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I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me

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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me

But , perhaps because they were originally designed to be used as gifts, like that $5.00 bill grandma used to tuck into your birthday card, they cannot be reclaimed by the giver.

 

So, however the recipient uses it, the sender cannot get their money back.

Message 46 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@releasethekraken_1 wrote:


Maybe I'm missing your point...   .


Evidently.

Message 47 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@sanle_8449 wrote:

 


@silverstatetreasureboxes wrote:

@ra_201044 

     


@ra_201044 wrote:

@bonjourami wrote:

"Easy. They know the card number, and they know who used it. Ebay could go after who used it to get more info or shut them down."

 

And you know this...how? As it says on the back of every card, this card is non refundable. The ops cards were not stolen, he voluntarily handed the numbers over to the scammer.

 

https://pages.ebay.com/giftcardscams/


'The card is non-refundable' - that usually means you can't buy it at a store, then return it to that store for your money back.

 

Correct, they were not stolen, just used in a scam. Whoever got the card used it(or sold it), and ebay would know exactly who used that specific card. They can start from there. If these scammers would start getting phone calls from the ebay legal dept, and the ebay legal department actually DOES something about it, maybe it would help slow this down.

 


You know I agree with what your saying, there has got to be a way to stop this fraud of gift cards and it has to start with the ecommerce sites and their fraud depts.

     Just talking about ebay only, what if every single ebay gift cards came with an exposed 3 digit number on the back. Before anyone could use this card, that 3 digit code must be registered on the site and cannot be used in the 1st 24 hour period after entering this code.

     This code would be linked to the main code that gets scratched off and if these cards were to be used in a scam, alerts would be sent to the ebay fraud divisions where they could trace/ stop the transaction.

     The original purchaser of the gift cards would print out all the 3 digit codes after registering them and be given a special number to call if they suspect fraud.

     Every plan starts with a good idea and I agree that this vehicle/ gift card scam is getting way out of hand. It's time all the big ecommerce sites to take action and NOW!


All that would do is cause the scammers to step up their game


So you are suggesting that everyone does NOTHING about it? At least we are tossing out ideas on how it can be adverted(providing that the greed in people doesn't override their common sense).

 

How does ANYONE in 2021 think that you can get a real car and have it shipped free to you for 800 or 1200 bucks(at least one that has wheels, tires, an engine, transmission, seats, frame, etc.)?

 

It's totally ridiculous.

 

Message 48 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
Maybe I'm missing your point, but eBay gift cards are ultimately used to make payments to sellers, ON EBAY, via the checkout page.

That's true, but the buyer is using a card he received as a gift. He is also making the payment to a known eBay seller.

 

He is not purchasing the gift card himself, then sending the card numbers to a stranger. (He could, in theory, do this in order to buy something on eBay without having a bank account or other on-line funding source, but that would be rather unusual, and I don't know what sort of recourse he would have if the purchase went sideways later on.)

 


@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
And not every gift card is bought to give as a gift.

Actually I can't think of any other (legitimate) reason to buy a gift card. If you're not thinking of the "rather unusual" example I gave above, what are you referring to?

Message 49 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@ra_201044 wrote:

How does ANYONE in 2021 think that you can get a real car and have it shipped free to you for 800 or 1200 bucks(at least one that has wheels, tires, an engine, transmission, seats, frame, etc.)?

Way too many buyers think free shipping is actually free. There are even new sellers that think choosing free shipping on the listing form means it's actually free.

 

A buyer last week told me I should be able to ship something to them for no more than $5. USPS rate was closer to $27 and other carriers were higher than that.

 

How do they go through life like that? Well ... obviously some of them go through life learning the hard way when they get scammed for big bucks on fake car listings.

 

The venue where this was listed has no less than 40 listings for the same car - and at that point I stopped counting. I clicked on about 10 of them and they all had the same gmail address. The listings dated back months. People obviously aren't reporting the scammer to OfferUp or to Gmail. They think the best course of action is to come here because they bought gift cards with the eBay logo on them.

 

I think it was inhawaii's signature I just read that said something like, "common sense isn't that common."

 

To ac green who didn't know why someone would buy a gift card for a reason other than gifting: I buy gift cards for myself because it's easy to get legit discounted gift cards online. People receive cards they don't want as gifts and sell them to sites that buy them for cheap. Those sites re-sell them at below face value.

GLORIOUS!

March shipping tip: Size matters. Enter accurate package dimensions on the listing form and the shipping label.
Message 50 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me

So many red flags.....from the inconsistent seller names and email addresses, to paying for a car with gift cards, to being directed by eBay to buy eBay gift cards at a retail store so you can use the eBay gift cards to pay eBay, to a private sale car with 71,000 miles that's way too clean, to shipping a low cost car, to a deal (even without the shipping cost) that's far too good to be true, to the classic sob story and "God Bless".

 

I'm sorry that you've been a victim of this scam but your money is gone.



VintageCarMagazines

Message 51 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me

Did you actually think you were going to score that care at that price? Take this a a life's lesson, don't trust random people on the internet

Message 52 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@a_c_green wrote:

@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
Maybe I'm missing your point, but eBay gift cards are ultimately used to make payments to sellers, ON EBAY, via the checkout page.

That's true, but the buyer is using a card he received as a gift. He is also making the payment to a known eBay seller.

 

He is not purchasing the gift card himself, then sending the card numbers to a stranger. (He could, in theory, do this in order to buy something on eBay without having a bank account or other on-line funding source, but that would be rather unusual, and I don't know what sort of recourse he would have if the purchase went sideways later on.)

 


@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
And not every gift card is bought to give as a gift.

Actually I can't think of any other (legitimate) reason to buy a gift card. If you're not thinking of the "rather unusual" example I gave above, what are you referring to?


"Actually I can't think of any other (legitimate) reason to buy a gift card."

 

For anonymity. People will buy gift cards to their favorite stores online, pay cash for the gift cards, and then make purchases using guest checkout for purchases that they want to make anonymously, for whatever various rereason. It's  a very common practice.

 

 

Message 53 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me

It seems like there isn't a week that  goes by without someone reporting this same gift card scam to buy a vehicle they found on another website.  I just don't understand why they aren't investigating it their purchase more carefully when no legitimate seller would ever require gifts cards as payment.   If you even put those words into a google search the first thing that comes up are the scam warnings.

 

This is what comes up in a search"

Can you buy a car with eBay Gift Card?
Yes, this is a common scam. Never pay for a vehicle using gift cards. ... You are dealing with a thief and there is no vehicle. If the vehicle is not listed on eBay then eBay has nothing to do with it.

Message 54 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@wastingtime101 wrote:

@ra_201044 wrote:

How does ANYONE in 2021 think that you can get a real car and have it shipped free to you for 800 or 1200 bucks(at least one that has wheels, tires, an engine, transmission, seats, frame, etc.)?

Way too many buyers think free shipping is actually free. There are even new sellers that think choosing free shipping on the listing form means it's actually free.

 

A buyer last week told me I should be able to ship something to them for no more than $5. USPS rate was closer to $27 and other carriers were higher than that.

 

How do they go through life like that? Well ... obviously some of them go through life learning the hard way when they get scammed for big bucks on fake car listings.

 

The venue where this was listed has no less than 40 listings for the same car - and at that point I stopped counting. I clicked on about 10 of them and they all had the same gmail address. The listings dated back months. People obviously aren't reporting the scammer to OfferUp or to Gmail. They think the best course of action is to come here because they bought gift cards with the eBay logo on them.

 

I think it was inhawaii's signature I just read that said something like, "common sense isn't that common."

 

To ac green who didn't know why someone would buy a gift card for a reason other than gifting: I buy gift cards for myself because it's easy to get legit discounted gift cards online. People receive cards they don't want as gifts and sell them to sites that buy them for cheap. Those sites re-sell them at below face value.


"The venue where this was listed has no less than 40 listings for the same car - and at that point I stopped counting. I clicked on about 10 of them and they all had the same gmail address. The listings dated back months. People obviously aren't reporting the scammer to OfferUp or to Gmail. They think the best course of action is to come here because they bought gift cards with the eBay logo on them."

 

"I think it was inhawaii's signature I just read that said something like, "common sense isn't that common.""

 

20210217_023024100.jpeg

Yep and this one has some real big red flags that are out there front and center for everyone to see.

 

"Posted 8 days ago in Macon, Georgia."

 

At that price that car would not have lasted 8 minutes, much less 8 days.

 

Asking price $1,200 with MAKE OFFER? 

This is another tactic used by these scammers to draw people in, to get them talking.

 

The asking price is already listed at $0.020 on the dollar, below market value, and the seller is still willing to entertain offers?

 

What's wrong with this car? Is it stolen? Does have a dead cat smell? Does come with a dead cat? Did someone rollback the odometer? Maybe the car is haunted?

 

Its tragic that this took place and the OP was scammed, but it was avoidable.

Message 55 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@a_c_green wrote:

@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
Maybe I'm missing your point, but eBay gift cards are ultimately used to make payments to sellers, ON EBAY, via the checkout page.

That's true, but the buyer is using a card he received as a gift. He is also making the payment to a known eBay seller.

 

He is not purchasing the gift card himself, then sending the card numbers to a stranger. (He could, in theory, do this in order to buy something on eBay without having a bank account or other on-line funding source, but that would be rather unusual, and I don't know what sort of recourse he would have if the purchase went sideways later on.)

 


@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
And not every gift card is bought to give as a gift.

Actually I can't think of any other (legitimate) reason to buy a gift card. If you're not thinking of the "rather unusual" example I gave above, what are you referring to?


Believe it or not, you can sometime buy gift cards on sale, even eBay cards. I once bought $500 worth of Lowes gift cards at 20% off at one of the dollar stores and used them on a new kitchen floor. I also cash in my eBay credit card points for eBay gift cards, because I can get a $25 eBay card for the same # of points that it takes to get a $20 card for any of the other merchants.

 

Are those reasons legitimate enough for you?

Message 56 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me

Way too many buyers think free shipping is actually free. There are even new sellers that think choosing free shipping on the listing form means it's actually free.

 

A buyer last week told me I should be able to ship something to them for no more than $5. USPS rate was closer to $27 and other carriers were higher than that.

 

How do they go through life like that? Well ... obviously some of them go through life learning the hard way when they get scammed for big bucks on fake car listings.

 

Or the same sellers who have been paying 10% to ebay + 2.9% to PP now get charged 13% to ebay with 0 to PP and think they are paying higher fees(well, they are on higher $ taxable items, but that's besides the point).

 

Message 57 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@go-bad-chicken wrote:

@a_c_green wrote:

@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
Maybe I'm missing your point, but eBay gift cards are ultimately used to make payments to sellers, ON EBAY, via the checkout page.

That's true, but the buyer is using a card he received as a gift. He is also making the payment to a known eBay seller.

 

He is not purchasing the gift card himself, then sending the card numbers to a stranger. (He could, in theory, do this in order to buy something on eBay without having a bank account or other on-line funding source, but that would be rather unusual, and I don't know what sort of recourse he would have if the purchase went sideways later on.)

 


@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
And not every gift card is bought to give as a gift.

Actually I can't think of any other (legitimate) reason to buy a gift card. If you're not thinking of the "rather unusual" example I gave above, what are you referring to?


"Actually I can't think of any other (legitimate) reason to buy a gift card."

 

For anonymity. People will buy gift cards to their favorite stores online, pay cash for the gift cards, and then make purchases using guest checkout for purchases that they want to make anonymously, for whatever various rereason. It's  a very common practice.

 

 


Umm their names and addresses are still going to be used...

Message 58 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
Believe it or not, you can sometime buy gift cards on sale, even eBay cards. I once bought $500 worth of Lowes gift cards at 20% off at one of the dollar stores and used them on a new kitchen floor. I also cash in my eBay credit card points for eBay gift cards, because I can get a $25 eBay card for the same # of points that it takes to get a $20 card for any of the other merchants.

 

Are those reasons legitimate enough for you?


Sure; I don't see any rules getting broken in what you're describing, but you're still using those cards with the original merchants issuing them, either in person or via the company's own website. What you're not doing is emailing the card numbers to someone on the Internet who's promising to sell you a vehicle sight-unseen.

 

I wish that warning sign in the photo I posted earlier would go into more examples of scams, such as buying an unseen vehicle using multiple gift cards. Gawd knows we see enough examples of that around here. Maybe when Warning Sign v2.0 comes out...

Message 59 of 68
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Re: I had $2,200.00 in eBay gift cards stolen from me


@a_c_green wrote:

@releasethekraken_1 wrote:
Believe it or not, you can sometime buy gift cards on sale, even eBay cards. I once bought $500 worth of Lowes gift cards at 20% off at one of the dollar stores and used them on a new kitchen floor. I also cash in my eBay credit card points for eBay gift cards, because I can get a $25 eBay card for the same # of points that it takes to get a $20 card for any of the other merchants.

 

Are those reasons legitimate enough for you?


Sure; I don't see any rules getting broken in what you're describing, but you're still using those cards with the original merchants issuing them, either in person or via the company's own website.


Of course I am. But when I commented:

 

"And not every gift card is bought to give as a gift."

 

your reply was:

 

"Actually I can't think of any other (legitimate) reason to buy a gift card."

 

Clearly there are legitimate reasons to buy a gift card other than giving it as a gift. I can even sell the gift card to someone outside of eBay, so using it with someone other than the original merchant can also be legitimate.

 

Obviously the OP was scammed, but your all-inclusive statements are simply not accurate.

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