Tracking scam to defraud sellers

[Thomas Linton]

Found this on e-commerce site. News to me.

Very often we users on this site are familiarized with buyer abuse and fraud, but there is an ever growing threat from seller fraud particularly on high priced items. eBay and PayPal often do well with siding for buyers, as we all know, but there is a new threat that neither are prepared for.

Our company is a bulk purchaser on eBay of used consumer electronics so we have experienced just about every type of seller fraud there is, and the latest is very difficult to overcome unless you are aware of the tools:

As most of us know, if a seller sends a purchased package with USPS tracking less than $750.00 and tracking shows a delivery in the buyer's zip code, eBay and PayPal both consider that a delivered package even if the buyer claims it was not received.

However, what if a fraudulent seller who is savvy to the rules, locates a random address in the buyer's registered address zip code, ie: a library, a hotel, a fire dept or any number of easily obtained addresses; then ships an empty package with tracking there.

Well I will tell you what happens, the buyer does not receive it, tries to open an eBay Item Not Received Case or PayPal Resolution's Case, and both of which will be found in the seller's favor and the buyer WILL LOSE THEIR MONEY. What's worse is a Credit Card Company will also likely deny the claim

The only way to combat this is difficult for a buyer. If you believe you are victim of this scam, visit your local PO through which the item passed, bring your tracking number, and ask for an actual scanned image of the parcel and shipping label. They will be able to provide it and it could show a different address than yours with the uploaded tracking number.

It is best if possible to have USPS email it to you so the email shows a USPS email address. You can then provide this information to PayPal or eBay, and the case or appeal will be granted to the buyer.

So what is PayPal and eBay doing about this? Not much yet, but the technology is there now from USPS and hopefully they will cooperate together to make this information more easily obtainable to combat seller fraud.

Combine this with the simply incorrect Tracking data (Recent international package to me was said to have cleared the International Service Center in NY, entered U.S. Customs, and cleared U.S. Customs - all in the same minute. Shazaam ! Then it did the very same things two hours later - again in one minute. That package was later said to have left the same USPS facility in Chicago four times over a period of three days and arrived at a different PO at two different times. So what does Tracking prove?

 

[Kevin Wilkins]

Tracking from the USA seems to be a real problem. I ordered some spare parts for a machine I have from the US company in Washington state that makes them. They shipped to package to me here in Germany, now the tracking says my package has cleared Customs ... in CANADA! And no further updates since the 16th December...

 

[Triton]

Found this on e-commerce site. News to me.


Combine this with the simply incorrect Tracking data (Recent international package to me was said to have cleared the International Service Center in NY, entered U.S. Customs, and cleared U.S. Customs - all in the same minute. Shazaam ! Then it did the very same things two hours later - again in one minute. That package was later said to have left the same USPS facility in Chicago four times over a period of three days and arrived at a different PO at two different times. So what does Tracking prove?

At any rate thanks for sharing this!

 

[Gastonknife]

Interesting. i suppose this could work when using the usps. For awhile anyway. This scam would not work with Fedex or probably UPS. They require customers to state specific address information to be entered into their system prior/at time of shipment. That specific data is then linked in the entire tracking process.
thanks for posting.

 

[colubrid]

I ordered something from a Facebook advertisement and didn't know the seller was in China (the ad did not say that anywhere). So the package was suppsed to arrive before Christmas and it didn't. I just checked tracking and it says package was delivered and accepted IN CHINA on Dec 21st.. This high volume dealer in electronic goods sent FROM China to an address in China showing as "DELIVERED" on tracking. They are betting on the fact that most people will forget they ordered it during the online Christmas rush .

I called Paypal and was on the phone with them for 1 hour and they will still make me wait weeks until the decision. Pretty cut and dried to me since it shows it arrived in China, but one still has to go through the hassle with the banks, credit card companies, Paypal, ebay ect..so they give a "provisional" credit and you wait for weeks for final decision. I think most people just let these purchases slide because of the difficulty of dealing with the credit card companies.

 

[jbmonkey]

i'm confused.

let's say package is shipped down the street from me with the address being sent to, y the shipper/seller as the address down the street. seems easy as i show paypal it wasn't shipped to me, what am i missing? the fact that if i don't do this, or i'm too lazy to do this...... i lose from paypal or ebay?

Colubrid? dealing with my credit card company is super simple i call them tell them i didn't get it and they credit me? i don't even have to prove anything....but i'd have the proof if needed? i'm missing a lot here, please explain it to me, thanks.

 

[Gastonknife]

usps does not include addrress information with tracking. so off the cuff you can't truly tell where it was actually de!ivered vs the address the buyer specified

 

[JR88FAN]

Use Signature confirmation.

That falls back on USPS or whoever is making the delivery to prove it went to the right place. If it's something that is really important/expensive, Registered mail is the way to go.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Use Signature confirmation.

That falls back on USPS or whoever is making the delivery to prove it went to the right place. If it's something that is really important/expensive, Registered mail is the way to go.

I suppose buyers can offer to pay for more secure delivery? But . . . . .

How does one force PayPal to do something?

I found today that USPS shows a parcel delivered to me AND, in a later email, shows the parcel as still missing.

December 20, 2016 , 12:56 pm Delivered

12/28/16:

The US Postal Service® received the search request you submitted and it's being processed. Your package has not yet been recovered, but every effort is being made to locate your item(s).

 

[Kevin Wilkins]

My package just appeared in my mailbox in Germany ... it had sent from Washington State, then went to San Francisco, then went to Canada, then disappeared from tracking but in the end, was correctly delivered to me in Germany. I should get some Frequent Flyer miles as a bonus for that one!

 

[palonej]

Had a couple of those too Kevin!!
Last week I got a delivery confirm for a knife that was delivered in Sept!! Interesting!!
Joe

 

[SavageSmurf]

I ordered something from a Facebook advertisement and didn't know the seller was in China (the ad did not say that anywhere). So the package was suppsed to arrive before Christmas and it didn't. I just checked tracking and it says package was delivered and accepted IN CHINA on Dec 21st.. This high volume dealer in electronic goods sent FROM China to an address in China showing as "DELIVERED" on tracking. They are betting on the fact that most people will forget they ordered it during the online Christmas rush .

I called Paypal and was on the phone with them for 1 hour and they will still make me wait weeks until the decision. Pretty cut and dried to me since it shows it arrived in China, but one still has to go through the hassle with the banks, credit card companies, Paypal, ebay ect..so they give a "provisional" credit and you wait for weeks for final decision. I think most people just let these purchases slide because of the difficulty of dealing with the credit card companies.

China mail is weird. I ordered something that also showed delivered (to a china address), like 2 days after i purchased it, but then two weeks later, it arrived at my house. The tracking might be broken, but your package may still come.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Oh, I got it in the end.

USPS Imaginary Tracking said it was back to my local PO from it's nine-day detour to Chicago (which it "departed" four different times), so I called the PO. They said I could "come in tomorrow and see."

Tomorrow came, I went in, and they said they "can't find it." I said I'd wait. "You'll wait?" "Until you find it." Ten minutes later, they found it.

So it was never "delivered to Destination" despite being "In Transit to Destination" twenty-three times per "Tracking.".

Total time in transit from arrival in NY: thirty-one days.

"Thank you for using USPS."

You're welcome, I'm sure.

 

[Monofletch]

usps does not include addrress information with tracking. so off the cuff you can't truly tell where it was actually de!ivered vs the address the buyer specified

This is FALSE! I can enter your tracking number in my computer at work (USPS) and see senders address, buyers address, how much it weighed, time you shipped it, if it was 1st class or Priority. I can also get a gps grid to the delivery scan point. It is very basic information in the postal system. Your local post office can retrieve this information as well.

 

[GatorFlash1]

Oh, I got it in the end.

USPS Imaginary Tracking said it was back to my local PO from it's nine-day detour to Chicago (which it "departed" four different times), so I called the PO. They said I could "come in tomorrow and see."

Tomorrow came, I went in, and they said they "can't find it." I said I'd wait. "You'll wait?" "Until you find it." Ten minutes later, they found it.



So it was never "delivered to Destination" despite being "In Transit to Destination" twenty-three times per "Tracking.".

Total time in transit from arrival in NY: thirty-one days.

"Thank you for using USPS."

You're welcome, I'm sure.

I thought Chicago defected from the USA when the current mayor took over. Anything sent there, or delivered from there, is probably likely to be fraudulent.

 

[Gastonknife]

This is FALSE! I can enter your tracking number in my computer at work (USPS) and see senders address, buyers address, how much it weighed, time you shipped it, if it was 1st class or Priority. I can also get a gps grid to the delivery scan point. It is very basic information in the postal system. Your local post office can retrieve this information as well.

That info may be available to some USPS employees, but not on the actual tracking that customers use. Also, What if the customer does not use a computer to enter and print their label? If they just hand fill out a label and take it to the counter - does that address specific info show; even to a USPS employee?
My main point is that specific tracking information (real details) is not available to the customer as it is with USP and FedEx. I do not have very good faith in the accuracy and timeliness of many USPS scans - I think most people here have experienced this as very common. Hence see above in this post alone. I am not knocking the PO - I use them a lot, but getting customer service from them is no where near the ease of the of the two mentioned.

 

[Monofletch]

The clerk at the counter enters that info also. This info is part of the tracking screen when the tracing number is entered in a post office computer.