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A new scam on eBay?

Old 10-16-2020, 04:55 PM
  #1  
Crius
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Default A new scam on eBay?

On October 3rd I ordered a 30 caliber machine gun for my 1:6 scale Jeep from eBay. EBay provided a tracking number and tracking history and I followed as the item came across the ocean and then went to Illinois and then Ohio and then to the Redford post office, where I live, and then it says it was delivered but the item never showed up at my house. On the same day they say the item was delivered I did get an envelope from the seller, and the envelope had a USPS tracking number on it, but all that was in the envelope was a piece of paper saying my item has been shipped by a different Courier and gave me the same bogus tracking number they had provided to eBay which now says the package has been delivered. I have already filed a claim with PayPal and we'll know what's going to happen within about 10 days, but on the same day I ordered another item from China, an m-43 wool cap like the Panzer crews wore, and I've got the same kind of bogus tracking number and I'm watching tracking go to all the same places the last package did, Bensonhurst Illinois, a place in Ohio, and now it says it's been accepted by the Redford post office. If it goes to delivered and doesn't show up then I'll know this is some kind of new scam and I will definitely keep you guys posted. My advice here is this, if you order anything on eBay from China and you don't get a USPS tracking number or a tracking number that you can easily find with a Google search, immediately contact the seller and demand a illegitimate tracking number or an immediate refund. If the second package fails to show up I'll definitely be contacting both eBay and PayPal to tell them that a new scan has surfaced but from past experience I seriously doubt that they'll listen to me. The two items together only add up to about $50 and I'm sure they'll just refund the money and write it off and the scammers will get away with it.

We'll see what happens, and I'll keep you posted.
Old 10-16-2020, 04:58 PM
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Almost forgot, this is the main reason why I always pay with PayPal, even when I'm buying something on eBay. EBay has great protection, but it only lasts for 30 days and the scammers can usually get around that, but PayPal offers protection for 6 months and I've never yet had PayPal deny me a refund on an item when something went wrong.
Old 10-17-2020, 04:11 AM
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It hasn't dawned on you that someone is stealing stuff off your porch? Or out of your mailbox? Blaming eBay, who has nothing to do with the actual shipping, is kind of stupid. The seller controls that - eBay is just a website. And it sounds like you used two different sellers.
Old 10-17-2020, 04:38 AM
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I dont think ebay was getting the blame in this case?
p
Old 10-17-2020, 04:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Crius
Almost forgot, this is the main reason why I always pay with PayPal, even when I'm buying something on eBay. EBay has great protection, but it only lasts for 30 days and the scammers can usually get around that, but PayPal offers protection for 6 months and I've never yet had PayPal deny me a refund on an item when something went wrong.
Yup, I bought a grey market i-robot that advertised to be the world's best floor vacuum, what I received was a joke, it wasn't even a good "toy". PayPal refunded my money then I did some research on it and many people had the same outcome, what they received was junk and did not represent what was advertised, like that tank you bought. I must have bought it as soon as they started the scam (the advertisement was really done well and I fell for it). I use PayPal exclusively for items like that and if PayPal is not an option I turn away. You're not going to get service like that from your credit card. So as much as I hate Ebay and PayPal in my opinion they are tools necessary for doing business/hobby.
Old 10-17-2020, 07:07 AM
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Crius
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Originally Posted by rgburrill
It hasn't dawned on you that someone is stealing stuff off your porch? Or out of your mailbox? Blaming eBay, who has nothing to do with the actual shipping, is kind of stupid. The seller controls that - eBay is just a website. And it sounds like you used two different sellers.
Ever heard of security cameras? It wasn't stolen, it never arrived. And where did you get the part about me blaming ebay? They can't help it if sellers abuse the service, and I'm not blaming them. However, it has been my experience that paypal offers superior protection to ebay. Ebay covers you for 30 days, paypal gives you 180 days, and to me it just makes good sense to use paypal, even on ebay.

And I did use two different sellers. The second package is showing the exact same tracking info, and it says it was accepted by my local post office yesterday. We'll find out today if that's true.

I posted this in an effort to help my fellow hobbyists avoid problems. Answers like yours make me wonder why I bother.
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Old 10-17-2020, 07:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Tankhobby
Yup, I bought a grey market i-robot that advertised to be the world's best floor vacuum, what I received was a joke, it wasn't even a good "toy". PayPal refunded my money then I did some research on it and many people had the same outcome, what they received was junk and did not represent what was advertised, like that tank you bought. I must have bought it as soon as they started the scam (the advertisement was really done well and I fell for it). I use PayPal exclusively for items like that and if PayPal is not an option I turn away. You're not going to get service like that from your credit card. So as much as I hate Ebay and PayPal in my opinion they are tools necessary for doing business/hobby.
There are a whole lot of scammers out there, so just about anyone can get burned by them unless you make sure to protect yourself. Sounds like you have it down pat, Tankhobby. There's a good reason why many of us adhere to the rule, "No Paypal, No Sale". There are of course, exceptions and I do use a CC with aliexpress, but I try to find what I'm looking for at a vendor that has paypal first.
Old 10-17-2020, 09:01 AM
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Second package arrived no problem. The main thing that makes me suspicious about the first one is that letter I got. Why would you spend the money to send someone a letter with a USPS tracking number on it to give them the same tracking number that's already posted at eBay? And both the letter that did get delivered and the package that didn't say they were delivered here at the exact same time. And why was the return address on the letter from New York, when the package came from China? Security footage shows the postal carrier delivering the letter but there's no package anywhere in sight. I suppose it's possible it got delivered to the wrong address, but that still doesn't explain the letter I got. And why the time is the same for the delivery of both when the package was obviously not delivered at the same time as the letter. Something is definitely not right, but I'm sure PayPal will refund my money and I'll be fine. Just be careful out there, you never know when someone is on the Shady Side.
Old 10-18-2020, 11:14 AM
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Sounds like a simple scam, send a letter with the tracking number of the supposed item purchased and prove that the PO delivered it electronically so the seller can claim it was delivered and blame the buyer for trying to scam them.
Sigh, so many scumbags out there to take advantage of everybody they can. Ive been there and had to fight like mad for a year to recover my loss to a very good scam. Evil people going to be, we can just hope for karma and be on our guard.
Old 10-18-2020, 02:15 PM
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Thanks, Rich, I've already got the PayPal claim rolling and it shouldn't be a problem, and I told them what I think about how it's a scam, and I told PayPal several times about the mystery tank scam, but they don't really seem to care. Maybe it's just easier to refund the money for the people that complain than it is to spend the money on an actual investigation?
Old 10-18-2020, 07:03 PM
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Speaking of scams, ever see the really stuff for sale on facebook ads. They had a tamiya or taigen leopard 2 with a clark board prbobably and a multi channel radio doing all kinds of neat tricks for like 50 bucks. A guy bought it thinking thats what your getting right, no he got a 5 dollar kids pull back and let go toy tank about 8 inches long. Paypal rejected his claim.
I saw one ad for an RC Airwolf helicopter. I knew it wasnt going to be RC but as a huge Airwolf fan I thought ok even if its not RC it would likely be a cool Airwolf toy right. 40 bucks and I get a cheesy apache pull back and let go kids toy about 8 inches long. Paypal rejected my claim. Somehow all those chinese ads for fake stuff on facebook get past paypal and they reject your claim of bait and switch. It sucks but my kid loved it. Most expensive POS toy I ever bought him.
All ads on facebook are chinese scams.
Old 10-18-2020, 07:27 PM
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Everyone praises Paypal, but I've heard horror stories about them also. I wouldn't absolutely trust them to make things right. If it seems to good to be true, it probably isn't true. Taking the risk that Paypal will make it right at that point is on the purchaser. You have a better chance getting your money back if you use Paypal on Ebay. Ebay does a better job investigating issues even if the item is marked "no refunds". If it is misrepresented, Ebay will make the seller make it right or Ebay will.

Paypal is no longer a wholly owned subsidiary of Ebay. It was sold to Ebay shareholders and spun off as a publicly traded company.

Last edited by tankme; 10-18-2020 at 07:33 PM.
Old 10-19-2020, 01:54 AM
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I've heard about people having trouble at PayPal but so far every time I've needed them it's gone perfectly. I think a lot of it depends on how you approach the people at PayPal. If you have to call them, you're obviously missing something and you're going to be mad but it's very important not to let that anger bleed over onto the PayPal person. I usually end up getting a female representative so the first thing I do is tell them a little joke. Why can't man catch mad cow disease? Because men are pigs. All women laugh at this joke and if you can make a woman laugh she will be on your side and that's the most important thing, you have to get the person at PayPal on your side. Once you do that the rest is gravy. The people at PayPal are just that, people, human beings, and if you treat them with a little courtesy they usually respond in kind and then they want to help you out.
Old 10-22-2020, 02:01 AM
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So many reasons to support your local hobby shop, or at least shop domestically.
Old 10-22-2020, 03:37 AM
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I agree, Leong, but sometimes stuff just isn't available through the LHS or even in the country in which you live, and then you really don't have any choice but to go to China. Kind of sucks, but that's the way the hobby is these days, most of the best stuff is actually being manufactured in China.
Old 10-22-2020, 09:46 AM
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My local hobby shop seems to be out of everything I want when I go there. I asked about Milliput and the person had no idea what I was talking about. I found that at Hobby Lobby though.
Old 10-23-2020, 11:31 PM
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Originally Posted by rgburrill
It hasn't dawned on you that someone is stealing stuff off your porch? Or out of your mailbox? Blaming eBay, who has nothing to do with the actual shipping, is kind of stupid. The seller controls that - eBay is just a website. And it sounds like you used two different sellers.
why don't you say on the plane section, maybe they appreciate your stupidity over there.
Old 10-27-2020, 12:15 PM
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And Paypal saves the day. Again.

I had filed the claim and got an email this morning that the seller would issue a refund as soon as I return the item. The item that I never received and don't have. And this is the address they wanted me to return the item to, exactly as written in the email

Block C, 9/F 150-164 Woo Sung St.,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Bronx, NY 10475
United States

Hong Kong AND New York? The further this progresses the more suspicious it looks.

Soo ... on the phone to paypal. Got a very nice young lady who checked everything out, saw that crazy return address, agreed something was fishy and didn't want to hold up a good paypal customer like myself, and asked me if I would be OK with a paypal voucher right now. The voucher is for the full amount of the purchase and should kick in the next time I buy anything with paypal, and you guys know I'm getting little things all the time, so naturally I said, Cool, this will be over, I'll have my money back, back to the latest project, the 1/6 Panzer II.

I could've continued with the claim to get actual cash back (so to speak) and waited for the next trick by the seller, and possibly not even won the claim, so a voucher in the hand is worth two checks in the bush, if ya ask me.

I've always had good luck with paypal and they've never denied a claim, and there have been many. I think one of the keys to that success is that I always try to be nice. Those folks at paypal probably get people calling in all the time who are very angry, and aren't smart enough not to take it out on the person they're trying to get help from. You know what they say about flies and honey and vinegar and all that malarkey, right? Guess it's true after all.

I'll keep ya posted about the voucher and how that goes, and it shouldn't take long as I have a couple bids in on ebay as I write, and there's always some other little thing I have to order for this addiction we love so much.
Old 10-28-2020, 11:30 AM
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Just uncovered another one, and this is definitely a scam. I got an email that said it was from "Paypal Service" that said my account had been restricted due to suspicious activity linked to my account. Here's the cut and paste



𝖣𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝖢𝗎𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗋,

𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖯𝖺𝗒𝖯𝖺𝗅 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝖾𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗍𝖾𝖽.{{mix_normal_7}} 𝖶𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗎𝗌𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗂𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗈𝗇 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖯𝖺𝗒𝖯𝖺𝗅 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍. 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗆 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖽.
{{mix_normal_8}}
{{mix_normal_9}} 𝖳𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗒, 𝗉𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝖼𝗎𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗆 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗒.{{mix_normal_6}}

𝖠𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗍𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗄, 𝗐𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝖺𝖼𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇 𝟧 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗌.

𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖻𝗅𝖾𝗆.


If you use the link provided the first thing they ask you for is your credit card number. THIS IS NOT REALLY PAYPAL, it's a scam to get your credit card number. If you get one of these, exit the page and log into paypal in a fresh window. If there really is something wrong it will say so right away. You can't be too careful with credit card numbers, and paypal will never ask you to provide a CC number that they already have. I called paypal and reported this, and by the time I got off the phone the link in the email was no longer any good.

Hope that helps.

Last edited by Crius; 10-28-2020 at 02:49 PM.
Old 10-28-2020, 01:03 PM
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Could also send it to the FTC:

"Consumers who wish to forward unwanted or deceptive spam to the FTC should use the spam@uce.gov address. Whenever you complain about spam, it's important to include the full email header."
Old 10-28-2020, 01:11 PM
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I'll forward it to PayPal, but now the link isn't any good so I doubt they'll do much. This is the second time I've got one of these, and I know better than to give my credit card number to anybody unless I'm trying to buy something from them. Even then I have my doubts. That's why I use PayPal. But it was really amazing how much it looked like a genuine email from PayPal. They had all the logos right, the address was good, I can see how people would be taken in.

I try to use PayPal every time, but there are, as usual, a couple of exceptions, like Imex and rcmart and sometimes AliExpress. Fortunately my credit card has good protection as well.
Old 10-28-2020, 01:33 PM
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My CC has caught a lot of unauthorized uses, but sometimes it also stops purchases I want and then it won't let them go unless the merchant re-runs the card. Most won't do that so then I will use my Paypal account if I can or another card. I saw an unauthorized charge before they told me about it and it was in a pending state. I called them and told them not to finish the charge because it wasn't me. The Home Depot was like 5 hours from my house were they charged an $1800 item. They let it go anyway. Eventually they did refund the charge, but sometimes I wonder what some of these card companies are thinking. I'm sure they lost $1800 on that one. Maybe they write it off somehow. Who knows.
Old 10-28-2020, 02:34 PM
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I get these scam emails all the time, just received one today from apple pay which I don't use. They sent an invoice and wanted me to click on a link to verify information. the sender address made no sense, I don't have Apple Pay and if I did I would log onto their page separately and check my account. I get these as PayPal, Chase Bank, Ebay and I-tunes all the time, I used to forward them but I don't waste my time anymore.

I suggest checking with your credit card company, I get a text every time there's a charge above $0.00, which is all the time. You should be able to set that in your account settings. Sometime I freak out over a charge I didn't recently make only to realize it's a subscription renewal or something similar, LOL!
Old 11-11-2020, 03:08 PM
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Sometimes I have the impression that everything around us is a pure scam. I really do not believe that on eBay this is a scam, but recently I was witness to a scam. My friend launched a marketing campaign and the services he used predicted that he will have to pay depending on how many clicks he will get on the site. At the end of the month, he had to pay a lot as there were a lot of clicks while the sale hasn't increased. Later we found a site where there is mentioned how click found works and how to minimize it. If you want to check the site I am talking about, you can find it here https://www.bustathief.com/click-fraud-ppc-scam/. Stay safe and have a wonderful day!
Old 11-11-2020, 04:51 PM
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Crius,
I got the same "PAYPAL" notice. Just ignore them. Scams for sure.
Bob

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