USPS Fake Tracking Scam....

[twincitiespcs]

So it appears I am a victim of the fake tracking scam.  In late Oct I purchased a coat that was supposed to be shipped from China and arrive by Dec 1st - no problem. The seller never added tracking but I could not open up an "item not received" until Dec 2.   Dec 2nd arrives and I notice that seller has a few recent negative reviews on items not being received so I open up a case.  Today, the seller uploads a USPS priority mail tracking number that shows delivery to my zip code on Nov 4  (no address or package info) shipped from Ashville NC (not China)0 on  Nov 1st.   I cannot escalate to ebay until Dec 8th but from what I have read on this scam, ebay will usually not do anything.  Is my best bet to file a paypal/credit card claim using the above information?   

[heckofagame]

I was hit with a scam this week as well. Tracking shows delivered to my city, but I did not get it. 

Then it took a hilarious turn. When I talked to my UPS driver about the missing package, he looked into it. It turns out that the actual package containing the tracking number was delivered to his brother.  Haha

I sent eBay a message via Facebook asking for guidance on how to handle this through them as I can't just file an INR. No answer yet. I expect to have to call my credit card to get this resolved. 

I thought about filing an item not as described claim just to see what the seller would do. They don't accept returns. If I sent them an empty box, they would get back exactly what they sent me, nothing. 

[twincitiespcs]

Thanks.  Too bad ebay refuses to do anything about this scam.  I will try to contact ebay on the 8th and if they do noting,  I will make sure an repost this on my social media outlets to warn others and file a claim with my credit card company.   Maybe ebay will get tired of dealing with the chargebacks.

[psfhobbies]

How are they getting &  using random tracking number? It has to show delivered to your address with Ebay unless something has changed recently Im not aware of.

[varebelrose]

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@psfhobbies wrote:

... It has to show delivered to your address with Ebay unless something has changed recently Im not aware of.

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Unless it has changed, it only has to be delivered to your zip code, not the specific address, to count as delivered.

[twincitiespcs]

Just shows delivered to the zip code not the address.  USPS also does not show the dimensions or weight of the item.  

[12345jamesstamps]

It best to check the seller's feedback and location where item is being mailed and seller's ID location.

I wouldn't buy a coat from China when we sell coats in the USA.

[twincitiespcs]

They had decent feedback at the time when I ordered.  And I have not had any issues on getting stuff from China before - just long shipping times.

[eburtonlab]

If tracking shows delivery but you do not receive anything, check with the shipping service to determine if the tracking number corresponds to a delivery to your address.

If not, you may be the victim of a false tracking scam or the seller may have given you the wrong tracking number by mistake. Either way, see here for some good instructions about what you can do about it:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/What-do-you-do-when-ebay-support-will-not-help-you/m-p/340803...

[twincitiespcs]

UPDATE....

So I went to the post office to try and confirm the address this "tracking number" was delivered to.  I was told they could not confirm or give out that information.  I called ebay and they gave me a "Courtesy" refund.  This is a great scam sellers have going on here.   

[eburtonlab]

So I went to the post office to try and confirm the address this "tracking number" was delivered to. I was told they could not confirm or give out that information.

You do not actually need to know the address, you just need to confirm whether it matches yours, and get that confirmation in writing. Or some other hard evidence that the tracking cannot be for your order, such as a weight discrepancy or an indication that the shipment began before your order was placed.

It may help to have a copy of your order details from eBay that shows your shipping address and the tracking number you received from the seller when asking for help at the post office.

If one post office worker will not provide that information, perhaps another one will.

At least you got a courtesy refund in this case, though.

[twincitiespcs]

I did all that and they refused to do anything.