What step(s) is Ebay making in reducing fraud accounts?
First off how is there not a general "fraud/security" forum topic...?!
I'm very curious what steps Ebay is making/plans to make in regards to reducing the amount of fraud accounts, especially after selling an item & getting bogus phishing messages to ship to a new address...this has been happening multiples times over this last year & doesn't seem to be getting any better...
Does anyone else have this same issue...?
20 comments
stainlessenginecovers
·2 years agoSimply NOT feasible to 'figure out' who is a fraudulent account and who is not. Thousands of NEW ACCOUNTS every day.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agohow is there not a general "fraud/security" forum
Some frauds are perpetrated by sellers and some by buyers.
I suppose it makes sense to separate them.
And sometimes what seems like a simple question is exposed as a fraud.
The whole eBay Finance for cars for example. (Which doesn't exist).
reducing the amount of fraud accounts,
The introduction of Managed Accounts which demands SSN and a checking account in the USA for new and returning sellers is much stronger than anything I had to do setting up my original account in 1998 or my Paypal account circa 2005.
getting bogus phishing messages to ship to a new address...
EBay masked buyer IDs many years ago with the idea of stopping fake Second Chance Offers.
And eBay strongly discourages shipping to any address other than that on the original order and payment.
this has been happening multiples times over this last year
I have never literally never had this happen, over 20+ years and seven accounts. I know others have reported this scam.
Usually the victim is new to selling online.
Using the discounted shipping labels eBay sells is some protection.
Sell your items at a fixed buy it now price, immediate payment required and NO best offers.
This is excellent advice
Although Best Offers are a useful sales tool best to avoid them until you have more Selling Feedback.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 years agoA long long time ago in an ebay far far away...there used to be a Safe Harbor board, later changed to Trust & Safety. But that quietly vanished one day.
Heck there was even a Seller Protection board for a very very brief moment in ebay board history. The dedicated Seller Protection team was very good, so that didn't last long.
lakefor94
·2 years agoDoubt that eBay would do more for sellers at this point. Like another poster stated and I do the same, Buy It Now with Immediate Payment cuts down on scams. Scammers also avoid TRS's who accept returns or sellers that have Free returns. Sellers need to learn the ropes and how to work within the system.
ebay needs to do more for buyers. The fake tracking scams run amuck with NO help for buyers other than the buyer having to do all the foot work with the carriers in order to appeal. This is pitiful.
Then there are the sellers that run the buyers around about return labels trying to push them past the return window. Buyers have to contact ebay to get that crap straightened out.
Ebay needs to run these sellers off the platform.
It is the buyers that need ebay's attention, not the sellers.
gurlcat
·2 years agoAgree 100% about scammers avoiding sellers who accept returns especially free ones. It's just a shame that so many sellers think the opposite is true, that it would make them more vulnerable to fraud.
I'm returning an item right now, that if I wanted I could have had for free, because the seller had no returns and didn't know what do do with an INAD, so of course he was notably ticked off at me, but I just gently guided him through it, feeling kinda bad for him but this item is no good, lol. At one point he said he'd never had a return before, but that was clear already. If I hadn't nudged him past "I"m not refunding you til you send it back!" and "You have my address, it's right on the package", because he didn't know he needed to choose a return label option and send it to me .... I could have just sat pretty for 3 days and then asked ebay to "step in."
But I don't understand what you mean about sellers giving buyers the runaround in that way. The message from ebay says right on it, if the seller doesn't give you a return label you can ask us to step in, beginning (date).
lakefor94
·2 years agoIf the seller has the "provide RMA number" option on in return settings, they can choose to have eBay provide a label, provide their own label or select, label already sent.
Certain sellers like to choose, label already sent when they have not sent squat.
This screws the buyer around and the clock is still ticking on the total time allowed for the buyer to send the item back. The buyer has to contact eBay to get things rolling and eBay then gives the seller 5 more days to provide the label or provide the buyer with money to purchase the label. Makes the buyer jump thru hoops to send an item back.
In the meantime the seller's are also telling other lies to the buyer like, "You have to close the return in order for me to refund you". This is after they have already tried to get them to agree to a partial refund, yada, yada, yada.
It is just an all around Very poor eBay experience for a ton of buyers. I would not come back if I was a novice eBay buyer.
These scams are rampant.
robbie31415
·2 years agoI want to clarify that having RMA doesn't start the clock to return the item.
The clock starts once the seller has accepted and provided a label. Unless buyer is responsible then the timer starts once accepted.
The only timer having RMA required starts is the 3 business days to ask ebay to step in.
lakefor94
·2 years agoHaving RMA allows the seller to make his choice. If the seller selects "label already sent", (even though a label has not been sent) the buyer will never see the, "ask eBay to step in" option after 3 days.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoThe fake tracking scams run amuck with NO help for buyers other than the buyer having to do all the foot work with the carriers in order to appeal.
Perhaps this is off topic but a lot of the reason that this scam works is the out of date and inaccurate zipcode system used by USPS and by couriers.
It was introduced very early, one of the first postal systems to do so, and the numeric system was almost immediately shown to be inadequate.
Thus the four digit extension being added soonish after.
And I notice that when I print up a label for a US customer, the extension is always there.
Zipcodes are huge, from my viewpoint here in Canada. My own (alpha-numeric) postal code is less than one suburban block. The apartment block across the street, some 20 apartments, has two postal codes. (Google V8R 5G8 and 02876 to compare).
How much closer does the four digit extension get your zipcode to your address?
fashunu4eeuh
·2 years agoeBay does not share its security measures, nor discuss them with sellers and buyers. They keep the lid on tightly so as not give scammers a chance to circumvent their procedures.
Do not expect them to protect you from fraud. It is up to each seller to guard their own interests. Buyers, on the other hand, do have significant protections from fraud.
stuff4divas
·2 years ago@robbypoison report fraud here> https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/working-sellers/seller-fraud?id=4024
and if u c a listing that looks fraudulent, click on the 'report' button
robbypoison
OP2 years agoWhat program? @heckofagame
heckofagame
·2 years ago@robbypoison The vigilant seller program. It falls on us to not be taken by fraudsters.
There is really no way to prevent fraud. Methods come and go, but if someone is determined to steal from you, they will find a way.
robbypoison
OP2 years agoI get that! Just figured eBay as the hosting platform has a duty to protect its users better than a free or public marketplace like Craigslist…or at least protect their own reputation before more users become frustrated and look elsewhere. This is coming from a seller who’s been here from the beginning of eBay.
hartungcards
·2 years agoeBay is waiting for someonbe to list a refurbished Fraud-O-Meter at a reasonable price. With free shipping.
ckimodog
·2 years ago@robbypoison
Hi
As far as any of us here know, eBay hasn't really announced any plans concerning multiple accounts. Grant it, I agree with you. It's too easy to be suspended for fraudulent activity only to create another account and do the same thing over again. It's not fair to the sellers or the good buyers. What you can do is Stop with the auctions and the best offers. That's why you are being targeted. Sell your items at a fixed buy it now price, immediate payment required and NO best offers. I think you will find that you will have less of these types taking up your time. You obviously are smart enough to recognize the scams, nip it in the bud. Buy it now. You'll see more money coming your way that you don't have to chase.
Happy Selling and Good luck to you
rugerskick
·2 years agoHeres why any excuse ebay gives is **bleep**.
If they ban a seller, they ban them from the site. Account is closed. Any associated accounts are often also closed. If you try to create an account again they scan the info and if its connected to a banned account, they ban that account. Its obvious they clearly have this ability. They apply it to sellers all the time.
How about applying it to fraudulent buyers? Most of it is automatic anyway.
eburtonlab
·2 years agoHow about applying it [banning] to fraudulent buyers?
Even if eBay required valid ID from every buyer to open or keep an account, that still would not stop scammers from hijacking existing user accounts and using those for scamming.
heckofagame
·2 years agoIf you are not falling for the fraud attempts, then the program is working.
robbie31415
·2 years agoAny stricter guidelines would make it harder for legitimate new accounts being created. If the process becomes harder people would probably default back to the marketplace they normally use.
You use the report and block functions that eBay has provided you.