SOS -- Stop Online Scammers

Let me tell you about a few of my experiences with online "scammers" and what course of action I took.  Hopefully, after you have read my lens, you'll be better prepared if you should have the misfortune to encounter a "scammer."  You may also find it helpful to check out my other lens, To Catch a Thief, as it outlines step-by-step actions that can help nail a scammer!  It worked for me; it can work for you.

P.S. While this lens may have a serious and somber tone, I've got a special YouTube video at the end to let you leave on a more uplifting note!  Thanks and enjoy.

On June 12, 2006, a buyer bought 2 wristwatches from my iOffer store with a negotiated price of $35.00 stating that the seller covered the shipping. She paid fairly quickly through PayPal with her credit card.

This buyer's PayPal transaction, however, stated an unconfirmed shipping address and that the seller was ineligible for the seller protection policy. Looking closer at the transaction, the buyer also used two different last names!

The items were received by the buyer on June 17th and she left positive feedback. Then, the transaction went sour the very next day, June 18th, when PayPal put a temporary hold on the $35.00 while they investigated the transaction.

On July 6th, PayPal ruled to return the $35.00 to the sender--NOT ME--and this buyer scammed me out of the money and the merchandise! iOffer disabled this member after the third non-paying bidder was filed--as another seller had their transaction reversed as well.

By the time that PayPal reversed the transaction, it was learned that this buyer had 3 different last names that she was using online along with several different email addresses. It was found that 2 of her IDs on another site, Overstock, had been disabled too.

This buyer emailed me a couple of times throughout the PayPal investigation promising that she would pay should the money "get returned to her." Well, I'm still waiting!

P.S. I believe in karma in that this lady will get hers; i.e., she will reap what she sows. This person has so many different IDs, names and email addresses; e.g., moxiemay, moxie may, moxiemarket, moxie market, moxie-market, greatbuys, great buys, greatbuys711, greatbuys_711, and ulluvmybags.

Footnote: On August 27, 2006, I received an unexpected PayPal payment from this buyer. Whew.

On May 10, 2006, I used BIN to purchase a digital camera on eBay that had this title and subtitle: Olympus 6.1 Digital Camera with 12x Zoom - Brand New! 14 Day Return Policy - Satisfaction Guaranteed! Additionally, the description stated: Condition: New, Never Opened and BRAND NEW IN BOX 14 Day Return Policy - Satisfaction Guaranteed!

I immediately paid $213.25 through PayPal with my credit card. On May 13th, after receiving FedEx tracking that showed a Los Angeles, CA shipper, I asked the seller in an eBay email: "Hi there. Thanks for this tracking number. I see that it states Los Angeles, CA. Is this being shipped as a dropshipper item as I see you're located in Dallas, TX? Just curious. And it is new, right? Not refurbished."

His emailed reply: "Yes its new and from a distributor."

On May 18th, I received the package through FedEx showing that it was from a dropshipper, WESHIP2U .COM, that had other complaints against them. The camera was NOT NEW, but a REFURBISHED 2003 model.

There were 6 or more other buyers who were scammed by not receiving brand new merchandise, but refurbished used items. The seller was unresponsive to numerous emails; hence no "satisfaction guaranteed."

Complaints were filed with eBay and PayPal; along with a RipOff Report, Police Department, Better Business Bureau of Dallas, Texas Attorney General, IC3, and FTC.

Of the $213.25 plus $12.95 return postage, PayPal was able to get back $175.00 of the transaction leaving me out of pocket $51.20.

On June 24th, I received a communication through eBay's Dispute Console, from the seller's alleged mother stating that he "passed on 11 days ago - I dont know what to do or how to. If someone tells me - I will try my best." Hmmm, I called the Dallas Medical Examiner and Dallas Morning-News only to find NO such record of his death.

I learned from another victimized buyer that the seller and his associates packed up their things along with the dogs and suddenly moved in mid June! Oh, the seller mitchelljayreiff is no longer a registered member of eBay!

Update 2/27/07: I was getting ready to clean out my email files containing information regarding my transaction with this seller. Out of sheer curiosity, I did a "quick" google search on his name. To my amazement, I found links which told me he was ALIVE not DEAD as reportedly stated by his mother in June 2006.

Update 3/24/08: He's currently writing poetry claiming lines from the Footprint poetry of Eleanor Roosevelt as his own! and showing those lines with his copyright !! You can find pictures of himself covered with tattoos!

BTW, he filed a frivolous, made up RipOff Report against me! Can you imagine the audacity of this guy???

On February 22, 2006, I won a Paloma Picasso handbag from a seller in Boonton Township, New Jersey. I thought I was getting a great deal because the price was very low for this Condition: New: Without Tags handbag.

The description stated: Here is a fabulous authentic Paloma Picasso camera-style purse. Outside front pocket has the signature gold X's. Zippered bag measures 11" long x 7" high. Lined with black signature Paloma lining. Inside zippered compartment. Adjustable shoulder strap measures 50". Great valentine's day gift. No marks, scratches, or wear on this purse.

When I received the handbag, I was ghastly surprised at the "god awful" condition which was NOTHING whatsoever like the description. Numerous attempts to reach this seller elicited the response, "I thought it was fine to sell."

I should have known that something was amiss. When I asked if I could make a PayPal payment, the seller emailed me, "I have had some problems with Pay Pal, so I'd rather you send payment directly to me."

The handbag not only looked awful, but smelled equally as bad. I ended up disposing of it with my garbage as no amount of leather restorer or cleaner could resurrect this bag. And, no amount of odor remover could remove the odd smell that made me think it actually was retrieved by the seller from a dumpster!

P.S. I "ate" this transaction as a loss and did not file any online complaints. And, because of the low price, I opted to NOT leave any feedback for this seller FEARING retaliatory negative feedback.

In January 2005, I was searching online for a specific type of American Flag purse for one of my buyers. When I found a website that accepted PayPal, I felt pretty confident with my purchase of 6 of these purses. I paid immediately through PayPal and then promptly waited and waited with no reply or merchandise from the dropshipper.

On March 17, 2005, I filed a RipOff Report against the dropshipper located in Carrollton, Texas. My investigation had turned up 3 different names for his dropshipping websites. And, surprise, there were other RipOff Reports against him and his companies!

I next wrote about this bad transaction on my Google Blog and website. When I provided this information with links to the dropshipper, I finally heard from him. You see, he had been in Nigeria and left someone to run his business--well, that's what he told me.

It took a little while, but he finally used another one of his PayPal accounts and sent me a refund. Needless to say, I do NOT recommend buying from him or other sellers using dropshippers.

P.S. The last time I checked, I see that the dropshipping websites TLC Wholesale and The Market Direct are still operational!

This Overstock seller in Tinley Park, Illinois had a listing for a COACH SCRIBBLE STITCH TOTE free ship with buy it now. ONE DAY AUCTION!!! HURRY AND SAVE!!! The picture at right is what was showing in the listing.

The description also stated: 100% GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC COACH. On May 21, 2005, using MIM, I purchased and paid immediately $120.00 for this handbag.

To my amazement, with zero communications from the seller that weekend, I saw their status on Overstock changed to "disabled." Well, they had my money and it was obvious I was NOT receiving a handbag, but had been scammed.

Looking more closely at this person's feedback, I saw that they had been a buyer from March through early April 2005. They then began selling Coach handbags until they were disabled about 30 days later. It would be my educated guess that this person NEVER had these handbags and that they copied the listings from another seller on eBay.

I immediately filed a PayPal complaint plus alerted my credit card company of the non-receipt transaction to get a chargeback filed. Next, I filed a RipOff Report, IC3 and FTC complaints, and finally submitted a complaint to the Attorney General Lisa Madigan in Illinois.

Well, I think it was Lisa Madigan's office that got a reply from this seller. It seems the seller had suddenly contracted cancer and was unable to ship the merchandise! This is probably the most unique excuse I've gotten yet!

Disputes can be filed as early as 10 days -- but no more than 60 days -- after the listing ends.

After you've filed your dispute with eBay, and if you paid with PayPal, you'll be re-directed to the PayPal Resolution Center to file a complaint. Your item may have enhanced protection through PayPal Buyer Protection.

To learn more and open a dispute, go to:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/inr-snad-process.html.

Once you have completed the dispute process, you might also be eligible to file a claim under eBay's Standard Purchase Protection Program.

To learn more about this program, as well as the other options available for you to report and resolve this issue, go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/isgw-buyer-protection-steps.html.

When you contact a law enforcement officer, please explain the following:

- The officer can contact eBay for help with the investigation.
- For more information on how eBay can help, the officer should go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/law_enforcement.html.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation, and wish you luck with your future eBay transactions.

Regards,
Fraud Prevention Group
eBay Trust & Safety

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us again. You may also contact our Resolution Services department at 1-402-935-2050 if further assistance is needed.

Sincerely,
PayPal Resolution Services
PayPal, an eBay Company

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If you decide to file a police report, please have the investigating officer or agent contact us at 1-408-967-9919 (US), between the hours of 6
A.M. and 12:00 midnight, Central Standard Time (CST), 7 days a week. This number will provide specific details as to where they can send a
subpoena(s). We cooperate with Law-Enforcement and Federal agencies at all times, in all matters.

Below is a list of official government web resources to help you report and learn about Internet Fraud.

Internet Fraud Complaint Center
National Fraud Information Center

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Sincerely,
Protection Services Department
PayPal, an eBay Company

The FTC operates a site called Consumer Sentinel, which acts as a repository for consumer fraud complaints and the database source for the report. Technical changes in the counting methodologies make comparisons to previous years difficult, although overall fraud instances appear to be roughly flat from last year.

The Consumer Sentinel has several sources of great information in downloadable PDFs:

Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data January - December 2006

Top Fraud Complaint Categories by Metopolitan Area (2006)

Identity Theft Types by Metropolitan Area (2006)

No matter when or where you've been scammed, please don't just sit back and do nothing! That's what many of these scammers are hoping. If you've tried to contact them and you get no reply, don't waste ANY time. Take steps immediately ...

eBay: file your complaint there through the Dispute Console.
iOffer or Overstock: contact customer service.
PayPal: file a complaint.
Credit Card Company: call them to file chargeback.
Police Department: call them where you live.
Online Complaints: refer to the list above!

Lastly, if your PayPal transaction shows an unconfirmed shipping address and that the seller is ineligible for the seller protection policy, I'd recommend refunding the money and NOT shipping the item until you receive a postal money order or cashiers check from the buyer. And, make sure that this method of payment has cleared the bank!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.


Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work ... it is just NOT cool so don't do it!