Have I been scammed?

[geeza]

Im think im at the start of the process of an ebay scam.

Yesterday I bought some GHDs on ebay for £81 delivered. I paid immediately through paypal for them and when i went back to the item it has the invalid item removed message.

After winning the item I had a message saying that for winning and the sellers name and information that is here in the uk.

I then received a receipt for payment with the transaction ID and seller information.

I then received a package tracking and order status message, however the sellers name and email address was different to that of the previous email. Also the postal company is USPS. There is a tracking number and the order status is 'In process'

I have sent an email to ebay as i am concerned about the two different addresses, two different seller names and the fact the seller was listed in UK but is sending it via USPS. Also the fact the item listing was removed after i purchased it.

Is there a chance someone in US has hi-jacked a UK account with their address but is sending the money to their paypal account?

Lets hope this is not the case but something is shady here

 

[geeza]

Anything is possible, just see what ebay has to say about it. Ebay have there own forum for things like this too.....

I know, i found a similar story to mine on thier forums where the seller wasnt replying and it was being set by USPS

 

[geeza]

double post. oops

 

[geeza]

They may have just been drop shipping and ebay cottoned on, might be worth phoning USPS to see if they know were that consignment number is heading?
What was the users feedback like?

Will do, 100% positive. But hadnt sold or won anything in the past 12 months

 

[geeza]

some UK sellers act as an agent for a US supplier, I have had this happen before

The bad news is you are likely to get a bill for import taxes

surely i wont have to pay it as it was listed in UK and the seller has a UK address

 

[geeza]

i dont know whats happened with regards to the item not being on the bay, but with regards to this postage, it simply sounds to me like the seller has a supplier in the US and buys them as needed having them shipped directly to the buyers address, namely, yours.

In which case great (so long as i dont have to pay import tax) If i do i will be contacting him once then leaving a nice negative feedback and demanding he pay me the import costs (or have his address splashed all over countless forums)

 

[geeza]

It appears I have --

Hello Alex, Thank you for your email.
I understand your concern regarding the boots (item xxxxxxxxxxxx) you have purchased from seller "xxxxxx" that was removed from eBay.

I've checked this item on our system. It was listed by a third party using an eBay member's account without their permission. It's likely theunauthorised user obtained the account password using a spoof email.

Unfortunately we weren't made aware of this until after the listing had ended. We strongly advise you not to respond to any further emails regarding this listing.

Once we became aware of this unauthorised activity, we took immediate action and we're now restoring the account to its original owner. For privacy reasons, I can't share any further details regarding this member's account.

However, please be assured that we're dedicated to keeping eBay a safe and reputable place to buy and sell. Alex, we're anxious to help you to receive reimbursement as soon as possible. The next thing you should do is to report this transaction to PayPal.

You must do this within 45 days of payment To find out more about PayPal Buyer Protection and to file a dispute, copy this link into a new browser window:

http://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/protections-buyer-outside

As the account holder isn't responsible for this listing, please don't file an "Item Not Received" dispute via the eBay site.

Protect yourself against spoof "Spoof" emails claim to be from eBay but ask you to provide personal information such as passwords and payment details.

They often ask you toclick on a link in the email and sign in to a fake website. I encourage you to take a few moments to learn more about spoof and how to protect yourself. For information on this subject, please copy this link into a new browser window:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/safetycentre/spoof.html I sincerely hope your eBay purchases run more smoothly in the future. Kind regards, Darren ReguseBay Trust & Safety

Should i ring up the bank and try to cancel the charge or send paypal an email first?

 

[geeza]

Yep, thought that was the case. Can i cancel the money coming out of my account somehow with the bank? Then paypal claim back the money from 'hui song'

 

[geeza]

when i thought i was going to be scammed recently the bank would not stop it, so i emptied my account. the payment just bounced off for me and didnt charge. although your bank may have a different policy. in any case, call your bank first, tell paypal and empty your account as a last resort.

My account would just go into minus and i will be charged £30. The money is currently in the process of going out my account the the balance is the same but available is £81 less

 

[geeza]

well get on the phone now, tell them you have been notified that its a fraudulent transaction and by notifying them your making it their responsibility to stop the transaction otherwise technically they are aiding and abetting in a fraudulent transaction and you would be well within your rights to launch a legal complaint if they continue after notification.

bank or paypal?

 

[geeza]

cheers. will do when i get in

 

[geeza]

has anyone got a number for nationwide fraud department. Im on the phone to general enquiries now and have been for 7 minutes but i can see them transferring me

edit - i thought it takes 3 - 4 working days to clear funds from a sellers account to a bank account?

 

[geeza]

Paypal contact details for you:

PayPal Customer Service Centre opening hours are:
06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Friday
08:00 to 22:00 Saturday
09:00 to 22:00 Sunday
please call 08707 307 191

its all automated!

edit - Managed to get in a queue. Its 15 minutes long though! I hung up

 

[geeza]

Had a reply from the seller in the resolution centre

-

The seller provided the following tracking information for your review:

Postal Company:USPS

Tracking Number:EA940922807CN

Please review this information and determine whether you would like us to continue processing your claim. You may cancel this claim by clicking 'Cancel Claim' below. If we do not hear from you, we will resume our investigation in 2 days.

By which time they will have cleared their account out. I rang the bank and she more or less said that it wasnt to do with them and that its to do with paypal. I recorded phone call too.

Anyone want to dig up USPS contact no for me? I'll check that tracking number out

Well - what do you know!

Label/Receipt Number: EA94 0922 807C N

There is no record of this item.