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Counterfeit coins Silver American Eagles
Summary: pjustini reported receiving counterfeit .999 pure silver American Eagle coins from three different sellers on eBay, which were actually made of copper. They expressed concern about returning these fakes to scammers and referenced federal law prohibiting counterfeit coins. pjustini asked for advice on whether to contact authorities or just obtain refunds. eastlaneave responded with detailed steps for obtaining a refund without returning the items, including using eBay's return request process and social media customer service, and suggested citing relevant federal laws to avoid postage of counterfeit items.
I’ve purchased several coins advertised as .999 pure silver American Eagle $1 coins from three different sellers on eBay and each coin was fake. Each coin tested positive as being made of copper when I got them appraised a jeweler who buys and sells gold and silver. Testing included - Density testing, size, weight and metal content. One of my purchases was immediately refunded by eBay with no return necessary. But the other ones required a return for a refund. The problem I see is returning counterfeit coins to a scammer to simply resell. It is federal crime to deal in counterfeit coins. 18 USC §485 prohibits falsely making, forging or counterfeiting a coin that resembles a US coin and also prohibits selling, passing, possessing a counterfeit coin with the intent to defraud. And American Silver Eagles fall with the statute. Also, violations can result in a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 15 years. I’m positive I am not the only one who fell victim to these scams. My question is what should I do? Contact secret service and open an investigation into the sellers and eBay’s vetting process for allowing this scam to continue, particularly since it’s been widely reported that it is happening on their platform. Or return the fake coins to the seller, get my refund and let everyone get away with this nonsense? Curious to know if this happened to others and what you did to resolve and learn what eBay is doing to help curb this activity.
eastlaneave
Mentor1 week ago · Edited@pjustini
For counterfeit coins, it's possible to get a refund without a returning the item.
1) Open a Return Request
You can open your return request here. Just click the photo and follow the instructions.
https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-refunds/return-item-refund?id=4041
2) Use eBay's social media-based customer service to get assistance
- https://www.instagram.com/ebay/
Just sent a private message to the page explaining what happened.
You'll get a message to authenticate yourself, then wait for the reply
The team works 6am-6pm PST, Monday-Friday.
3) State that the item is counterfeit and cite 18 U.S.C. § 2320 to request a manual escalation and a full refund without return.
Under U.S. Federal Law (18 U.S. Code § 2320) and postal carrier policies, it is illegal to transport, ship, or mail counterfeit trademarked goods.