Is there any way at all to stop a USPS shipment in transit?

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
Not-too-savvy friend just got scammed out of a laptop. Nigerian buyer, the whole shebang. It was shipped today, so it still may be in the city. Any way to get it back?
 

microAmp

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2000
5,988
110
106
Yes, just go to the USPS office, fill out paper work, just talk to a clerk to get started.

I sold a camera lens on Amazon.com once, replied to seller I'm sending to the address Amazon gave me; which buyer gives to Amazon. The buyer replied back saying wrong address.

So I went to the Post Office, filled out some paper work, when it arrived at the last PO before delivery, they look for it. So, provide good description of the box, labels, etc. It got returned me. I refunded the buyer and relisted it two weeks later, didn't want to take the chance of that same buyer trying again.

I tried that once with UPS, they said nope, wont' do it. So I stick with USPS when I can.
 

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
Why are these guys always in Nigeria? People from Zimbabwe don't have loose morals? Sudan? All of Côte d'Ivoire found Jesus and turned their lives around?
 

lozina

Lifer
Sep 10, 2001
11,711
8
81
Just tell your friend to load a savegame just prior to shipping it. might have to redo a bunch of other stuff though.
 

Oceanas

Senior member
Nov 23, 2006
263
0
76
Package Intercept, which used to be called Recall of Mail or something, is the service that they offer. It's not guaranteed, there is a cost associated with it (although it's minimal), and it's only offered on domestic shipping, not international.

They used to have a form to fill out but it's all online now and you have to sign up for USPS.com account to pay the fees.

Here is a link to the relevant page on USPS.com. It has a field where you can put in the tracking number to see if the package is eligible for an intercept.
 

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
618
121
Package Intercept, which used to be called Recall of Mail or something, is the service that they offer. It's not guaranteed, there is a cost associated with it (although it's minimal), and it's only offered on domestic shipping, not international.

They used to have a form to fill out but it's all online now and you have to sign up for USPS.com account to pay the fees.

Here is a link to the relevant page on USPS.com. It has a field where you can put in the tracking number to see if the package is eligible for an intercept.


Thanks for that. It saved me a trip to the post office tomorrow. I had just sent out a CPU worth $170 and I forgot to add insurance. It goes to NH and I think that means it will go through the Pennsylvania hub. Well I have had nothing but bad luck going through that hub and so has my mom. I called my aunt who works at a post office in a small town and asked her what I could do to put insurance on something I already mailed. She told me about a recall. I thought I would have to go to the post office tomorrow, but I just created an account at USPS and entered everything in the intercept form you gave the link to. Boy am I glad I saw this post. Cost me $11.50! The parcel was only 3 bucks! Better than losing $170 I guess.
 

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
618
121
Not-too-savvy friend just got scammed out of a laptop. Nigerian buyer, the whole shebang. It was shipped today, so it still may be in the city. Any way to get it back?


I'm not sure if you need a business PayPal account or not. A business PayPal account is a free upgrade plus it hides your real name. Anywho, you have options in PayPal. I have a whole list of countries in PayPal I do not except payments from including if you are not PayPal confirmed and the item for sale is $100 or over. Try those settings so you are not scammed next time. But be sure to indicate in an auction that you can only ship to the address in PayPal and you need to be confirmed. I had several people try to buy an item off me that was $150 but they weren't PayPal confirmed and it blocked them. I saw the list of blocks in PayPal.



Individuals with Business accounts send and receive payments under their Business name, rather than their personal name. If you're receiving payments, you may consider upgrading so that your payments would be sent/received under "Insert Your Business Name Here"
16x16_smiley-happy.gif
PayPal will still have your personal name on file (you still have to enter it when you sign up), but the buyers won't see it on their payments.

https://www.paypal-community.com/t5...ping-your-name-hidden-from-buyers/td-p/192066
 
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Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
I'm not sure if you need a business PayPal account or not. A business PayPal account is a free upgrade plus it hides your real name. Anywho, you have options in PayPal. I have a whole list of countries in PayPal I do not except payments from including if you are not PayPal confirmed and the item for sale is $100 or over. Try those settings so you are not scammed next time. But be sure to indicate in an auction that you can only ship to the address in PayPal and you need to be confirmed. I had several people try to buy an item off me that was $150 but they weren't PayPal confirmed and it blocked them. I saw the list of blocks in PayPal.





https://www.paypal-community.com/t5...ping-your-name-hidden-from-buyers/td-p/192066

Yeah, but this is her first time selling on ebay and she pretty much did everything I told her not to do. :|
 

JTsyo

Lifer
Nov 18, 2007
12,024
1,131
126
Even if you have Storm's powers it's hard to stop a mailman.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Glad it worked out for you OP.
 

silicon

Senior member
Nov 27, 2004
886
1
81
Not-too-savvy friend just got scammed out of a laptop. Nigerian buyer, the whole shebang. It was shipped today, so it still may be in the city. Any way to get it back?

Can you provide details of how the scam was done? maybe some others can learn how to spot a scam before it happens?
 

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
Can you provide details of how the scam was done? maybe some others can learn how to spot a scam before it happens?

Person bid on her ebay item. The buyer says he's from Nigeria, blah blah blah, "I'll give you an extra $100 to cover shipping costs." Then she got an email from "PayPal Verification Center!!!!!" saying the funds will be released only after she sends them a valid USPS receipt saying the item has been shipped. She took the bait.


After I told her it wasn't legit, this golden exchange transpired:

>Hi,
>
>I believe the is a scam. I've intercepted the shipment so you/scam artist will not receive it
>
>Please do not contact me again, asshole. You should be ashamed of yourself.
>
>

Thank you for contacting PayPal.
We write to inform you that we will not accept such abusive words in our Verification center email. Your Payment is with us pending on our data base system. We are 100% legitimate and we will credit your account in the next 48hrs. Please note that we might take legal action against you if the shipping details you sent to us are void.

Thank you for using PayPal
PayPal makes it easy to send/receive money for your auctions.

Thanks for your co-operation.
Yours sincerely,

Emma Robertson
PayPal, In

:awe: :awe: :awe: :cool:

She nearly missed the boat by an hour, so it's good everything turned out ok.
 

silicon

Senior member
Nov 27, 2004
886
1
81
Person bid on her ebay item. The buyer says he's from Nigeria, blah blah blah, "I'll give you an extra $100 to cover shipping costs." Then she got an email from "PayPal Verification Center!!!!!" saying the funds will be released only after she sends them a valid USPS receipt saying the item has been shipped. She took the bait.


After I told her it wasn't legit, this golden exchange transpired:



:awe: :awe: :awe: :cool:

She nearly missed the boat by an hour, so it's good everything turned out ok.

so what you are saying is all the signs were there and she chose to ignore them.
 
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Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
so what you are saying is all the signs were there and she chose to ignore them.

She essentially ignored all of my advice.

But yeah, believe it or not some people don't spend 8 hours a day on 4chan and aren't hip to the latest online scams.