff like this, bigger cities tend to have more pressing priorities unfortunately.

Also don't forget to leave negative feedback on ebay! That's the best way to warn others.
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Update: My credit card company indemnified me, and the miscreant's local police has opened a file on him. There is a certified fraud specialist who is investigating the case and is going to try to hold the man responsible. Law enforcement is getting tired of this sort of mail fraud. I hope they nail him!
 
antiprotest said:
I wonder why he sent you anything at all.
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He wanted to establish a record of shipping an item of the correct weight.

Now it's the seller's versus the buyer's word. And this buyer may well be starting this thread as "evidence" that he did indeed get a bar of soap.

I consider it every bit as likely that the buyer got the 5S and now claims he only got soap so he can get the 5S for free. Remember that not all the scammers on ebay are sellers. ;)

I've had lots of buyers claim computer components don't work so they can get money back or extra parts. One guy even bricked a video card before sending it back, after claiming that "he doesn't know much about computers" on the phone. Yeah, like how many noobs buy a $4K Mac Pro on ebay? :rolleyes:
 
rGiskard said:
He wanted to establish a record of shipping an item of the correct weight.

Now it's the seller's versus the buyer's word. And this buyer may well be starting this thread as "evidence" that he did indeed get a bar of soap.

I consider it every bit as likely that the buyer got the 5S and now claims he only got soap so he can get the 5S for free. Remember that not all the scammers on ebay are sellers. ;)

I've had lots of buyers claim computer components don't work so they can get money back or extra parts. One guy even bricked a video card before sending it back, after claiming that "he doesn't know much about computers" on the phone. Yeah, like how many noobs buy a $4K Mac Pro on ebay? :rolleyes:
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I take umbrage at your insinuation. I posted about this incident here precisely because I am new to iPhone, and my feedback as a buyer on eBay speaks for itself. I had to buy another phone, too, and I certainly would not have done that if I were the miscreant in all of this. Feel free to let us know your eBay seller user name. I certainly will remember not to purchase anything from you.
 
Glad your CC company backed you up and they are investigating the case. Just curious, what happened with the soap? Did you use it or send it in as evidence? Certainly would've been the most expensive bar of soap you ever bought. :eek:
 
HunnieBunnie said:
This morning I was very excited to receive the brand new iphone 5s that I had purchased from a seller in Noblesville, Indiana. I paid $600 for the phone. I opened the envelope and was immediately worried. Inside was an iphone 4 box. At first I thought I had been sent an iphone 4, but upon opening the box, I discovered that there was no phone inside at all. The seller sent me a bar of soap!! I was so upset. I notified my credit card company, PayPal, and the Indiana police. Hopefully they will be able to nail this thief.

Has anyone ever heard of this sort of thing before? I was so shocked you could have knocked me over with a feather, as goes the old saying. This happened through U.S. mail, so hopefully the feds might get involved, too.
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Lucky for you, your lost was $600 which I'm sure your credit card will reimburse you for. Have they? I see this happen to people who buy expensive watches privately in the $6000-$12,000 range; only to receive a rock that measures the same weight as the watch or even a bottle of cheap wine to celebrate the thief's victorious win.
 
techspin said:
Glad your CC company backed you up and they are investigating the case. Just curious, what happened with the soap? Did you use it or send it in as evidence? Certainly would've been the most expensive bar of soap you ever bought. :eek:
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Everything he sent is still in a closet. Sent photos to the police. No one seems to want it now, but I thought I would hold on to it just in case some one wants it later.

Every time I think it is safe to say "well, now I have seen it all!" something like this happens. (sigh)

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ET iPhone Home said:
Lucky for you, your lost was $600 which I'm sure your credit card will reimburse you for. Have they? I see this happen to people who buy expensive watches privately in the $6000-$12,000 range; only to receive a rock that measures the same weight as the watch or even a bottle of cheap wine to celebrate the thief's victorious win.
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I had never heard of either of these before. I would never spend that much money on a watch, but I am glad to know about this sort of scam! Gee whiz! How do people like that sleep with themselves at night?
 
HunnieBunnie said:
I take umbrage at your insinuation. I posted about this incident here precisely because I am new to iPhone, and my feedback as a buyer on eBay speaks for itself. I had to buy another phone, too, and I certainly would not have done that if I were the miscreant in all of this. Feel free to let us know your eBay seller user name. I certainly will remember not to purchase anything from you.
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Nothing personal, but I have absolutely no reason to believe you over the seller because I know nothing about either of you.

Fact is, I don't trust ANYONE online by default.

I certainly will remember not to purchase anything from you.
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Wow man, that really hurts, especially given your discerning judgment of sellers :rolleyes:
 
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I am glad you told me about this scam as well, I only do business through eBay and with sellers that have good feedback. If it's an expensive item I ask the seller questions and if they don't respond I don't buy. If this happens when an item is bought on eBay and paid for with paypal I can only assume eBay/paypal would cover you.
 
HunnieBunnie said:
This morning I was very excited to receive the brand new iphone 5s that I had purchased from a seller in Noblesville, Indiana. I paid $600 for the phone. I opened the envelope and was immediately worried. Inside was an iphone 4 box. At first I thought I had been sent an iphone 4, but upon opening the box, I discovered that there was no phone inside at all. The seller sent me a bar of soap!! I was so upset. I notified my credit card company, PayPal, and the Indiana police. Hopefully they will be able to nail this thief.

Has anyone ever heard of this sort of thing before? I was so shocked you could have knocked me over with a feather, as goes the old saying. This happened through U.S. mail, so hopefully the feds might get involved, too.
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What kind of soap? Irish Spring?
 
HunnieBunnie said:
This morning I was very excited to receive the brand new iphone 5s that I had purchased from a seller in Noblesville, Indiana. I paid $600 for the phone. I opened the envelope and was immediately worried. Inside was an iphone 4 box. At first I thought I had been sent an iphone 4, but upon opening the box, I discovered that there was no phone inside at all. The seller sent me a bar of soap!! I was so upset. I notified my credit card company, PayPal, and the Indiana police. Hopefully they will be able to nail this thief.

Has anyone ever heard of this sort of thing before? I was so shocked you could have knocked me over with a feather, as goes the old saying. This happened through U.S. mail, so hopefully the feds might get involved, too.
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You could have bought a iPhone 6 16 GB for $650. You can by a 5s direct from Apple for much less than $600.
 
You know I had a similar case when I sold my canon camera 3fourty something HS and when I sold it on eBay I sent it via FedEx (not to be confused with the Feds :D) and what happens was that I didn't buy insurance on it, the item got lost and the buyer started whining left & right. He sent messages to PayPal and eBay and I felt so bad as to not damage my reputation feedback i PayPal him back the entires amount, minus the difference $100 fedex includes in every shipping. It happens perhaps not that often but it does.

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ohernan said:
Yeah, a new unused sealed bar of soap.
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How did this guy manage to seal the package? Was the package sealed with something like crazy glue or did it look legitimately sealed?
 
drpellypo said:
Woh - what's with all the derogatory comments? This person has been the victim of fraud which is a horrific experience for anybody. How about some compassion?
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If you expect compassion on the Internet you need to wake up. Because you are dreaming.
 
Realizing this is an older thread I still feel I may have something to offer.

I have sold iPhones over eBay, plus other things for my wife. The concern for fraud is very high.

Anyone who asks me to end an auction early is replied to and informed that is against the terms of service. I then go and block them from bidding.

Ship only to verified PayPal addresses, use USPS Priority Mail with tracking and insurance required. We have also started to exclude 3rd party re-mailing services because of one transaction. Our auctions are limited to the lower 48 States and this buyer hid behind a 3rd party service and lived overseas. Because of U.S. Export restrictions we don't even consider overseas sales for electronics and because of this buyer we won't allow any items to go that way.

I've been known to void an auction when I find out someone has violated the auction stipulations that are clearly stated on all our auctions (we use templates) and eBay is notified each time.

But I'm done with eBay for electronic items like mobile phones or tablets. Too much risk and hassle and there are too many people looking to take advantage of someone.

It is easier to trade the old phone in than it is to sell it on eBay and worry about it getting lost or stolen.
 
SeilerBird said:
They bought it from an eBay vendor, same problems.
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I quote op
"
I saw the phone on eBay, but I did not purchase through eBay. Police report has been filed. I am sure the credit card company and the police will investigate this as thoroughly as possible."

He did not purchase through ebay.
 
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