scam ship to address; my item sent to a bogus address

[dianebog]

I just experience a situation which has occurred with ebay before.  Not having any luck resolving.

I live in Massachusetts and purchased an item on 1/25.  I got a delivery confirmation yesterday and not having anything delivered to my home, I looked at the shipping detail and the item was delivered to 8550 NW 70th St., Miami, FL.   I never changed my ebay address to this address.  Ebay can clearly see I've always lived in the same town in Massachusetts.  Ebay is not offering any relief because I notified PayPal before I filed a claim with ebay.  I was told that negates the claim process.  Paypal promptly denied my claim because to them, the item was delivered (albeit to the wrong, scam address).  Ebay will not reopen the claim.  I called my bank because PayPl debited from my account and they (the bank) immediately denied my claim because the item was delivered.  This situation has occurred many times before according to the Google search I did on the Miami address.  You would think ebay would not allow the Miami address as a shipping address.   Any advice?  Anybody else have this happen to them?

Below is a cut and paste of just one of the related scam situations I found via Google:

‎11-06-2020 01:38 AM

I ran across your article after doing a Google search of the address 8550 NW 70th Street, Miami, FL.  Although my recent experience is different, there has to be a connection.  I purchased a purse on EBAY in late October and paid for it with Paypal. On or about November 3rd, I received an email confirming delivery of my item to this address in Miami, FL. I live in Louisiana.

I contacted the seller, EBAY, and Paypal.  The seller basically said it was my problem because EBAY gave them the address.  EBAY said the seller provided them with tracking info and the item was delivered. And Paypal said EBAY informed them the item was delivered, so Paypal also denied my claim. I've appealed with both EBAY and Paypal, suggesting they look at my purchase history since 2006 where EVERY purchase went to the same address in Louisiana. My profiles with both EBAY and Paypal both have my correct address, so How in the world did someone intercept my purchase and have EBAY and the seller mail it to this address in FL? 

[ittybitnot]

 the item was delivered to 8550 NW 70th St., Miami, FL.

@dianebog 

That address is for a freight forwarder.  A couple of things could have happened.  It is possible the someone contacted your seller when the listing ended posing as you through the eBay message system.   They then came up with some story how there is some sort of emergency and they need to have the package sent to another address.  Your seller may have fallen for this and obliged. 

You need to check on this page and use the edit function to see if any of your addresses have been changed.  If so, it would be an indication that your eBay account has been compromised. 

https://accountsettings.ebay.com/uas/addresses

Once you file with PayPal, eBay no longer is obliged to help you.  Once you file with your bank, PayPal is no longer required to help you.  Basically, if you insist on filing "item not received" PayPal or your bank simply sends the claim to eBay, who replies with the same phony "tracking shows delivered" notice.   
Nobody checks.  Basically, it is automated. 

You need to forget about the "item not received" nomenclature, and contact your bank and claim fraudulent activity regarding the shipment that it was not to your address i.e. Fake tracking scam instead of INR. 

[lakefor94]

That was a great overall explanation @ittybitnot .

Good read.

Hope the OP used a credit card thru PayPal 

[mudshark61369]

@dianebog,

You did give up your ebay protections, when you filed with PayPal first, and you may have lost their protections, by filing with your bank/card provider.  They refused your claim because none of them can access actual shipping label information, address or package info type/size/weight. because they are neither the sender or recipient.  Even you will have issues getting the info especially when dealing with UPS or FedEx.

Because you have been the victim of a fake tracking scam, in order to get the info you need to file an appeal, you will have to do some leg work.  You will have to go to your P.O. or  a local UPS or FedEx store.        You need to bring a copy of your order details page which shows your address and the tracking number with you. If you bought using a phone or tablet, you can bring that to show the clerk the order details. In the case of FedEx and UPS, if you can call them first and get them to send you an email saying the label's address does not match yours. bring a copy of that or your device with the email, with you to one of their stores. eBay will not accept an email as proof, because emails can be faked, I can't say if PayPal or a card provider will either.

   You want to ask the clerk to check the label address against yours on the order details page, and also to check the Package type/size/weight info to see if was is appropriate for what you should have received. .   If the info does not match up, you ask the clerk to write a note on Company stationary saying in general that the shipping label's address was not yours, and if applicable that the package type/size/weight was not right for what you should have received. Show them a copy of the email, which may get the clerk to agree to writing the note. Explain that ebay doesn't accept emails. Do not ask them to write specific address or package info, they cannot give it out.  Have the clerk print their name then sign and date the note.

Once you have the note, you can contact PayPal or your card provider and ask them how you can transmit to them. It should be enough to get you a refund.

"This situation has occurred many times before according to the Google search I did on the Miami address. You would think ebay would not allow the Miami address as a shipping address. Any advice? Anybody else have this happen to them".

Since eBay and other sites,  PayPal and other payment processors, and banks cannot access shipping label info this has become a very popular scam since the Covid lock downs. (note the date of the article you posted) Scammers know how the privacy policies block them from getting the info, and count on buyers giving up after a try or two.  FYI, many articles found on Google are from people who never read the terms of ebay's Money Back Guarantee and followed them.

   In the future I strongly suggest that you check the feedback profile pages of each seller you intend to buy from, before bidding on or buying their items.  You can access a seller's feedback profile page from near the bottom of listing pages. Use the See All Feedback  button below where their name is in a large font.  On the profile page if the seller has received neutral or negative feedback, click on the numbers of them to read only those comments. Never go by a feedback percentage alone. Some people who have been scammed but did not file a dispute may have left feedback saying they never received their items even through there was a delivered scan. People who lost disputes cannot leave feedback. 

[ittybitnot]

Hope the OP used a credit card thru PayPal

@lakefor94 

The OP was denied by PayPal and their bank card as well.  Typically, it is because they claim "item not received" when there is recorded delivery (albeit fake).  Of course, ebay, PayPal, or the card company have a "fake tracking scam" option in their drop down menus when filing a claim.   For a victim's first rodeo with this problem "I didn't get it"  does not cut it.   It simply lets everyone involved "off the hook" when naturally if you didn't get what your ordered you would claim so.  

[kensgiftshop]

Since you opened a case with your bank, neither Ebay or Pay Pal will do anything to help now.

Get a letter from the carrier stating that the package was not addressed to you and it was delivered to a different address.

Give that letter to your bank and see if it helps any.

[lakefor94]

@ittybitnot 

Ahhh, yes. I missed the part about the OP already burning thru the bank as well.

"Of course, ebay, PayPal, or the card company have a "fake tracking scam" option in their drop down menus when filing a claim."

I was also not aware that eBay had a fake tracking scam selection.  Did you mean, NOT have that selection available? ( I really don't know)

[ittybitnot]

  Did you mean, NOT have......

@lakefor94 

Yes.  

[lakefor94]

---

@ittybitnot wrote:

  Did you mean, NOT have......

@lakefor94 

Yes.  

---

The fake tracking scam is so prevalent these days, they ought to have it as a selection and a cut a dry process to easily verify and make the buyers whole.

We are seeing this day in and day out, all day.....

[airsheep]

Particularly since it's so difficult to prove a negative, in this case I didn't receive it, when getting acceptable evidence is so hard.

[albertabrightalberta]

My guess is that it's not a fake tracking scam perpetrated by the seller but is one in which someone claiming to be the buyer contacted the seller and requested they ship to a different shipping address. 

@dianebog 

Is it a fairly new seller? 
Have you contacted the seller to ask if they were contacted and requested to change the address? If I were you, I'd email the seller to find out and give them a heads up that this scam occurred.

If I'm not mistaken, there used to be an option for claims when the tracked delivery address wasn't the same (zip code) as the order called for. Did the ability to make a claim that way disappear? 

[ittybitnot]

If I'm not mistaken, there used to be an option for claims when the tracked delivery address wasn't the same (zip code) as the order called for. Did the ability to make a claim that way disappear? 

@albertabrightalberta 

That was, and still is a regular INR claim.  In general, it won't help the buyer if the seller shipped a 2 ounce parcel to the local gas station in their zipcode,  instead of the computer they ordered, but to a different state is basically inexcusable.  I have seen a few more buyers claim to be losing these of late even when the zipcodes don't match, or even when shipped to a different state.  It is almost as if tracking "showing delivered to anywhere" will suffice for the eBay bots and regular CS. Nobody is checking.  

I do hope the OP @dianebog returns to the discussion.  They should have prevailed in the original eBay claim for INR.  I have a feeling the OP may have just filed in more than one place at overlapping times for INR, giving eBay, PayPal, and the card company all a "free pass" so to speak.  

[albertabrightalberta]

---

@ittybitnot wrote:

I have a feeling the OP may have just filed in more than one place at overlapping times for INR, giving eBay, PayPal, and the card company all a "free pass" so to speak.  

---

And that's too bad because had @dianebog not filed so many claims in so many places, had she stuck with ebay and appealed with evidence of delivery to (not only) the wrong zip code but to a state 1000 miles away, she would have won the case and received a refund.

[vintagecraze50]

Yeah, I would like to know exactly how they are handling this scam because I see many of these coming on to the discussion board.

[rseuqinh]

---

@vintagecraze50 wrote:

---

@albertabrightalberta wrote:

with evidence of delivery

-- to (not only) the wrong zip code

-- but to a state 1000 miles away

she would have won the case and received a refund.

---

Yeah, I would like to know exactly how they are handling this scam

because I see many of these coming on to the discussion board. 

---

Here's how eBay is handling the done-on-purpose zip code mismatch INR now --

a new timeline that the scammers (with a firm grasp of how eBay works) have engineered.

1. After a purchase, the seller adds a tracking number which doesn't move for days, then is

signature delivered 1000 miles away just before the due date, and EBAY SHOWS DELIVERED.

2. When asked the seller delays several days between replies, promising to fix the problem.

3. The buyer contacts eBay hoping the enormous zip code mismatch will quickly get a refund.

Instead eBay starts an Item Not Received case, assuring that the mismatch "should" be noticed.

4. The seller provoked that INR for 30 days after the purchase, not 30 days after the due date,

-- uploads a tracking number showing a delivery to the buyer's zip code 3 days after the purchase,

-- quickly escalates* the INR, and the case closes without a refund and feedback is blocked/removed.

*no need to talk to eBay, since it's conveniently an online case, which helps to keep a low profile

5. The buyer loses an appeal for any of three reasons (too lazy to list). And now it's past 30 days since the fake actual delivery date, blah blah blah.

Recap:

-- The original tracking shows legit delivered 1000 miles away, almost 30 days after the purchase.

-- The fake tracking shows legit delivered 1 mile away, 3 days after the purchase.

-- eBay on social media can't keep up with the scams.