Buyer used fake tracking number for return, what do I do?

[roflcakes123]

Okay, so basically what happened earlier is that a 0 feedback buyer requested a return and I accepted and purchased a return shipping label from eBay for a discount.  This was on February 24, a week before this happened.  So today, the buyer finally decides to put a tracking number, and it shows delivered to the city AND zip code I live in.  Of course, I never received anything. 

In the USPS website, it says "Delivered, Front Desk/Reception/Mail Room", but I don't have any of those, just a normal mailbox in front of my house.  It was supposedly shipped on Feb 25, and delivered Feb 28.  Now here's the thing that doesn't make sense, the package was shipped from NY but I shipped it to a different state that's significantly further away.

Now this is where I need help and am panicking about it, what do I do?  I plan to call eBay first thing in the morning, but I hear lots of horror stories of sellers losing cases like these, and it worries me that the tracking number and delivery times look very legitimate.  The only thing that doesn't make sense is that the package came from the wrong state.  Does USPS keep track of the address packages have been delivered to?  Because I can guarantee that it hasn't been delivered to my address.

[nuclearomen]

if you issued a returned label for the buyer to return the package they have to use that label/tracking number or the case can close in your favor.

[jesusrocks3339]

inquire with the PO of the exact address shipped to

[jesusrocks3339]

Or ask the buyer if they have a photo of the label used to ship, that could trip them up.    And ask them to input the label tracking number used into the eBay system so that eBay can be kept in the loop.

I think that you could just ignore the whole thing if they haven't contacted eBay or Paypal with the return into.  You have seller protection.  

[mr_lincoln]

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@roflcakes123 wrote:
@mam98031Thanks for the reply. One thing I also forgot to point out is that on the eBay website, it still says the package isn't delivered, while the tracking number does show it's been delivered. Maybe it hasn't updated yet, but I would hope it stays like that.

Also, do you happen to know how the discounted eBay return shipping labels work? I got one for the buyer, but I never got any details about it, so I have no idea if the buyer even used that label either.

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If the Buyer never used the pre-paid label you supplied the tracking number will go dead after a certain period of time and you should receive a credit for the unused label IF you were ever charged for it.

[autopiacarcare]

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@roflcakes123 wrote:

Okay, so basically what happened earlier is that a 0 feedback buyer requested a return and I accepted and purchased a return shipping label from eBay for a discount.  This was on February 24, a week before this happened.  So today, the buyer finally decides to put a tracking number, and it shows delivered to the city AND zip code I live in.  Of course, I never received anything. 

In the USPS website, it says "Delivered, Front Desk/Reception/Mail Room", but I don't have any of those, just a normal mailbox in front of my house.  It was supposedly shipped on Feb 25, and delivered Feb 28.  Now here's the thing that doesn't make sense, the package was shipped from NY but I shipped it to a different state that's significantly further away.

Now this is where I need help and am panicking about it, what do I do?  I plan to call eBay first thing in the morning, but I hear lots of horror stories of sellers losing cases like these, and it worries me that the tracking number and delivery times look very legitimate.  The only thing that doesn't make sense is that the package came from the wrong state.  Does USPS keep track of the address packages have been delivered to?  Because I can guarantee that it hasn't been delivered to my address.

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@roflcakes123  - I'm sorry this is happening to you.  We dealt with the exact same situation last year with a repeat scammer using guest accounts to check out, then filing false SNADS, and then providing falsified tracking to get the return closed in their favor, exactly as you describe.

It went on for 9 months with repeated attempts before eBay finally shut them down.  You can read all about it here: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Targeted-By-Malicious-Buyer-False-Returns/td-p/29512410

If the state you shipped to also happens to be the state where eBay is based, please feel free to contact me via private message.

[autopiacarcare]

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@lightlily_arts wrote:

So did the buyer just use his own label instead of the one provided by eBay?  The most important part is that you have to go to the post office and request their Intranet GPS coordinates to identify the address location for the delivery.  This is the USPS's  in house system and it can only be accessed by postal employees.

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Yes, buyers are given the option by eBay to either print the label provided by eBay or provide their own tracking number.

"Legitimate" tracking numbers (as in real tracking numbers that will actually pull up on the carrier's website) can be purchased on the dark web by people with nefarious intentions. There is also the possibility that someone could hack online shipping accounts or email addresses to obtain tracking numbers.  Several ways it can happen, but the important thing is to know that it is not really difficult for someone with means and motive to obtain a tracking number to a particular zip code without actually ever shipping anything.

The way this scam works is that the "buyer" provides their own tracking number to eBay that shows delivery to the seller's zip code because they know that is all that eBay requires to force the refund.  When I dealt with this last year, I was eventually able to find out that the tracking number belonged to a package shipped from the Amazon facility up near Orlando to our zip code also in Florida.  I have no idea how the scammer got that tracking number. It is my belief that the actual receiver of that package was not connected to the scam, but that the tracking number was somehow scraped or harvested off of the internet to be used for this scam.

Here's where it gets tricky for the seller - because they are neither the sender nor the receiver on that "returned" package, they may run into some serious roadblocks with USPS when trying to get any information about it.

[ittybitnot]

if you issued a returned label for the buyer to return the package they have to use that label/tracking number or the case can close in your favor.

Buyers are not required to use the ebay return label in order to provide tracking information to satisfy the requirement for a recorded return.   The buyer can pay for and provide their own label if they so choose. 

The Post Office may not provide the seller the exact address to which the (a)  parcel was returned, but they can say it was NOT delivered at the seller's address.  The problem has been in these cases that the PO's reluctance to provided "Official" enough documentation to satisfy eBay of a scam return. 

[ittybitnot]

 I have no idea how the scammer got that tracking number. It is my belief that the actual receiver of that package was not connected to the scam, but that the tracking number was somehow scraped or harvested off of the internet to be used for this scam.

They buy a "cheap" trinket and have it sent to an address in your zipcode, and use that tracking number.   I had this happen to me (as a buyer) a few months ago.  Fortunately, I live in a small rural town and got to find out the parcel was delivered to the local library that happened to have an address "similar" to mine even though it is 15 miles away.  I went directly to PayPal for the claim and all turned out well for me. 

Though "shipping to an address in your zipcode" has been a ploy of unsavory sellers for years, I have noticed it a lot more with "buyer" returns.  

[autopiacarcare]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

 I have no idea how the scammer got that tracking number. It is my belief that the actual receiver of that package was not connected to the scam, but that the tracking number was somehow scraped or harvested off of the internet to be used for this scam.

They buy a "cheap" trinket and have it sent to an address in your zipcode, and use that tracking number.   I had this happen to me (as a buyer) a few months ago.  Fortunately, I live in a small rural town and got to find out the parcel was delivered to the local library that happened to have an address "similar" to mine even though it is 15 miles away.  I went directly to PayPal for the claim and all turned out well for me. 

Though "shipping to an address in your zipcode" has been a ploy of unsavory sellers for years, I have noticed it a lot more with "buyer" returns.  

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@ittybitnot  - I believe that can and does happen, but in my case I'm not sure that is what happened.  It was a $10 item that they had purchased from us and were doing the return on.  I was able to get USPS to tell me that the package with that tracking appeared to be a thick/heavy book shipped from Amazon.  Even if it was relatively cheap, I don't see that it would make much sense to buy something on Amazon just to get a tracking number so they could get a $10 refund.

I suppose if they were using stolen credit cards it wouldn't really matter to them what the cost of the Amazon order was, but either way I just don't think it would have been worth the effort(or risk of getting caught if they were using stolen credit cards) for them to actually purchase something on Amazon to have it shipped to our zip code. I believe at least on that one that the scammer had some way of obtaining a tracking number that was for a legitimate order someone else in our zip code had placed on Amazon.

[ittybitnot]

It was a $10 item that they had purchased from us and were doing the return on.

Sheesh! 10$?????  Seems like a lot of trouble to go through to snag an Amazon tracking numbers from the "dark web" or whatever.   Did the item go to a freight forwarder?   Hopefully, you will update us when you figure out what is going on.  Very interesting to say the least. 

[autopiacarcare]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

It was a $10 item that they had purchased from us and were doing the return on.

Sheesh! 10$?????  Seems like a lot of trouble to go through to snag an Amazon tracking numbers from the "dark web" or whatever.   Did the item go to a freight forwarder?   Hopefully, you will update us when you figure out what is going on.  Very interesting to say the least. 

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It would be a lot of trouble for one tracking number, possibly somewhat less trouble for someone who does this repeatedly to multiple sellers who might find a bulk purchase of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tracking numbers sorted by zip code to be a valuable asset.  Or perhaps some enterprising bad guys out there set up databases that are constantly refreshed with up to date numbers that other enterprising bad guys can pay a subscription fee to have access to?

I don't dabble in the dark web, so I really can't say - but I've heard from reliable sources that it is entirely possible for scammers to have "real" tracking numbers without actually ever shipping anything themselves.

As far as our situation, we did get it figured out and eBay eventually took action.  I don't want to steer this conversation away from the original poster, but if my experience with this same issue can help in any way I'm happy to provide any information I can.

[roflcakes123]

Update:

Thanks to everyone who tried helping out, and big thanks to @lightlily_arts for the suggestion to go to the post office to get Intranet GPS coordinates. As it turns out, the address it was delivered to was a Subway in my city (lol...). I went ahead and went to my local USPS this morning, and they printed it out and I scanned it and submitted it to eBay. I called eBay after sending the scanned Intranet document to them and they have looked at it, and they opened up a case.

I know it seems very likely for eBay to be in my favor, but I really hope that they are competent enough to connect the dots, because I've seen some people say they lost cases even with the Intranet GPS coordinates. Wish me good luck guys!

And if anyone is wondering, I have contacted the buyer multiple times calmly, but he hasn't said a thing.

[mshelton1984]

Same thing happened to me last month with a brand new 0 feedback seller and a $300 CPU. Scammer bought a cheap item on Amazon and had it shipped to a Kentucky Fried Chicken in my town. My local Post Office was able to give me all the details from the tracking number. I printed and scanned the documents provided by USPS and submitted them to ebay after calling. Luckily they agreed it was fraud and gave me a refund. The buyer was also using a package forwarding company as his shipping address.

[roflcakes123]

Okay, right after I called eBay, it seemed like it was guaranteed to close in my favor, but it didn't. But I called back, and what happened was that the previous representative maybe got confused and probably thought I was the buyer, and the current representative apologized about what happened. After that, the outcome for the case has been reversed.

Man, what a roller coaster. I noticed that the money I got back was sent from eBay, so I hope that the scammer doesn't get to keep the money and the item.

[mam98031]

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@roflcakes123 wrote:
Okay, right after I called eBay, it seemed like it was guaranteed to close in my favor, but it didn't. But I called back, and what happened was that the previous representative maybe got confused and probably thought I was the buyer, and the current representative apologized about what happened. After that, the outcome for the case has been reversed.

Man, what a roller coaster. I noticed that the money I got back was sent from eBay, so I hope that the scammer doesn't get to keep the money and the item.

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I'm so glad this worked out for you as it should have.  You sure had to work awfully hard to get this resolved.  

I sincerely hope you used the Report a Buyer function on Ebay and reported this buyer for abuse of the system.  ALL sellers need to do this every single time something like this happens.  It is important to all sellers for all sellers to do this.  

Yes once Ebay processes your refund to the buyer, under no circumstance will they take it back.  Actually they can't take it back.  So when they reverse a decision on a claim, it is Ebay paying the refund to you.