Scammed! What can I do? Please help

[01.kenny.308]

In hindsight, it was so obvious. The dude contacts me outside of ebay, says he'll pay. I tell him to go through eBay, he just dances around the question. Worst English I've ever seen (not that that's a tell, but it's important for other evidence.) I get an email from "service@payebays.com" which I just skimmed over like a fool. In the email there were a lot of grammatical mistakes (again, I skimmed over). He said he needed the Tracking Number before I could get payed. Turns out paypal should've pinged me if it was legit. Alright so there's all the signs, nobody else fall for that, please.

Anyway, I'm wondering what I can do. I've filed a mail fraud report within about 6 hours of mailing the package, but we know how good bureaucracy is. I tried to request package interception but the package is ineligible somehow, so that's great. I have receipts, the email itself, and the texts we exchanged before I sent the package. A phone number, address and name,  (probably all fake).

What else can I do eBay? Help a fella out!

[lacemaker3]

Your best chance in this situation is to intercept the package.

I know you said you already tried that, but why couldn't you do it? 

• Did you try asking the postmaster at your post office to file the intercept request for you?
• Or maybe call the toll-free number for the post office, and ask them for help to file the intercept?
• Look up the phone number for the post office where it is being delivered, and call them and ask them to hold the package and file the intercept?

Reportedly, once the package has gone out for delivery, it is too late to file, but if it doesn't get delivered that day for some reason, there may be another chance.

I don't see any completed or sold listings on this account. What item was it? Item number?

[01.kenny.308]

I must've forgot to mention it, but the purchase never went through eBay, so the site can't help me. Really I was being dumb and naive. My phone's busted, so I can't contact the post office, which is closed on Sundays. This scammer's supposed to get my package on Monday (tomorrow), so I don't know what I can do. I guess I might have to take the kick in the balls, and lose all that money...

Thank you for the suggestions though.

[buyselljack2016]

Don't know how much the sale was, but package intercept(if successful) is like $12.50

May just have to chalk it up to lesson learned.

If a bunch of money I would try the intercept. Never heard of not eligible.

[ozarks.2012]

Your second mistake is coming on this forum and admitting you did a deal outside of Ebay. That is an absolute no no. You could lose your selling privileges.

[orangehound]

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@01.kenny.308 wrote:

What else can I do eBay? Help a fella out!

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Call the postal inspection service at 877-876-2455 and see if they can help out - they are the USPS police.  Since it is a package that hasn't been delivered, this could be an opportunity to get an arrest.

I would also call the local police in the jurisdiction where the package is sent and get them involved ... file a police report.

You might not get your item back, but perhaps you could help catch a thief.

[quality_style_with_brand]

I myself almost got scammed once and then a few days later once again!
The first time the guy wrote together with the offer that I should text him directly!
I did, then when he asked me for my PayPal email, I called ebay if there’s such a thing to purchase something off the ebay site, the rep. Told me right away that this is a typical SCAM! So I texted him that I only work through the ebay site and didn’t hear from him ever since. But I found in my spam 2 emails from “service@PayPal” ending with “@gmail.com”!
& he wrote that I may need to upload the tracking number before I see the money in my account!
The second time when I got the same offer from a different buyer also with a similar message to text him directly, I texted him right away that I only work through the ebay site, & didn’t hear from him since then,
Both buyers had opened there account within the month of the SCAM, & The second buyer / scammer opened his account that day!
SELLERS BE AWARE
1 - never to sell off the site,
2 - before you deal with someone it’s good to see When the account was created! Simply by clicking on the buyers name.