iS THIS FRAUD ON MY NEW EBAY ACCOUNT?
Summary: arim777 shared a concern about receiving shipments with a different recipient's name and an email from an eBay seller regarding a suspect order. Various participants advised arim777 that the situation could be a scam, potentially involving drop-shipping or a fake tracking scam, and suggested filing a 'not as described' return. arim777 expressed frustration with eBay's support and security settings, planning to warn others about the risks. Other participants offered advice and shared personal experiences to reassure arim777 and provide further guidance.
I tried to submit a fraud query and kept getting "We ran into a problem. Please try again later." I tried 3 times in the last 4 hours. There is no help from ebay so I am on this member post.
Here is what my question is about:
Over the last week I have received 4 shipments ( with small low cost items) in official HD boxes with the label from Home Depot to our address with a name I don't recognize "Kristen Jarvis."
Today I get an email from an ebay seller that I bought some items from:
Dear xxxxxxx
Your order is on its way. The UPS tracking numbers are: 1Z64 and 1Z xxxxx
Please verify that the package matches the tracking numbers. There is no need to worry about any other details.
If you notice the recipient's name listed as "Kristen Jarvis,"
please do not be concerned; simply accept the delivery as usual. This is the person handling your warranty claim.
If you encounter any issues with the order, please message me immediately. I will resolve the matter quickly. Due to the time difference, my response might be slightly delayed, but I will certainly reply within 8 working hours. Thank you very much!
Reply
THIS CAN'T BE A COINCIDENC
mudshark61369
·3 weeks ago@arim777 ,
The seller who messaged you is located in Morocco and may be using your address as part of a fake tracking scam, where a foreign seller has something small or cheap sent to your address to get a delivered scan in your zip code. They often use UPS for those shipments, thus the 1Z tracking numbers. They might also be using your info as part of a Brushing scam. To learn about them do an online search for "How do brushing scams work?"
"I tried to submit a fraud query and kept getting "We ran into a problem. Please try again later."
How were you trying to submit the report? Did you use the Security Center button at the bottom of any ebay page, or another method? You may be getting the We ran into a problem, message if you signed up for ebay using a computer but tried to contact them using the App or Vice/Versa.
Once you do connect with the security center you want to tell them about the 4 packages you received, and the unsolicited message from that seller posting their username.
You just recently joined ebay and may not know how too vet the sellers you intend to buy from yet. In the link below you can read how to check a seller's feedback profile and determine if you want to buy from one. One thing I appear to have left out of that reply was to say that in a seller's feedback box, you can click on the numbers of Neutral and Negative feedback they have received to read only those comments.
https://community.ebay.com/forum/buying-57914/topic/i-am-new-to-ebay-how-do-i-know-if-a-seller-is-trustworthy-i-am-interested-in-punching-an-item-from-171308/#M528253
You may also want to read my reply in the link below to learn how to avoid buying from foreign sellers who are registered in this country and give U.S. locations, but are from another country.
https://community.ebay.com/forum/buying-57914/topic/why-is-ebay-backing-china-sellers-with-a-lie-in-there-post-there-location-171054/#M526369
The info in that link can be very helpful especially when buying auto or other machine parts.
You should also read the terms and time frames of ebay's Money Back Guarantee (MBG) a link to the policy can be found on most listing pages under the icons for payment methods under the Shop with confidence header, click on Learn more
arim777
OP3 weeks agoThank you for the valuable information......and taking your time to help me.
You probably read what I wrote in response to another member of the community as few minutes ago. THANK GOD FOR HOME DEPOT'S HELP!!!!
Additionally, I just went to My Profile on eBay and saw that the security settings are set to default to allow anyone on ebay to look at my profile unless I set it to private. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!! I have never had to worry about shopping on Amazon, Walmart.com or Home Depot and having the sellers on those sites getting access to my private profile unless I specifically marked my profile as public for anyone to see.....WHAT KIND OF JUNK SECURITY IS THIS????
At my church, I am part of a Security/Safety Board that educates and advises members on scams, dangers, etc. I am going to submit a report that goes to to our 72,000 members about this incident and strongly recommend not shopping on eBay any more because eBay cares a great deal more about its sellers than its buyers, especially buy's security and privacy. I am also advising them to spread the word about eBay to everyone they know. So there is no telling right now how many people will no longer buy on eBay because it is just too risky to do so. I am not stupid or uneducated....I know how to research security measures/reporting on a website....very little attention is giving to dealing with fraud on eBay and assisting buyers. I am on a Community Posting Board right now....ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!!!
gone.c-33
·3 weeks agoThe only thing people see when looking at your profile are your username and feedback.
emuestate
·3 weeks ago · EditedIf you didn't get what you ordered, and instead got things you didn't order from the Seller, you have to report it as not as described. He can't send you things you didn't order, and expect you to say you received your order. It sounds like a scam, but you should get your money back. I don't think you have sustained a security breach from eBay, you just ran into a bad Seller. Any time you get mail or packages addressed to someone other than who is living (or has ever lived) at your residence, that is a red flag. During the pandemic, when many people were unemployed, we got an unemployment credit card delivered in the name of someone that never lived at our address. She did not live in our subdivision, and we never heard of her. Turns out there was an identify theft ring involving several postal workers at our local post office. Our mailwoman had just been arrested, so she couldn't pluck that unemployment credit card out before it got to my mailbox! She was using my mailbox to receive mail she didn't want to sent to her own house. I called to report the fraud to the state unemployment office, but they told me I couldn't report it because I wasn't the victim. I ended up calling the bank and canceling the credit card for the victim. Several mail deliverers were fired, and the ringleader was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison.
grann-4629
·3 weeks agoNice!
eburtonlab
·Sep 9, 2026 at 8:32 PMIf you are waiting for an order from that seller, file a "not as described" return if what you receive does not match what you ordered.
If you are not expecting any orders from that seller, it appears that seller has decided to use your shipping address for eBay returns, likely because the seller is not located in the US and the seller is trying to hide that fact from eBay (and buyers).
Not sure why the seller does not simply refund without requiring a return in that case, though.
You can report the seller to eBay here:
https://www.ebay.com/help/action?topicid=4022
arim777
OPSep 9, 2026 at 8:41 PMThank you for responding. I did already try to get help from ebay......useless.....I did buy an item from the seller....but he is using a fictitious name "Kristen Jarvis" to ship to me, telling me to disregard the name and make sure I tell him when I receive the shipment.
qeqo_0
·Sep 9, 2026 at 8:20 PM · EditedIf those are not the items you ordered, you are being scammed @arim777 receiving something else instead.
And if so don't talk to the seller any more. Just click RETURN THIS ITEM on each of the items, to start a RETURN REQUEST for the DOES NOT MATCH DESCRIPTION reason.
Wait 3 business days, and if you don't get a refund or a prepaid return label, come back to click Ask eBay to step in, to get help for a refund or a label.
Otherwise, the seller is using the likely-hijacked Jarvis account to dropship your items, known as a tristrangulation scam. In that case, you can either surrender your items to HD to lose both your items and your money, or just keep the items and ignore the possible fraud.
arim777
OPSep 9, 2026 at 8:46 PMThank you for taking time out to help....we are a small community church and are worried about identity theft........
I bought an item on ebay with this seller and when he said to disregard the name "Kristen Jarvis" on the shipment and that was the same name on those 4 Home Depot shipments we did not buy. He has said 3 times to make sure we let him know when we receive our ebay purchases from him......why would he need us to confirm our receipt when he has account tracking with USPS, Fed Ex and UPs on his ebay seller account?
eburtonlab
·Sep 10, 2026 at 1:45 PMwhy would he need us to confirm our receipt when he has account tracking with USPS, Fed Ex and UPs on his ebay seller account?
Your seller is not actually shipping using USPS, FedEx or UPS. That seller appears to be drop-shipping (incompetently) via Home Depot, which uses its own delivery service and provides no tracking that eBay accepts.
albertabrightalberta
·3 weeks ago@arim777
You ARE being scammed.
The seller is hoping that you will file INR (item not received) and he'll respond with those Home Depot tracking numbers showing delivery and you will lose your INR claim.
He's also hoping that you will lose your 30-day MBG (money back guarantee) because it'll be over 30 days past the estimated delivery date given with your purchase.
You will NOT get whatever it was that you ordered and the time to open a claim is NOW.
Go to your purchase and click the "return this item" choosing "not as described" or "missing parts" as the reason.
The seller will have 3 days to respond with either a refund without your having to return the item or if he wants it back, he needs to send a return shipping label. However since he's not in the US, he won't be able to send the label and will have to send you money BEFORE you return it.
If the seller doesn't respond to the NAD claim, go back to the case on day 4 after you've opened it and ask ebay to step in.
You'll get your refund.
arim777
OP3 weeks agoTHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HELP ME!!!! It's totally crazy that the only help a buyer on eBay can get is from its community members, or other online retailers like Home Depot who care about buyer's security/privacy!!!!!
grann-4629
·3 weeks agoThat's why this forum is here ... you actually get real help from a real person and don't have to deal with AI or foreign agents who you can't understand or tell you lies. Best of luck to you.