Help! Fraudulent CC Scam by Exchangepath.

mhfun

Junior Member
Dec 29, 2000
4
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Moderator! Please allow this as I think it concerns everyone account that has been suspended by exchangepath especially if you are a victim like me.

About two months ago, I signed up Exchangepath when I heard that Paypal is starting to set a limit on personal account. Also, enticing by their $10 signup BONUS, I went ahead and switched to Exchangepath. Of course, I did not read their member agreement that carefully at that time. Then, just over a month ago, a guy in Russia contacted me saying that he is interested in purchasing several items from me as he saw me selling them at E-bay. He also said that he has a cousin in NY that will be paying for the items and he will be using Exchangepath. Being new to Exchangepath and also thought that his cousin is in US, I went ahead and do this deal.
He paid it on 11/21/00 via Exchangepath with 5 payments total up $811, and Exchangepath cleared those transactions. Then I proceed to ship the items out to him on 11/22/00. At that time, I also sold several other items and my account has a total amount of over $1000. On 11/27/00, they suspended my account. Of course, I do not know the reason and the only contact that I can find on their web site is the email. I email them repeatedly and all I got is one email reply stating that I am being suspended for account irregularity and they are investigating it. Then, I said it is fine. I will let them have some time to investigate. However, that is a bad move. I repeatedly email them over the next 3 weeks with over 10 emails but all I got is non-response. I then went on to search for a telephone number where I can call them. However, I cannot find their phone number whatsoever through their web site. (Later, someone in Anandtech forum said that I have to login to see the phone number but my account was suspended. I cannot login)
Finally, about a week ago, I saw a post on Anandtech forum regarding account suspension problem and some reader there was good enough to post their phone number. I called them and a rep got back to me on the next day. The rep. (a she) told me that they need a proof of shipping receipt to this guy. Being that it is over 3 weeks, and just so happen that my wife is clearing out the bill and she has thrown away those shipping receipts. I told the rep that I do not have the receipt. All I have is a tracking number and the address where I shipped it. But, as soon as I told her that the items were shipped to Russia, she told me that Exchangepath would not cover oversea transaction and proceed to let me know that this guy uses a fraudulent credit card. She also said that they have to take those $811 out of my account! I am furious! I told her that I will sue them and she said, "No, you cannot sue us. We specifically state that you cannot ship the item outside of United States in our agreement. When you click on I agreed, you agreed to those term and condition."
I told her that why you waited over 3 weeks to tell me this. If you call me right away when you discovered the problem, I would still have the receipt. Later, she told me that she would talk to her supervisor and get back to me. Now, it has been over one week and NO, NADA. They have not get back to me.

I am really mad because I am bearing the lost due to their security loophole for letting fraudulent credit card to signup. Furthermore, they did not contact me at all when they discovered the problem until I called. Of course, I blame myself for not reading their member agreement carefully. However, I spend several hours last week, just to read their Member Agreement and all they have is this line: "You agree that you will not effect a transaction from an IP, web host, or e-mail address originating outside of the United States or with a non-U.S. credit card." Where does it say that I cannot ship the goods outside US? All this time, I thought I am dealing with a US transaction as his cousin in United States is paying for the items. All I know is that the payments are cleared by Exchangepath and I am good to ship out the items. How can I know that the guy is a fraud?
Folks, I do not know what can I do now. This is the first time I got scam this way! (Money is paid then taken back!) If I hired a lawyer, it would cost more money, frustration and time. Of course, I wish to catch this guy who scam me.

All help appreciate!

mhfun@juno.com
 

AndrewR

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,157
0
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Print out the member agreement so they cannot change it. Make sure it's dated. Then, find out where they are incorporated and see if they have a registered agent for service of process in your state (check with your Secretary of State's office, often available online). For about $50, you can file a small claims action against them which might net a settlement. It's risky since you DID effect a deal with an email address outside of the US, but there's something called "nuisance value" which would be working in your favor (cheaper to pay you than to fight a suit).

Call them back. Did you get the woman's name you talked to?
 

RoadRuner

Banned
Oct 4, 2000
765
0
0
You should know better than send stuff to russia!! hehe. May be you should fly over there and catch them.

Use some common sense folks, credit card fraud is just as prevalent today, if you don't trust someone, don't sell to them.

Get references (ebay,etc), use common sense, and these problems won't affect you. Don't ship to po.boxes, out of country, get the customers phone number, etc..


 

mhfun

Junior Member
Dec 29, 2000
4
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0
Thank you for reply. I will go ahead and do that. The guy uses a web email address that are within US www.pctechnician.net . I actually ship this to

Universitetskaya Naberejnaya 36A-273
Chelyabinsk Russia 454016

I would post his name as well but I think it is a fake one. The above looks like a university right?

Regards,

mhfun@juno.com
 

MikeA

Senior member
Dec 11, 2000
392
0
0
That really sucks man, I hope you get your money back. I have yet to trust one of those online money sh!t services to buy/trade/sell stuff online. I will only take/send MO, no paypal or any of those other services. Thing is they can change anything they want at any time without telling you, like put an extra tax on your transactions and so on, kinda like what paypal did with the 2.9% (or what ever) charge (I knew something like that would happen). I also hate reading their 20 page BS user agreements. Well I hope you get your money back, good luck man.
 

A/\EKC

Member
Mar 15, 2000
133
0
0
Nop. It's not university - it's just another street address... Wlell - 800$ will go a long way in Chelyabinsk. In fact I think just for 100$ you can hire somebody to kick the sh^t out of the guy ;)
Seriously, however sad it sounds (hey, I'm russian myself), I would STRONGLY discourage anybody from dealing with parties in russia - if anything will go wrong (and there is about 95% chance that it will) - you can't expect any help from local authorities.
Even shipping is an issue - I still hesitant of shipping anything of value to Russia - postal theft is incredibly common down there.
Good luck....
 

shurato

Platinum Member
Sep 24, 2000
2,398
0
76
I got duped into sending someone a winning bid on fleabay to colombia... it wasnt that high of an amount so i didnt think much of it. good thing i withdrew to my credit card before they started suspending accounts. which was a week later... good luck gettin your money back, they really seem like a 2nd rate organization... shoulda known it from the start myself when the verification was so shoddy.
 

sun818

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2000
1,147
0
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A couple of things guys...

If you go to Paypal or BillPoint, you will see a list of countries that they accept payment from. If the buyer is from a country not listed, ask them to use BidPay.com to send you an International Western Union Money Order or send you U.S. Funds (i.e. cash). That is safest way to trade. Countries to look out for is eastern European countries, parts of Asia (Indonesia, Thailand), and other places. If a buyer is asking you to ship to a location other than their own, especially to an international destination, be very wary.

I feel for you mhfun. I had a similar thing happen to me, and lost $500 USD. Someone paid with a fake CC and I shipped two 40 GB WD Retail hard drives to Thailand. I lost the HDs and the other online payment service withheld my hands. Its an expensive lesson to learn, but I learned. :)
 

mathprof

Member
Dec 23, 2000
34
0
0
mhfun, would it be possible to speak to someone "higher up" at exchangepath? Perhaps there is something that a supervisor or manager can do to help you. As you note, trying to pursue them legally would probably cost you more in the long run than the $811.
 

db

Lifer
Dec 6, 1999
10,575
292
126
If you read the other threads about ExchangePath, you will see that they are running everybody throught the mill--they are pretty insulated. That's why everybody is so p*ssed off, it's taking some people more than a month to get their own money. EP doesn't care, they're making money off your money while it sits around in their account.
They are holding people hostage with their own money.
 

sun818

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2000
1,147
0
0
If you need the scoop on ExchangePath check out the Message Center on AuctionWatch. They have sellers and buyers that conduct hundreds of transactions a day, that have a real insight into how ExchangePath works. I'm not trying steer anyone from discussing on Anandtech.com. I'm just trying to help y'all find the information and support you may need.
 

Passions

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2000
6,855
3
0
I also had my account suspended solely because the email address the buyer used was an "overseas" email. But the guy lived in San Jose so wtf? Anyway, the csr was really cool and unfroze my account and gave me my $610, pretty cool. You should know better than to ship outside of US, and most of all RUSSIA??? Omg, you got balls.
 

Bob61

Senior member
May 1, 2000
727
0
0
So where's the hot deal here? Too bad you got burned, but that's life. Hot deals here please.
 

tomcat

Golden Member
Oct 16, 1999
1,374
0
0
I would also advise people to stay away from dealing with Russia, or at least insist that you recieve cash payment before shipping anything.

Common folk in Russia do not have the assets to buy computer equipment. "New Russians" can travel overseas or buy locally. If you need anything small translated let me know.
 

DaveH

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,090
0
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Perhaps this fits better in Forsale/trade, as it involves using payment services.

For more info on alternatives to Exchangpath and links to reviews on online payment sites, you might be interested in this post:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=45&threadid=306983

Good luck--I feel for you man. I was burned myself once. Now, I occasionally have people buying stuff from my auctions in foreign countries specifically asking to use exchangepath. Naturally, when I tell them US bank payments only on foreign shipments, they head for the hills.
 

Purvin

Banned
Oct 6, 2000
279
0
0
I have called them up so many times but yet no response from them.
I am pissed i have $1400 in my account which i need to pay for COLLEGE but i cant and this has been going on since 11/8/2000.
I am so pissed. HELP... i even called their 800# AND still no RESPONSE.

A CLASS ACTION COMING I THINK..

:disgust:
 

stonerdave

Golden Member
Jul 26, 2000
1,110
0
0
So where's the hot deal here? Too bad you got burned, but that's life. Hot deals here please.


That's a great attitude...really. Online fraud is already out of control, and it's not going to get any better. Oh yeah, and since the real "hot deals" on this forum usually require a credit card (not the sub-$5 freebies that now flood this site, sorry), so this involves just about everyone here using one. Don't believe me? Fine...

egghead.com cc hacking

"GLOBAL TELECOM MOSCOW RUS"

Oh yeah, this forum has its own mods, so...
 

Itti

Junior Member
Dec 31, 2000
9
0
0
Dear sun818:

I read your story in the anandtech's forum http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=308379 , I feel sad for you

In regard to your problem, I think that you probably do not know the person who you should ask for help. If you still have all sale records, and information that you think it may have to capture the person who cheated you. I recommend you to contact feedback@police.go.th or go to http://www.police.go.th/complaint.htm and fill out a complaint form. Explain your situation, It is OK to do it in English. I positively believe that people over there can help you. We have a special task force specially assigned to handle the internet crimes. The person who is in charge is Police Colonel Yanaphon Yangyien. His e-mail address is yanaphon@police.go.th . You may also send your e-mail to him directly. He seems to be a very nice guy and very active and helpful.

Here is some more information that may be useful:
Police Information System Center
Bld.#19 2nd Flr. Royal Thai Police
Rama I , Patumwan, Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Website: http://www.police.go.th/trenglish.htm in English
Tel: (011-662)-251-0646, 251-5956, 205-2314, 205-2316, and 205-1840-9
Fax: (011-662)-251-5956

Regards,
 

sun818

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2000
1,147
0
0
Wow... thanks for the incredibly detailed response. I will see what I can do with following up.
 

A/\EKC

Member
Mar 15, 2000
133
0
0
WOW. That's a good news! I wish they would have something like that in Russia (considering the span of the problem there). Best wishes sun818!
 

Purvin

Banned
Oct 6, 2000
279
0
0
I had sold a laptop from e-bAy. I sent him the laptop to the address below.

33b sct castor st.,
Brgy laging handa,
roxas district diliman
city: quezon city
zip: 1103
country: philippines

After my $500 withdraw exchange path suspended my account. So i still had $1400 in my account. I cant get access to it they say the CC might be bad or something. This was on 11/20/2000 how long does it take them to check and find the guy. I sent them all the info possible.

PLEASE HELP ME !!! i need those funds to pay off my tuition by 1/10/2001 and i cant because EP has it and refuses to get back to me.

HELP ME
Email Me
THANKS
PURVIN
 

Purvin

Banned
Oct 6, 2000
279
0
0
:|
ALL YOU EXCHANGE PATH USERS BIG WARNING
I hope this serve as a warning and also I hope to get some help. 7 weeks ago, my exchangepath account was suspended.
They suspended my account when I had $1400 in my account.
It comes with no explaination whatsoever. I repeated
email for a reason on why they suspended my account,
but, they do not give me any reason. They said that I am being investigated.
However, I just learned that many of my friends have been having the same problem as well and their account is suspended when they have over several hundreds in their account.

I had sold a laptop from e-bay. I sent him the laptop to Philippines he got the laptop but i only got $500 out of $1900.

After my $500 withdraw exchange path suspended my account. So i still had $1400 in my account. I cant get access to it they say the CC used by the sender might be bad or something. This was on 11/20/2000 how long does it take them to check and find the guy. I sent them all the info possible.

PLEASE HELP ME !!! i need those funds to pay off my tuition by 1/10/2001 and i cant because EP has it and refuses to get back to me.

HELP ME PLEASE...

Email me if you can help or have any suggestions
THANKS
PURVIN

I even called them up and have been put on hold for 1-2 hours thenfinally somone wrote my name and stuff down this was 3 weeks ago and i have called over 4-5 times same thing but no RESULTS. HELP
New Exchange Path Customer Service # 18778904885
:| Email me if you can help or have any suggestions
 

callgirl

Member
Jun 7, 2000
161
0
0
>>>The guy uses a web email address that are within US www.pctechnician.net . I actually ship this to

Universitetskaya Naberejnaya 36A-273
Chelyabinsk Russia 454016
<<<

Mhfun...that's interesting. I recognized this mailing address instantly; this buyer saw my Eb@y auction and contacted me privately. I sold a $400.00+ product to Nad**** Zat***a at that very address in Russia (but the email address was different - @pcgeek.net). Got paid through ExchangePath, had the funds sent out to my checking account immediately, and that was the last I heard on the matter. The only unusual thing about the transaction was that the buyer insisted on USPS Express Mail for delivery, and that I declare a very low value for Customs purposes. I don't even know if the package was ever delivered to its destination, but I got my money without a hitch.

I guess the lesson here is never leave funds in an online account - transfer it out immediately; no exceptions.

 

sun818

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2000
1,147
0
0
Hmmm... That is sad to hear. You shipped to an international address. I doubt you will get the rest of your money. I tried to stop my package delivery, but it was too late when I called USPS Express Mail. For international payments, go with BidPay.com or an International Western Union money order.