What's the scam? 5 Different users shipping to same address.

[surplustexas]

Over the past week, I've encountered a fraud/scam attempt.

5 different user accounts - buying multiples of the same $29 item

BUT all shipping to the same address.

The top line is not a name but Sqt Nobox Lmd

I've called ebay.  Of course they said do not ship the item and cancel the transactions.

But I want to know what is the scam>

Stealing people's accounts and then buying item with their money?

Who is at the other end of the address?  Looks like a nice house.

Thought about contacting the local police there?

Steve

[stainlessenginecovers]

Members are allowed to have multiple accounts so that's not a 'thing' to worry about.

You may have a max purchase set in your 'preferences'; you would have to check that (can choose 'not allow buyer more than 10 a 10 day period for example). So, the buyer may have made 'other accounts' to get around that. 

[ittybitnot]

@surplustexas 

I do not see multiple sales of a $29 item in your sold history. Did you use another ID for this product?  You do know that if eBay gave you  incorrect information about 'cancelling' these sales, you could run into subsequent trouble for doing so and nobody will care if you acted on the bad advice. 

Multiple sales by different users to the same address is often an indication of a "freight forwarder" situation. It need not be a commercial address, but somebody's "Uncle Fred" or a private individual  acting as one. In what state is this address?  

Some things to check.  Where are the buyer IDs registered/located?  are they all zero feedback newbies who signed up this week from an "out of the US" location?  

[kensgiftshop]

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@surplustexas wrote:

The top line is not a name but Sqt Nobox Lmd

---

Could be a freight forwarder and that is their ID for the freight forwarder.

[interstateblue]

Yes it is another account

not a forwarding service

nice house in a residential area

The fact they all bought the exact same item - a thermometer is very fishy.  

this same thing happened to me a few months ago.  Ebay closed all those buyer accounts

[surplustexas]

Let me clarify my opening statement.

1.  The address listed is a house in a residential neighbor that sold in 2021 $750,000

2.  Not a freight forwarder.

This same situation happened several months ago to me and they also bought the same exact item - a braun thermometer.  Very strange.

I caught it and called ebay.  They closed all their seller accounts.

So it is a scam I know that...just trying to figure out what it their take on it?  Stealing money from someone's account, etc.  I'm not the only seller this has happened to as I read their feedback.  They take over accounts that have not been used or they create new ones.

Steve

[ittybitnot]

@interstateblue 

Thanks for the info regarding your seller account.  So where were "they", as in the different buyer accounts,  registered? For example, a buyer can be registered in Egypt but have a US address.  If none of them had feedback, you may have to tweek another URL that is on another feedback page (you can use your own) in order to see the profile by inserting their user ID instead of the one you are viewing.  

In what state is this "nice house"? 

When the similar situation occurred a few months back, how long before the buyer IDs were canned?  Had you shipped any product? 

Sellers are protected only for "Item Not Received" claims if tracking shows delivery to the address provided by eBay.  In this case the address is for that "nice house".  The concern would be for subsequent 'not as described' claims for which you would be "on the hook" of course. 

Sorry to be asking you so many questions, I am just trying to ascertain what is going on with this.  Trying out stolen C.cards comes to mind, but when they start with chargebacks, those involved may have to "move out of that nice house" so to speak.  Another thought would be some scammer scenario where they higher some innocent work at home mom to forward the goods.  Then the question is why just thermometers?  The devil is in the details. 

[surplustexas]

Yes they are 5 different users with zero or low feedback that was acquired within a few days.

Ebay has closed the first three accounts from a month ago

The two orders yesterday - ebay closed one account but left the other one open not sure why?

I cancelled all orders

The phone number associated with five accounts is the same phone number and that person at the other end claims to know nothing and get upset when you contact them

Steve

[kensgiftshop]

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@interstateblue wrote:

Yes it is another account

not a forwarding service

nice house in a residential area

The fact they all bought the exact same item - a thermometer is very fishy.  

this same thing happened to me a few months ago.  Ebay closed all those buyer accounts

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Not really.

Could be a boarding house for elderly people or running a day care.

I don't think a thermometer would be very high on a scammers list.

[gloryglorygifts]

I'm even afraid to answer this but I had a similar problem two years ago with multiple orders in Florida that were all going to the same address in Miami. You would never think religious products would be scam worthy, but the scammers don't care. I believe that there were 5 customers involved, different counties, and I reached out to them. All of them had one thing in common -  their paypal accounts stolen. The thieves used their names, but changed the addresses on all of the accounts to their own. They were all bulk item sales. Not only did the victims report it to the police, I called the Miami p.d. and filed my own police report. The police KNEW the address before I finished saying it. 

Trust your gut. The only thing that you can do is block them on here and of course, do what ebay says and cancel the transaction with problem to the customer address. 

[dirk12955]

Tagging on:   

In what universe is it impossible for a freight forwarder to be operating out of his home?

I know several mail order sellers that operate from home.

We just had a discussion on this board about a seller that had several sales of the same 

item to Japan thru what was probably an airline magazine.    

[mam98031]

Ebay will not share private account information with you, nor should you expect it as you will always be disappointed.  

Make sure you cancel them using the reason as problem with their address.  That way it doesn't count against you.

[mam98031]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

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@surplustexas wrote:

The top line is not a name but Sqt Nobox Lmd

---

Could be a freight forwarder and that is their ID for the freight forwarder.

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That is a new one on me.  I've never had a FF purchase directly from me.  I do remember a time, oh let me see if I can explain this so it isn't confusing.  A single buying account has multiple buyers.  Likely people that needed something hired them as a personal shopper of some kind.  I've had that same account purchase from me multiple times but always shipped to a different person and address.

I don't think I've had that type of account purchase from me for a year or more, but I use to get them often.  And they were never a problem.

[pennysdream]

Probably way out there, 

Perhaps they are buying the Mercury 

[gloryglorygifts]

You're response is EXACTLY why I didn't want to mention it. In my case it was not a freight forwarder. It was an identity theft ring.