Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or Interpol if you experience fraud

[gilc_jeff]

I was scammed out of hundreds of dollars from a seller in Ebay. I tried to resolve the matter through official Ebay channels but they defended the fraudulent seller and disregarded my legitimate request for assistance. Since my attempt at warning legitimate buyers here was deleted by Ebay moderators, I had no recourse but to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as Interpol (some of the sellers are outside the US).  I advise everyone who was defrauded by an illegitimate seller on Ebay to do the same.  

[lakefor94]

If I was ever scammed by a seller, I would just notify my payment source and get my money back.

Easy peasy.

[kensgiftshop]

If you had used the MBG within 30 days, you would have been refunded.

You let the seller stall long enough and the MBG expired and Ebay won't do anything after that.

Not sure what the FTC would do, when you let the seller do it?

[roccotacodad54]

    "I had no recourse but to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as Interpol (some of the sellers are outside the US). I advise everyone who was defrauded by an illegitimate seller on Ebay to do the same. "

   Did you get a satisfactory outcome doing as you suggest? Like as in your money back? Just curious if it worked for you to be made whole or if you are advising people to do the same not knowing if it would even work? It would help people decide if they knew your outcome.....................

[soh.maryl]

So you bypassed opening an item not received case or an item not as described case per eBay's Money Back Guarantee for buyers?

And did you get results by  reporting this to FTC, Interpol etc? 

Care to tell us exactly what the problem was? 

[reallynicestamps]

How did you pay?
Paypal allows 120 days from payment for a Buyer Protection claim. Most credit cards allow up to 180 days.

What was your step between eBay with its 30 day Money Back Guarantee, and the Federal Trade Commission?

[tobaccocardyahoo]

IMO neither of those is the most effective way to file a complaint.

Try the FBI's IC3 website

https://www.ic3.gov/

and report the transaction to your local law enforcement.

As @lakefor94 suggests a dispute with your credit card issuer is probably appropriate.

As for PayPal, they are likely to defer to any Ebay decision if you opened a case with Ebay.

[kathiec]

Back in the days before eBay had a Money Back Guarantee I reported a transaction that was never delivered to the IC3 website. Their reaction was a massive yawn. I never heard one word beyond 'we received your report'. And unless the seller is in the same locale as you local law enforcement will do nothing. 

[mudshark61369]

@gilc_jeff ,

You posted about the same topic on the Mentor board yesterday about 6 hours before posting about it here. The topic was not removed but the seller's username was because you named and shamed them which is a community policy violation. 

Your first post can be found by clicking on the link below.

 https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Seller-FRAUD/td-p/35134940 

eBay could not help you because you let the seller stall you past the 30 day from the last estimated delivery date, Money Back Guarantee (MBG) time frame for filing an Item Not Received (INR) dispute.  

 Neither the FTC who has no power over internationally located sellers, or Interpol will help you with this issue. Both will take one look at ebay's MBG policy and drop the case. 

 As some of the earlier replies have stated, going to your payment service or source may be the only way you will get a refund. 

  eBay's Money Back Guarantee works, but only for those who have read its terms and time frames. There is a link to the policy on every listing page below the payment icons but here it is for you (link below)  

In the future avoid buying items from China based sellers or locations. 

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy... 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

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@kathiec wrote:

Back in the days before eBay had a Money Back Guarantee I reported a transaction that was never delivered to the IC3 website. Their reaction was a massive yawn. I never heard one word beyond 'we received your report'. And unless the seller is in the same locale as you local law enforcement will do nothing. 

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You get no response which is specific from any venue you place a complaint, the other party has privacy rights.

The expectation that some bureaucrat at the FTC will do anything which benefits you is pretty far fetched, and Interpol is even more unlikely than local law enforcement to take an action.

IC3 is more likely to act on complaints once the same perpetrator is reported multiple times. Ebay, for that matter, is also more likely to act on multiple complaints.  You want quicker gratification - SUE.

[kathiec]

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@tobaccocardyahoo wrote:

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@kathiec wrote:

Back in the days before eBay had a Money Back Guarantee I reported a transaction that was never delivered to the IC3 website. Their reaction was a massive yawn. I never heard one word beyond 'we received your report'. And unless the seller is in the same locale as you local law enforcement will do nothing. 

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You get no response which is specific from any venue you place a complaint, the other party has privacy rights.

The expectation that some bureaucrat at the FTC will do anything which benefits you is pretty far fetched, and Interpol is even more unlikely than local law enforcement to take an action.

IC3 is more likely to act on complaints once the same perpetrator is reported multiple times. Ebay, for that matter, is also more likely to act on multiple complaints.  You want quicker gratification - SUE.

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Not having been born yesterday I'm aware of how these things work. 🙄 I'm also aware that because of the volume of complaints they receive IC3 only acts on high-dollar complaints. I can also state that I never got my money back, and the seller against whom the complaint was made continued to sell on eBay. 

[house*of*paws]

Hi @gilc_jeff

If I were defrauded by an illegitimate eBay seller ... and wasn't able to get refunded using eBay's Money Back Guarantee ... then I would think the easiest solution would be to contact the Fraud Department of my credit card company.

Your advice seems a bit dramatic, complicated, and not likely to yield a refund within my lifetime.

[reallynicestamps]

Interpol is one of those things like the Better Business Bureau and Judge Judy which most people do not understand.

The AI overview meets with my small knowledge* of the organization.

AI Overview

Interpol, formally known as the International Criminal Police Organization, is a global organization that facilitates international police cooperation to combat crime. It acts as a platform for member countries to share information and coordinate efforts in preventing and fighting various forms of crime, but it does not actively investigate crimes itself. 

The Better Business Bureau is a private franchised business which offers some mediation in disputes between customers and local businesses.

Judge Judy is not  a judge but an entertainer. She has/had a TV show which offered mediation  in colorful disputes.

*FWIW - at one time in my varied career I was a civilian employee of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

[12345jamesstamps]

First, there is the MBG for 30 days which you can do through eBay.

A simple dispute with your debit or credit card online would work as well.

It doesn't matter what country the buyer lives in.

[ingyhere]

@lakefor94 wrote:

If I was ever scammed by a seller, I would just notify my payment source and get my money back.

Easy peasy.

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In most cases, yes. We don't know how the buyer paid. If it were through an EBay gift card or a pre-paid cc, then perhaps there's no external protection. Live and learn. 

It's a good thing to report to authorities. When pressure is brought to bear by a bulk of cases then EBay will address loopholes that allow fraud.