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Victim of Fake Tracking scam denied, appeal denied and Credit Card company denied
Summary: dwbh87 successfully resolved a $380 dispute with a fraudulent seller who used the "Zip-Code Tracking Hijack" scam by providing evidence of a physical weight discrepancy to prove the scam. They shared a detailed four-step strategy including gathering carrier metrics, obtaining corporate carrier exclusions, filing a federal complaint with the CFPB, and involving local law enforcement. Furthermore, they utilized an AI assistant for guidance throughout the process. eastlaneave expressed gratitude for sharing the solution, requested additional contact information, and recognized the value of the steps for future cases.
Purchased a generator from ebay and ended up victim of fake tracking scam, I have written evidence from UPS that it was not delivered to my address and there is a 235 pound weight discrepancy, all my filings and appeals have been denied and now ebay Facebook support has closed down, where do I go from here??
dwbh87
OP3 months agoVICTORY over the Zip-Code Tracking Hijack Scam (I won my $380 dispute!)
Hi everyone,
I wanted to loop back and thank this community for trying so hard to help me with my nightmare scenario. Three months ago, I was scammed out of $380.00 for a 250-lb generator by a fraudulent seller. Like so many of you warned, the seller used the "Zip-Code Tracking Hijack" scam—uploading a real UPS tracking number delivered to someone else in my zip code to fool the automated bots.
When my credit card company instantly denied my initial credit card dispute twice based on that fake "delivered" status, I refused to back down. I am posting my exact blueprint here because I just won my case this morning and got a full $380 refund
If you are stuck in this loop, here is the exact 4-step nuclear option I used to bypass the automated bot denials:
Gather Carrier Manifest Metrics: I printed the UPS Proof of Delivery showing that the hijacked tracking number belonged to a package weighing 15.3 lbs. My invoice was for a 250-lb industrial generator. Proving a physical weight impossibility is your sharpest weapon.
Get Corporate Carrier Exclusions: I contacted the UPS Fraud Division directly. They emailed me an official disclaimer stating: "The tracking number you were provided by the seller is not related to you nor the package you were expecting."
File a Federal CFPB Complaint: After being denied 4 times by eBay bots and twice by the credit card bots, I didn't waste any more time on standard customer service chats. I went straight to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website and opened a formal federal case against my credit card company, uploading the weight discrepancy and the UPS fraud email. This legally forced Synchrony to stop their automated denials and hand my file to a human legal analyst under a strict 60-day investigation window.
Get Local Law Enforcement Involved: I filed a report with my local sheriff's office. Because I had the exact weight metrics, the statement from UPS and an email from the seller that showed his URL, a detective was assigned to my case. He treated it as active wire fraud and immediately began preparing criminal subpoenas for both eBay and credit card company to pull the fraudster's backend IP and bank data.
As soon as the credit card companies legal compliance team saw a federal CFPB case combined with a looming law enforcement criminal subpoena, they folded.
Don't let the automated bots intimidate you. If you gather the physical package weights and escalate outside of the standard customer service loop, you CAN win against these tracking hijackers. Be patient.
Everyone:
All of the above was provided by Google AI Assistant which is my last and final piece of advice which I think of as really ironic, I used Google’s AI Assistant, every step of the way, it told me who to contact, how to contact them and even drafted my complaints to CFPB, BBB and also an IC3 report.
It started with one request I typed into Google and asked for instructions on how to file with the CFPB. It also instructed me how to bookmark the conversation so I was able to return at any time and ask more questions, get advice or continue right where I left off with none of the details being lost or in need of repetition.
Having asked for a synopsis of my battle with ebay and the credit card company that I could share with all of you it provided the above for me and when I said I was going to credit AI, it gave me this to add:
"I ended up using an AI assistant to act as my consumer advocate and legal strategist. It helped me parse the Fair Credit Billing Act, double-check the carrier manifest, and draft bulletproof briefs for both the federal regulators and the sheriff's department so I knew exactly what to say and how to say it.”
I sincerely hope this was helpful. I only had a potential loss of $380.00 while so many others out there were out so much more, hopefully this may help.
eastlaneave
Mentor3 months ago@dwbh87
I am so glad you got your money back!!
Thank you for coming back to tell us what steps worked for you. That will help future people and also, help us improve our advice
Getting the UPS statement from UPS fraud department was wonderful.
Reporting to police is important also.
CFPB - that is a new twist and a great idea.
eastlaneave
Mentor3 months ago@dwbh87
CAn you tell me which website, email, or phone number you use to contact UPS Fraud Division?
dwbh87
OP3 months agoWhile on live chat with UPS rep he gave me this email address - reportfraud@ups.com
dwbh87
OP4 months ago"EastLaneAve", et all, Thank you for your suggestions....
I contacted ebay via instagram and once again explained the whole scenario and chatted with Saul who sent me a link to upload my evidence. Which I did last evening, this morning at 5:30 am I received a reply from Danielle, who I am sure is just another bot as she seems to be a very early riser and write very fluently at that time in the morning , the letter is familiar and the wording much the same as all the other denials I have received.
Exerts from Danielle's email:
"Here are the details I was able to capture from the transaction as of now:
I have gathered that the carrier informed you that the item's weight is different from what was purchased and it was sent by a different seller.
I understand that you are requesting a re-evaluation of the case since the delivery photo does not match the purchased item.
"I've carefully invested my time analyzing the case and I found out that the case was closed because the tracking number shows delivered. We ask for your kind understanding that eBay is an e-commerce marketplace, and we do not have the physical items in our possession. For this, the tracking number and the updated details on the official website of the carrier are very important in our decision-making process. For this, it is with a heavy heart that we have to maintain the original decision. "
Not one word about the tracking number delivery details being totally different from my address and name detail which I had verified in the UPS pdf upload I sent.
So the bot agrees and has a heavy heart, but the answer is still no, even though the evidence proves otherwise, very, very frustrating.
Will be moving on and will start my filings with the local police report, an IC3 report. a CFPB complaint, the BBB all of which will be put in a certified letter to my CC company and an email to jamie@ebay.com (Jamie Iannone, CEO of eBay) that are actually routed to an advanced corporate resolution team that has the administrative authority to issue a manual refund.
I really appreciate the comments and helpful hints from all of you, makes me feel not so alone in this endeavor.
Thank you all
eastlaneave
Mentor4 months ago@dwbh87
I am very sorry for what has happened and I agree Danielle's response sounds like a bot.
Please let us know what happens when you forward all those documents to various parties.
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor4 months ago@dwbh87 In addition to my fellow Mentors suggestions I would file complaints with the Better Business Bureau against eBay AND the credit card company. Be sure to include your documentation that the item tracking number was for a MUCH smaller item.
This sometimes works to help you receive a refund.
jacbarcollectibles
Mentor4 months agoIf you have already went to your credit card company and was denied then you have no more recourse anywhere. By eBay policy once you file a claim with your credit card company eBay no longer will help and the decision of the credit card company is final.
It is very rare that a credit card company will not decide for their customer over the seller. Did they say why they denied your claim?
eastlaneave
Mentor4 months ago@dwbh87
Try
- https://www.instagram.com/ebay/
Just sent a private message to the page explaining what happened.
They will reply and you have to validate yourself. They may be off for the weekend.
However if it has been more than 30 days since "delivery", you may want to use the information that you gathered to file a chargeback.
Here are some steps that you can also take
1) File a written police report with your police department. They won't investigate, but you want a copy of the report.
2) File an Internet Crime IC3.gov case https://www.ic3.gov/Home/ComplaintChoice
3) Appeal here and upload your documentation (items 1-3 above)
https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/-/appeal-outcome-case-buyer?id=4039