# Pretty Sure I was Scammed--Not Sure How but Fascinating



## ACHiPo (Sep 3, 2020)

I was looking for a Ridgid blower to use with my 18V battery packs.  I found one on Google, in stock, and about $40 less than other sources.  I ordered, paid with PayPal.  I received confirmation from PayPal, but nothing from the seller.  The confirmation had Chinese characters as the seller, but no identification of the website I ordered from.  This raised alarm since the seller's name was shown as a non-Chinese name in Houston, TX.  I sent emails to two addresses associated with the PayPal confirmation and website. 

When I didn't receive anything by the next day, I sent more emails to the seller's addresses.  I also Googled the name of the site, and found a few sketchy reports of it being a suspicious site.  I filed a claim with PayPal as I was pretty sure something wasn't right.

On Tuesday I received USPS tracking information showing that it had been delivered on my porch Monday.  The package was supposedly shipped from SoCal.  I hadn't received it, and sent another email to the seller's address with no response.  When it didn't show up by Wednesday, I sent yet another email to the seller, again with no response.  I got an update that PayPal received tracking information from the seller showing it had been delivered.

At this point it's my word against the seller's and the USPS.  I've given up on getting the blower or my $50 back.  I'm still a bit paranoid that somehow my PayPal has been compromised.  I'm not sure what else I can do, but I'm guessing PayPal will rule that with the tracking info showing it as delivered, the case is closed.  My only hope is that there are a bunch of other claims against this seller.

I can understand the bogus website.  I can't understand how the seller got a tracking number that said something was delivered to me when it wasn't?  Sure seems like mail fraud in addition to PayPal fraud?


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## mcostello (Sep 3, 2020)

Had the same thing happen, went to Paypal and it took about 2 months of insisting I did not get it and got a refund. Have not got credit card statement to see if it actually happened. Google the name and address if possible. Mine came back 100% fraud site. Tell PP that also.


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## pontiac428 (Sep 3, 2020)

People are still surprised when too-good-to-be-true deals turn out to be too good to be true?

I've all but quit eBay.  I still have an account in case I want to target something, but by trying to save a "free" buck by dodging brick and mortar businesses, you will nearly always end up mired in pasture grease.  It's not worth a dollar or ten dollars of my time to cry at my work bench over getting scammed again.


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## ACHiPo (Sep 3, 2020)

mcostello said:


> Had the same thing happen, went to Paypal and it took about 2 months of insisting I did not get it and got a refund. Have not got credit card statement to see if it actually happened. Google the name and address if possible. Mine came back 100% fraud site. Tell PP that also.


Thanks.  Misery loves company I guess.  The part that really stumps me is the USPS tracking info.  I didn't have any packages delivered the day it was supposedly delivered, and no packages before or since with that tracking number.  I'm thinking they must have hacked the USPS?

I did mention the fraudulent site info I got from Google search, but not the details.  I tried to add info to the claim, but I can't.


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## ACHiPo (Sep 3, 2020)

pontiac428 said:


> People are still surprised when too-good-to-be-true deals turn out to be too good to be true?
> 
> I've all but quit eBay.  I still have an account in case I want to target something, but by trying to save a "free" buck by dodging brick and mortar businesses, you will nearly always end up mired in pasture grease.  It's not worth a dollar or ten dollars of my time to cry at my work bench over getting scammed again.


Yeah I've beat myself up about going for a good deal, or not just buying from Home Depot or another seller.  Cons work best on the greedy.  Actually in this case it was only partly greed--my primary motivation was not doing business with Home Depot, and all other sources except this one were more expensive. 

Education is expensive.  This lesson cost me $50 and change.


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## pontiac428 (Sep 3, 2020)

I don't like doing business with Home Depot, because their business model is the same as Wal Mart's.  But what if you want a place where you can take your leaf blower* back with your receipt for exchange or refund, same day, and get back to work again?  Even if you bought the most factory defected leaf blower ever manufactured "as new" on eBay, you'd be screwed when you realized it's defective, because you didn't buy from an authorized retailer.  It seems to me the outcome would not be as favorable compared to just going to Home Depot in the first place.  You get your credit card protection, you get your receipt and warranty, you pay a little extra compared to eBay, but you don't have to cry.

* Leaf blower:  No moving parts/never known to fail, eh?


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## WesPete66 (Sep 3, 2020)

You've said you received tracking information, but from whom? Have you gone directly to USPS website to verify that tracking info, by the tracking number they've shown? There's got to be a way to show it's not valid.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 3, 2020)

that's a pretty common set up on Aliexpress - the shipping and delivery info is fake and let's them claim that they at least "tried" to deliver it, rather than simply running off with your money. Several times the seller claimed that it was returned as undeliverable or some similar bs. If you paid through Paypal, they should get you your money back. File a claim immediately. Hopefully you used your credit card so if Paypal brushes you off you can reverse the cc charge.


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## Flyinfool (Sep 3, 2020)

Check the tracking number. And the address it was delivered to. What the scammers do is send one package to a city and then use that tracking number for every other package going to that city. Odds are it did not have YOUR address on it. The wife bought a coffee maker at a price to good to be true, we did receive a package from them, it was a small bubble envelope with a single infant size sock in it. I sent pics of the sock and the envelope with the shipping label and tracking still intact to paypal and they refunded the money. since the scammer sent PP a tracking delivery it is now up to you to show that the tracking did not go to your house.

OR the other possibility is you got hit by porch pirates.

There are vids on you tube of people in a truck following about a half block behind a delivery truck picking up the packages as fast as they are delivered.


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## ericc (Sep 3, 2020)

I suspect porch pirates.  But, the tracking can be wrong.  I once ordered something and it was supposed to be delivered by Fedex.  The tracking number said delivered at 2:00 PM, and there was no delivery.  I called the vendor, and they told me that I probably live in a bad neighborhood, and they will just refund the money, but only this once.  A week later, I received the item.  I called the vendor, and I was told "too late, the final decision has been rendered in this matter; it was judged in your favor, so you should just accept the result."  I asked what address can I send a check to, and they said "goodbye".  I feel a little bad about it, but I still shop with that vendor.  No problems since then.  I called FedEx, and they said that the tracking information is "advisory" and should not be taken too seriously.


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## tq60 (Sep 3, 2020)

USPS offers a free service where you get photo of everything they are delivering today.

Wife discovered and uses it.

Inform maybe...

It works real well as she received one of 2 packages one day and when she asked about the second one the carrier stated she only had one.

When presented the images for expected delivery the package suddenly showed up...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


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## ACHiPo (Sep 3, 2020)

WesPete66 said:


> You've said you received tracking information, but from whom? Have you gone directly to USPS website to verify that tracking info, by the tracking number they've shown? There's got to be a way to show it's not valid.


I checked the tracking number that PayPal provided on the USPS website.  It says the package was delivered to my porch 2 days before I received the tracking number.

Edit:  The tracking info said it was delivered to the porch, not necessarily my porch.  There was no address on the tracking info.  It seems plausible that the crooks get one valid tracking number for a city, or hack into the USPS system to get tracking numbers by city (seems a little more plausible--hard to imagine that they would make enough money to actually send a package to our city of 80k people and catch enough suckers to make it worthwhile).


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## ACHiPo (Sep 3, 2020)

tq60 said:


> USPS offers a free service where you get photo of everything they are delivering today.
> 
> Wife discovered and uses it.
> 
> ...


I have that service, but it doesn't include packages.


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## ACHiPo (Sep 3, 2020)

ericc said:


> I suspect porch pirates.  But, the tracking can be wrong.  I once ordered something and it was supposed to be delivered by Fedex.  The tracking number said delivered at 2:00 PM, and there was no delivery.  I called the vendor, and they told me that I probably live in a bad neighborhood, and they will just refund the money, but only this once.  A week later, I received the item.  I called the vendor, and I was told "too late, the final decision has been rendered in this matter; it was judged in your favor, so you should just accept the result."  I asked what address can I send a check to, and they said "goodbye".  I feel a little bad about it, but I still shop with that vendor.  No problems since then.  I called FedEx, and they said that the tracking information is "advisory" and should not be taken too seriously.


I have a ring camera and checked it.  No USPS package delivered on that day.


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## Flyinfool (Sep 3, 2020)

Prolly someone else's tracking number being reused. The tracking number does not list the actual address.


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## kb58 (Sep 3, 2020)

Depending how big your community is, you could ask your local USPS office if you can talk to the mailman who works your street. If it hasn't been long, I bet he'd remember whether he dropped anything at your door. That said, I'm not sure what you can do with his answer... maybe he can help backtrack the bogus tracking number?


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## Winegrower (Sep 3, 2020)

I have signed up for the USPS picture notification several times...never received any notifications.


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## Flyinfool (Sep 3, 2020)

I do not recieve the picture notifications, I have to go to USPS and look.


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## Winegrower (Sep 3, 2020)

Maybe I’m doing it wrong...thought they emailed to me.


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## mickri (Sep 3, 2020)

You need to be organized.  Write out a complete time line starting with when you ordered the item and every communication that you received.  Present this info to Paypal.  Let Paypal know that you have a video that shows no package was delivered.  Notify your credit card company by telephone and keep track of who you talked to. Call your local post office.  Or better yet go in with all of your info.  The tracking info on the post office side will have the person who delivered the package and the time that it was delivered.  Even though they deliver a lot of packages they often remember delivering a package.  Keep a copy of your ring camera video.  That is your ace in the hole.  Be persistent.  You will eventually get your money back.

I have been buying things on Ebay for decades and I have never not gotten my money back when things don't go as planned.


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## talvare (Sep 3, 2020)

Evan,
I had the same thing happen to me about a year ago. It took several attempts haggling with  PayPal to get a refund, but I finally did. I talked to USPS and they said this is a common scam. The seller apparently makes a bunch of sales, gets one tracking number which is sent to all of the buyers, but the tracking number is only for a single address. So, someone actually gets a package, but all of the others get screwed. My local USPS office took a photo of the package with the tracking number and someone else's address. I emailed that photo to PayPal and that finally convinced them.
Good luck
Ted


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## Ulma Doctor (Sep 3, 2020)

ACHiPo said:


> Thanks.  Misery loves company I guess.  The part that really stumps me is the USPS tracking info.  I didn't have any packages delivered the day it was supposedly delivered, and no packages before or since with that tracking number.  I'm thinking they must have hacked the USPS?



i have had similar instances on ebay sellers from China claiming that a package was delivered, when no package was delivered.
i believe that they desperately want fast shipping to appease the impatient US buyer.
they claim 90% of shipments land in 12 to 18 days, or something similar.
if it goes beyond those terms, the buyer is antsy, and will leave negative feedback if too much time passes between order and receipt .
to combat this, DHL  or whoever is shipping bulk drops loads of packages at the USPS to deliver.
at that point the package was technically delivered(but not to you).
USPS takes a few days to process the to delivery to you, at which point you may have taken actual delivery.
it appears that the shippers have vested interest in claiming fast shipping, their data supports it for most cases!

many times recently, i have had USPS state that a package was delivered on like a,  monday but didn't get actual delivery until, let's say, wednesday.


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## RJSakowski (Sep 3, 2020)

I must live right.  I have not had a single order that hasn't been delivered.  That includes orders from Amazon, e-Bay, and direct from China vendors.  Once in a great while, a shipment might be delayed a few days but often shipments come before the stated received by date.  As an example, I ordered a trailer coupler at 7PM on 8/28.  At 8:11PM on 8/31, I received an email from Amazon stating my package had shipped and it would be delivered on 9/8.  An hour before that, I received and email from UPS stating that my package wold be delivered on 9/1, which it was.  Living in a rural area and personally knowing the delivery people helps, I'm sure.

I have noticed that some vendors will state that the item has been shipped almost immediately after receiving the order.  They reserve a tracking number for the package bu actual transfer to the common carrier may be several days later.  I expect that allows them to submit for payment.sooner.


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## 7milesup (Sep 3, 2020)

The USPS option that some of you have mentioned is "Informed Delivery Digest".   It works OK, but not foolproof.  For example, just today I received a package from Amazon but did not get the picture of it in my 'Informed Daily Digest".  
I am with RJ.  I can't think of ever being burned by a delivery.  In fact, about two years ago I bought a C-160 Albrecht chuck on eBay.  When I got the box it had a hole in the end and the chuck was gone.  Emailed the seller and he refunded my money immediately.  The next day I went to get my mail and here was an Albrecht chuck in my mailbox with a post-it note from my postal carrier.  He said he found it under the seat of his car and figured that of all the people on his route, that chuck must be mine.  Love living in a small town.  Oh, I did send the seller his refund back to him.  He got a kick out of that...


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## mickri (Sep 3, 2020)

In all of the years that I have been buying stuff online I have only had one thing lost in transit.  It was logged out of the USPS distribution center in Fresno but never made it to my local post office.  I spoke with my local postmaster.  Don't know how hard they searched but it was never found.  The Ebay seller promptly send me a replacement.


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## kb58 (Sep 3, 2020)

I mailed someone my book (from the US to Canada) and after about a month it still hadn't showed, so we agreed that it was apparently lost. There was nothing I could do so I ate the loss and mailed him another, which showed up on schedule. Fast forward six months and I get an email out of the blue, "Your first book just arrived!" All we could figure is that it must have fallen behind a sorting machine or something. We all had a good laugh and he paid for both, giving the second copy to a friend. Sometimes people are just fallible and it's not really anyone's fault, and yes, other times it's all be design.

The only problem I've run into are what I call "criminally lazy" Ebay sellers, who, while they aren't out to scam you exactly, never seem to get around to mailing what you just bought. They do, eventually, but sheez.


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## rwm (Sep 4, 2020)

Tangentially related. I have had several USPS packages that tracked as "delivered" when they were not. They were correctly delivered within the next 48 hours. Seems like the shippers might be scamming the sellers on the actual shipping time?
Robert


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## vtcnc (Sep 4, 2020)

Recently had an eBay buyer tell me he didn’t receive the package. Tracking says it was delivered. I did some digging and discovered his PayPal name is different than his real name - which I found to be strange after the fact. I suggested that FedEx delivered to another apartment # or building. He opened a resolution case on eBay. I ended up refunding his money $30 and I think he scammed me but I had the eBay Feedback Shivers real bad, so I just refunded his money knowing he probably got something for nothing with this little scheme. I don’t know if there are more shiesters buying or selling out there.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Janderso (Sep 7, 2020)

ACHiPo said:


> Thanks. Misery loves company I guess. The part that really stumps me is the USPS tracking info. I didn't have any packages delivered the day it was supposedly delivered, and no packages before or since with that tracking number. I'm thinking they must have hacked the USPS?


Considering the recent issues we had with UPS and now this?
The hackers are having a field day. I don't think like a crook so I don't understand how they can pull this off.
Check your credit card statements.
I have a business card through work, I noticed a charge for a call forwarding service. We use this type of service but it seemed high.
I called the company, asked them about the account. The guy asked for the business name, my name, business phone number etc. He had no record of our company in his accounts.
He then asked for the credit card number on the statement, actually he asked for the first two and the last four, nope.
I said wait a minute, your company billed my credit card and it's recurring.
He got angry and said it wasn't him or his company. Oh, then I asked what phone number am I paying for? He gave me the number, I called it while he was on the phone. No longer in service. @#$%^&*(
Who's getting this money?
I called the credit card company, they said they would look into it.
Sorry, I got a little excited.
It's rampant, oh and last week, my office manager asked why I enrolled for unemployment???? I didn't.
Scams and hackers are having a ball.


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## 7milesup (Sep 7, 2020)

I just sold my daughters car for her yesterday.    The number of scammers on Craigslist is unreal. I would say that 70% of the inquiries were scammers.  Some of them were very sophisticated too.  Got an email "from Craigslist" saying that there was an issue with my posting and I would have to re-enter my credit card info.  Just for the heck of it, I clicked the link (I have excellent spyware software) and it opened up a credit card input page IDENTICAL to what Craigslist uses.  The only clue was the address bar had nothing to do with Craigslist.  Just pisses me off, all of these scammers and robo calls from friggin India.


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## sycle1 (Sep 8, 2020)

Sorry to hear you got scammed.
I prefer to always sign for Delivery.
Only had a couple not turn up in 20 years, and one that arrived not working and they said the replacement item was on its way and it never showed.  (been real lucky)
Definitely more scammers around now.


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## ACHiPo (Sep 13, 2020)

Well this story has a happy ending.  I was notified last night that PayPal found in my favor and would be refunding my $57 and change.  It's less about the money and more about the violation (and humiliation of not catching it before I completed the transaction).


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## ACHiPo (Sep 13, 2020)

7milesup said:


> Got an email "from Craigslist" saying that there was an issue with my posting and I would have to re-enter my credit card info.  Just for the heck of it, I clicked the link (I have excellent spyware software) and it opened up a credit card input page IDENTICAL to what Craigslist uses.  The only clue was the address bar had nothing to do with Craigslist.  Just pisses me off, all of these scammers and robo calls from friggin India.


Did your spyware software catch anything, or was the phishing attempt not malware/spyware?


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## ACHiPo (Sep 13, 2020)

Ulma Doctor said:


> i have had similar instances on ebay sellers from China claiming that a package was delivered, when no package was delivered.
> i believe that they desperately want fast shipping to appease the impatient US buyer.
> they claim 90% of shipments land in 12 to 18 days, or something similar.
> if it goes beyond those terms, the buyer is antsy, and will leave negative feedback if too much time passes between order and receipt .
> ...


I have the daily notification emails from USPS and it's not unusual that letters supposedly in that day's mail show up a day or two later.  For whatever reason I only get photos of letters, not packages, even if I go to the USPS site.


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## brino (Sep 13, 2020)

7milesup said:


> it opened up a credit card input page IDENTICAL to what Craigslist uses. The only clue was the address bar had nothing to do with Craigslist. Just pisses me off, all of these scammers and robo calls



Thanks for posting.......... Getting the word out about scams is very important!
Educating the buyer is the best way to fight this BS.
-brino


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## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 14, 2020)

glad you got it sorted. I didn't have any more problems after I stopped going after deals that looked too good to be true


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