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[SCAM REPORT] Sellers Beware!
There's a company in New Castle, DE , apparently they buy stuff online and ship it to Armenia and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The thing is, they buy something from you, let's say a phone, when they receive it, immediately they swap it with a broken one and immediately a totally different absolutely useless junk back to you and get their refund and then ship the phone they stole from you to the countries mentioned above for the people who ordered through their system.
I spent sometime to figure it out, it's not the people buying it in those countries,
DO NOT SHIP ANYTHING TO THEM, just cancel the order as eBay would do ABSOLUTELY nothing for you.
51 comments
kh-samyak
·9 months agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
nh_sales_lv
·9 months agoThese phones that were made in China are getting bought by FF'S only to send the phone made in China back to China.
Make that make sense.
authenticatedcoins
·9 months agoWe were recently scammed out of $312 by shipping to this address.
soh.maryl
·9 months agoOriginal message: 12/24/23.
Freight forwarder.
meekamaye
·2 years agoI have shipped three items to New Castle, DE and not had any problems. One was going to China and two were going to Japan. I have heard nothing from any of the buyers and it is delivered to the shipping company with no problems. I have also used two freight companies in OR. I do not sell internationally but they get by ordering and having it sent to a freight company.
99lewis
·2 years agoI keep getting bids from eBay users for large amounts from Kazakhstan and I keep canceling the bid, but they keep bidding again...any suggestions on what I can do? I cannot seem to find answers or help on eBay.
b86fiero
·2 years agoYou can add their user ID to your blocked bidder list.
deltilogical
·2 years agoWhat would be the profit on stealing say 25 phones a month like this, 10K? It starts to roll up to felonious, inter-state level crime.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI am never surprised when I see the words "scam" and "cell phone" in the same posting. They have to be one of the most targeted items on eBay, among other e-commerce platforms. Others have already provided some excellent advice based on what little is known and can be proved regarding the case. I am glad to hear eBay reviewed the case and you got paid for the item. The only other suggestions I would offer are to.
1. Retain the IMEI numbers for any phone you sell. If you are scammed out of the phone you can report the number to the IMEI blacklist which renders it basically useless to whomever ends up with the phone.
2. Report the scam attempt to the local police department in New Jersey where the freight forwarder is located. If there is a history of complaints they may investigate
3. Report the scam to the FBI cyber crimes division for the same reason regarding a history of complaints.
4. Report the buyer as there is a high probability they are also somehow involved in the scamming efforts. As others mentioned they would have had to been the ones to initiate the refund/return request. Just because the buyers address in international it does not mean they are in fact located there. They could very well be in New Jersey.
5. Add the buyer to your BBL.
Be happy that the buyer opened the claim through eBay and did not do a CC NAD chargeback. The results would likely not have turned out in your favor.
fountain13
·2 years agoI don't know if it's that particular one, I've had plenty of sales from buyers like that. They're in Portland too. They have PMB in the address. At first, I was reluctant to ship to them, but I've never had a problem. Never. I even sent a $700 Care Bear to one in Portland. The tracking never showed up as the item being received so I was biting my nails on that one. But, they gave me a positive rating on it. That was actually the first time I've ever received a rating from one of them.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoA freight forwarder is NOT a buyer. It's a service that international buyers use when they want to buy from a seller who does not ship outside the US. If you received a rating, it was not from the freight forwarder, but from your international buyer. Not that it really makes a lot of difference, only wanted to clarify things.
Additional further information: Once your package is tracked as having been delivered to the FF, your responsibility as a seller ends.
rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years agoUPDATE!
It's only fair I share this update here.
As suspected, buyer shipped back an empty box of USPS. What I did was, as soon as I received the package, I went to my office and turned on the camera, I showed that I had not opened the box, then I opened the box with a cutter in front of camera and I showed that it's empty.
eBay asked me to sign an affidavit saying that I received an empty USPS shipping box, I signed, scanned and uploaded the affidavit and eBay actually sided with me and paid me.
So, dear sellers! Document your case, collect evidence and eBay will side with you if you are right.
Honestly, I'm shocked and very impressed by how quickly eBay handled this case.
Thank you very much eBay Team, my confidence and trust in eBay just quadrupled!
gurlcat
·2 years agoWhat I don't understand is days ago you said you had no way to appeal (even showed a screenshot). So how did you go from that .... to eBay sending you an affidavit to sign?
rseuqinh
·2 years agoIt's a 4-letter word, starts with a k and ends with e. No, not like in The Music Man.
We've seen it time and again, OP posts dirty laundry on the boards, we call in a blue, and it washes white.
gurlcat
·2 years agoKite? Kale? I'd like to buy a vowel please.
I know nothing about the Music Man or whatever that bottle of stuff is, lol.
I have not seen the thing you're talking about with blues. From what I've seen they often can't even provide answers to questions, so I don't know how they would get this OP an affidavit and his money back.
rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years agoI couldn't appeal apparently because the garbage useless return package the scammer sent back wasn't delivered. So you have to wait for their useless package to arrive, then the appeal button works and there you can share your evidence.
stephenmorgan
·2 years agoThat is good news you were able to get this corrected.
Pehaps you could give some details on how you were ablbe to provide the information to eBay and send a Signed Affidavit?
lakefor94
·2 years ago@rsa2048plusdh Many of us would like to hear more details on your successful correction. You are the 2nd member in the last week or so that I have read about that signed an affidavit to get their money back.
rseuqinh
·2 years agoeBay has been using affidavits as its basis for out-of-pocket courtesy refunds, ever since faxing was a thing.
But it helps immensely when a blue forwards the info from an OP, to present for review and resolution.
rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years agoSo basically you have to wait for the scammers to ship back the fake package or whatever they want to send as "return". Once their "return" is delivered, eBay shows option to escalate and open a case. Till that happens, you have no chance of appealing or opening a case.
So I waited, I noticed a package from DE, I immediately turned on camera, recorded the whole thing and I showed on camera that I didn't open the package beforehand and it's as I received it, I also did it minutes after USPS marked the package delivered.
I sent my evidence to eBay photos + Google drive link for the video.
eBay responded and told me that they reviewed my case and if I sign the affidavit they will take action based on that. I signed and within 30 minutes I received an email that my funds are available and not on hold anymore
gurlcat
·2 years agoNot sure what the video footage has to do with eBay's decision. Did they ask you to send it (somehow) before or along-with the affidavit? They have never, and I need to emphasize this NEVER been interested in box opening videos to make funding decisions. Reason being, anyone could remove an item from a box off-camera, then re-tape it shut to film a video of it being cut open revealing emptiness inside. People have even tried using video of opening it at their post office desk with the postal clerk witnessing, and they did all that for nothing because no eBay employee would sit and watch it.
stephenmorgan
·2 years agoHopefully this was not a onetime situation with a compassionate agent and eBay will be more accommodating with the proof they accept in the future.
stephenmorgan
·2 years agoThank you for explaining. This is good information to have incase it is ever needed.
I think where some people loose their claims is they escalate and open a case without providing a solid case during their first attempt as you have done. Good for you!
gurlcat
·2 years agoCan you humor me and tell me in which thread message(s) they talked about their first attempt? The closest to that I see is #16, but it's just a screenshot stating the case is closed and can't be appealed. But they didn't say anything about the nature of what kind of case it was, how they responded, etc. It's all just arguing about whether the buyer was the FF or not, who their CEO and address is, etc.
-The first portion of this situation (before the return was delivered) should not even have been a CASE, just a simple RETURN. So that little screenshot doesn't even make sense. Nothing should have been "closed" while a return package was in transit.
I'm holding my tongue here, but it's getting reeeal hard, lol.
stephenmorgan
·2 years agoYou are correct so I guess I can not humor you. The best I can do is revise my statement to
I think where some people lose their claims is when they escalate and open a case without providing a solid case during their first attempt as you have done during your second attempt. Good for you!
free.deal
·2 years agoMy experience is that eBay only issues the one-time courtesy money out of their pocket with this affidavit for first time victim (buyer always got the money back). If you got scammed again, it will be extremely difficult for eBay to reimburse you no matter what proof you have.
simba6
·2 years agoSince it was reshipped, you should try and fight that with eBay.
rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years ago@ittybitnot
Yeah, those suggestions are absolutely useless, eBay will only and I need to emphasize this, ONLY, side with BUYERS
Absolutely 0 protection for sellers who just want to sell something on eBay
I can't even appeal, so those suggestions do not work at all
I don't care for package forwarders at all, they are in this just like the scammers and in this particular case, I still believe the forwarders are involved in the scam
ittybitnot
·2 years ago, ONLY, side with BUYERS
@rsa2048plusdh
Actually, when the buyers are the victims of the "fake tracking scam" i.e. seller sends a box of rubber bands to the BUYER's local CVS or library instead of the laptop the buyer purchased, eBay's system SIDES WITH THE SELLER. Fake tracking issues are an 'equal opportunity' scam on both sides.
The Buyer that is a victim of 'fake tracking' is thrown under the bus by eBay with equal regularity. Buyers can do a c.card chargeback when they are a victim. Seller's who are victims of the fake tracking return scam cannot, and if they don't know were to go for redress remain victims. For sellers, ebay controls the money and the predictable outcome is fortified by repeated denials in hopes you don't know what to do and give up and go away.
Good luck, and happy holidays to you and yours.
inhawaii
·2 years agoThank you for the information.
I will take the appropriate action.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoThere are many freight forwarders in the State of Delaware because that state has no state sales tax.
Oregon ditto.
The thing about freight forwarders is that, once your shipped package reaches that address, you, the seller, are no longer liable for it.
Perhaps you should do more reading about freight forwarders.
ittybitnot
·2 years agoThe thing about freight forwarders is that, once your shipped package reaches that address, you, the seller, are no longer liable for it.
@soh.maryl
That is, of course, if the seller even is aware of the F.Forwarder issue (address), and KNOWS what to do about it when things 'go south'. Until, that happens, eBay treats it like a regular sale, including the usual subsequent fake tracking return scam component, too.
"The buyer has provided tracking that shows you received the return", case closed.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoThank you for your reply.
reallynicestamps
·2 years ago@rsa2048plusdh
Did you notice the dates on those complaints?
All were months ,even years ago.
Two of the complaints don't make sense in how the Money Back Guarantee works. The complaint has to come from the buyer (overseas) not the forwarder. The other deals with one problem after several easy transactions.
@kyle@ebay
Perhaps someone who deals with criminals using eBay could be notified of suspicions from this member who doesn't seem to be interested in dealing with customer service at

https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.


rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years ago@reallynicestamps There's absolutely no way in the world that my phone got to Armenia this holiday season in 2 days.
I got a refund request with phony photos 1 day after the phone was delivered, I guarantee you, the company in question is the shady one, not the overseas buyer.
a_c_green
·2 years agoOrdinarily I would give the usual response about Freight Forwarders not being the buyers or in on any possible scam, but in this case I would have to agree that if you're getting the fake damage claims and so on within hours of tracking showing the phone's arrival at the reshipper in the U.S., then yes, it does sound like in this case the supposed reshipper may be the scammer as well. You might want to report this to your local Postal Inspector, who in turn can refer this to whoever's in charge in the area of the delivery address.
rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years agoExactly, mind you, I just noticed one more thing, it was also the weekend. So yeah, there's just absolutely no way on earth this phone was forwarded to actual buyer on the other side of the world, dude received it, opened it, photographed it and claimed it was a broken phone.
The scam is happening right here in US, in Delaware.
Plus, the screenshots/photos they shared to "prove" my phone was broken is beyond stupid, in one photo it shows location to be "Malacca, Malaysia" and quality of everything in the photo is perfect EXCEPT the part where it's showing the phone screen, somehow mysteriously screen part is low res...
Very obvious scam, very obvious photoshop job, but eBay won't care.
But I like your idea of reporting them to Postal Inspector, that I'll do. Thank you!
For anyone else wondering, you can report them here
https://www.uspis.gov/report
rugerskick
·2 years agoAlso open police reports on them locally, and once that occurs, contact their local police, they will say report it to your local police and they can liaison with them on the case. Give them the local police report info/case number you already filed, and any contact person at your police dept dealing with it.
Then make sure ebay knows you filed police/crime reports at usps and at the fraudsters local police. To let them know you are serious, and that you also made them aware ebay is enabling these scammers by keeping them on the platform as a fake 3rd party shipper.
dhbookds
·2 years agoI got a refund request with phony photos 1 day after the phone was delivered, I guarantee you, the company in question is the shady one, not the overseas buyer.
Who is the actual buyer on ebay?
If it's someone in Armenia.......your statement doesn't make sense to me.......the refund would go to the buyer....so how can he not be involved? How could a non buyer make the claim to begin with? If someone were just stealing the phone at the reshipper level and mailing a fake one to the buyer.......how would the buyer know until he gets the phone?
What's to prevent the buyer (not the forwarder) to watching the tracking and making the claim after delivery to the forwarder...... He doesn't have the item in hand, but knows it's delivered and will be sent to him.. So he makes the claim.
I would be interested in knowing what happens if they try to return for refund....... Since the seller only has to provide a return label from the reshipper....., I presume the buyer would have a cohort in the States to return something.....empty box, broken phone, etc.
With the exception of Air America, I've never heard of a reshipper being the actual buyer.......and therefore able to make claims, certainly possible I guess.....
Not much coffee yet.....so may be all wrong.
dhbookds
·2 years agoMy error.........I now see you are saying the reshipper IS the buyer.....
stephenmorgan
·2 years agoIs this the same Air America run by the CIA?
ittybitnot
·2 years agoLOL.... I think the name was more like "ShopAmericaAirlines" or something like that (a company in Japan if I recall correctly) ...... Air America was the CIA operative.... they didn't buy squat for anyone...LOL.
Yes, they would pay sellers on behalf of their buyers. There was another one that sent checks drawn on US banks on behalf of their international members (Moneybookers?) but they went by the wayside in favor of required online payments of another sort that could be reversed.
asset_liquidators
·2 years agoYeah that one is "ShopAmerica". I have shipped to them numerous times over the years.
ittybitnot
·2 years agoThere's absolutely no way in the world that my phone got to Armenia this holiday season in 2 days.
@rsa2048plusdh
Of course not. They don't WAIT for the product to arrive in Armenia. The scamming starts as soon as it shows delivered at the Freight Forwarder. When a "not as described" claim is filed, it need not be true, and the photo they have to provide does not have to be your product. One such buyer submitted a picture of a "duck", and was good to go with the eBay auto-bot system used for eBay claims.
If you do not know that the address is a freight forward, eBay is not going to tell you so you can dispense with these claim forthwith before they employ the "next step" which is usually a variation of the "fake tracking" scam (aka cheap trinket return scam) to falsely document that they returned something. The label you send is from the F. Forwarder back to you. Soooooo
Either the buyer uses their own label for a cheap product they buy on the net, or they alter the PDF (change address) on the one you sent so the bar code and tracking number remain the same AND proceed to send an envelope or box of anything to an address in your Zipcode. eBay sees "something was delivered", and though you, the seller get nothing, eBay says you did so you lose. The buyer gets free stuff, and eBay takes the money from you.
This is nothing new. It has been going on for years and basically reported a few times a week on the forums.
Here is just ONE of a few thousand:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Scammed-on-e-Bay-by-buyer/m-p/34170804
After the few initial posts in the above link ^^^^^you will find some information on what to do if you are a victim.
You need to look at the country of origin (registration) of the buyers using that forwarding address. If they have a Zero feedback rating, come back for directions on how to find out for clicking on their number (0) will not take you to the proper place as it does here on the boards.
There a plenty of forwarders in the Wilmington/New Castle area. There are plenty of international users (different IDs) that make use of them. The shipping businesses/entities are NOT the buyers. The buyer can simply use that address so they are allowed to purchase items from sellers who do not wish to ship internationally.
kyle@ebay
Hey @reallynicestamps thanks for the tag. I've gone ahead and sent this info over to be reviewed.
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoWhat makes you think the freight forwarder is switching out the items?
rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years agoThey sent the photos in the "claim", the phone in the photos are not the phone I sent.
You might say how this 950 Ridge Rd, Claymont DE is connected to Globbing... Well
That's their CEO's address
https://www.zoominfo.com/p/David-Harutyunyan/2188900825
Plus it used to be their old address, they keep changing the address when they get caught
https://www.yellowpages.com/claymont-de/mip/globbing-538290109
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoThe address is to a freight forwarder.
They don't buy anything, their customers do and have the order shipped to them.
Then the freight forwarder ships the orders to the overseas customer that bought the item.
rsa2048plusdh
OP2 years agoNope, they do the scamming, receiver is the people listed on LinkedIn as CEO and owners and employees of the Globbing. It's the company doing it, see my screenshots. They opened the box and claimed they received a broken phone minutes after receiving it, not after forwarding it to Armenia or Uzbekistan. I know what I'm talking about
Do you know what's sad? I don't give a da*n about the phone, it's that eBay is enabling these fraudsters and they'll keep scamming people
broto_64
·2 years agoYeh sure that is happening but the buyer need not be a freight forwarder to pull this off because any buyer can return a completely useless item, in fact they can return an empty envelope, and the seller has no choice but to issue a full refund.
My experience most sellers actually have the least problems with freight forwarders, and if the FF is in fact playing dirty they won't last long so most of them have incentive to do this the right way since they get a percentage of the sale for their efforts.
irishmichael4585
·2 years agoFile with the Postal Inspectors for fraud, and file a report on the buyer and add that the Postal case has been opened and then see what EBay does.