Fake Package Scam
Seller did not responde to messages regarding ordered items and tracking number specifically. I opened a incident with eBay and shortly after was provided tracking number that showed my item delivered in my actuall zip code the day prior to recieved tracking number. UPS was no help. The address that the item was shipped to did not match my address and UPS declined to offer the address that the item shipped to, but only acknowledged that the addresses did not match. Upon further investigation, this is a common scam on here and it happens quite often. I was stuck and out $1,500. I could not let this go. The incident is still open and I have to give the buyer 3 business days to respond as per policy, but I doubt the seller will respond at all. Has anyone else had to deal with this? Now the burden of proof lies on me to show that it did not ship to me, but only an address within my zip code.
airsheep
·7 months agoPeople involved with the fake tracking scam often buy lists of tracking numbers from various sketchy suppliers on the web and recycle them to prove 'delivery'.
tinsoldierunderground
·7 months ago@864chris27
+1 to what @house*of*paws posted. We hear about this scam on an almost daily basis, and ebay has done precious little, other than letting buyers fend for themselves, to address the problem.
864chris27
OP7 months agoYeah I agree with your post. I explained in great detail once I got all the details from UPS that the package did not match my address on file with ebay, and I have the print out from UPS showing the address it shipped from and the actual delivery address. Total, 100% scam, below is the reply I got at 5:30 am this morning.
Seller’s message: "I’m sorry to hear about your experience, and I want to address your concerns directly. The item was shipped to the exact address you provided at checkout. The shipping label was automatically generated through using that information. I don’t have the ability to manually change or “correct†an address once the package is in the carriers system. Sometimes logistics updates or adjusts addresses internally if they detect formatting issues, and they label that as an “address correction,†but I am sorry that’s done by the shipping service not me. I’ve contacted eBay to open a trace investigation to verify the delivery and obtain GPS confirmation. I’ve also notified eBay resolution team about the issue so they’re aware and can monitor the situation. I’ll update you as soon as I receive more information."
house*of*paws
·7 months agoHi @864chris27
You are the victim of the infamous ‘False tracking number scam’ … and you’ve already received enough information from UPS to receive a refund from your credit card company … IF you paid with a credit card.
Phone the number on the back of your credit card and ask to be transferred to the Fraud Department. Tell the agent you are the victim of the ‘False tracking number scam’, and ask what you need to do to get a chargeback.
Credit card companies are very familiar with this scam, and they should be able to get the information they need from UPS to prove what you said … that your name and address were NOT on the package associated with the tracking number you were given.
I’ve been the victim of this scam at least six times to date … from several different venues and shipping companies … and the above is the easiest way to a refund.
Sadly, once you contact another agency, eBay no longer will be part of the process … but eBay has been very slow in developing a simple way for buyers to deal with this very common scam.
864chris27
OP7 months agoI have the tracking number, it was an actual shipment, but the tracking number was generated at a local business where I live and delivered to a company in my same zip code. They buyer actually did respond this morning. Apologized for the inconvenience, ect..., ect... The nerve of some of these people. I cannot believe how brazen these people are. If eBay cannot see right through this, it will be my last purchase on here. I called both companies and informed them of what was happening, because there is not possible way the seller could have pulled this tracking number from thin are. I think he works at one of these companies, I think he waited until he could get a tracking number that would match my zip code and through it on eBay to show as "delivered". Then I would have no recourse to get my money back. I did reach out to the companies and let them know what was going on, but both companies swear no one that worked there would do something like this. My question is, how would someone just randomly pick a UPS tracking number and hope that somehow it will work just to satisfy the eBay policy. Someone is definitely on the inside. What are your thoughts? I welcome any feedback. Like I said, this seller works at one of the companies, either where the shipment was generated or where the shipment was delivered. The seller claimed he delivered these to the exact address on eBay, but he is full of it.
house*of*paws
·7 months ago@864chris27
Starting about four years ago, I’ve experienced this scam on items I’ve purchased on eBay, Amazon, and Walmart … using UPS, FedEx, and USPS to ship.
In some instances, it appeared to be the dropshipper OR their supplier who provided the fake tracking number. [The seller seemed to be completely innocent in the scam from what I could tell.]
I have no idea exactly HOW the scammers have access to tracking information to be able to provide a tracking number of a package that is going to the same ZIP Code as the buyer.
I don’t think they necessarily have to be an employee of a shipping company. They just need to be able to hack into their databases to search for numbers.
kensgiftshop
·7 months agoThey don't need to hack any system.
They just look up an address in the buyers area, then purchase a shipping label for that address, then ship an envelope or small box.
They add the tracking number to the Ebay order or provide it when an INR is opened.
house*of*paws
·7 months ago@kensgiftshop
Most of my packages were shipped from large companies … not from the individual sellers I bought from. At least one package was ‘shipped’ before I made the purchase. It seemed like the scammers had access to preused tracking numbers … not shipping inexpensive items after I made my purchases, which themselves weren’t that expensive. That’s why ‘hackers’ came to mind.
I live in a one-ZIP Code town of about 13,000 people … and I was impressed by how they were able to access tracking numbers with my ZIP Code so easily.
864chris27
OP7 months agoIt's just absolutely terrible. The burden of proof now lies on me now since the order is marked "delivered".
Hopefully eBay will be on my side. In this particular case, when I called the company that this tracking number is associated with (origination point). The tracking matched exactly to an order that was shipped too another company that lives in my zip code. They even sent me a packing slip of items that was on the order. Then I called the company that was in my zip code and talk to them about this order and they did have a package that matched the tracking number and what they received matches exactly to what the shipper sent them. Somewhere between these two points, someone got this info. Like you said, maybe they have hacked there systems somehow.