Possible fraud?

[phenom01]

First post here but i have lurked for years:ninja:!...I recently was gonna purchase a video card through a seller on another forums which is why I ask here =/. I sent the funds nearly 1.5 weeks ago. They cleared nearly 5 days ago. The seller has not shipped and keeps responding that it is his finales week for college and he will use the fastest shipping when he has the chance. Here is why im worried I have found many threads on other sites that someone with that users name has ripped people off as far back as 2006 scamming World of Warcraft accounts ...yet i have seen tons of 100% positive feedback on current ebay and the other popular forum for computer parts...and its a very specific user name not likely to be overlapping.

So my question is what would you all do...report to paypal, wait til monday(after finales supposedly), or just straight up tell them ship now or im filing a claim?

tl:dr

I payed over 1 week ago..fund cleared 5 days ago...seller has not shipped and his user name has been reported years ago as fraud...yet past 2 years 100% perfect. report or wait.

I personally ship the same day payment clears...which is why i am antsy.

 

[isekii]

Who is it? File it immediately if he's a known scammer

 

[BoomerD]

Check the Anandtech For Sale/Trade forum to see if the guy is on our list of known scammers.
If he's on the list, file a claim with PayPal immediately...and HOPE he has enough in his account to get it back.

http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

[deadlyapp]

If he isn't scamming you then he may be honest about finals. It is finals week in most quarter based colleges across the US and if he's in a strenuous program it may delay him. I've been late shipping items to people before for the same reason.

 

[phenom01]

Person was not on the list of know scammers...but now I am nearly 100% sure that I was. This was my first payment via paypal to a forums seller and the seller requested payment as a gift to avoid 3% fee and I now see that is a scammer calling card according to TONS of posts. Im 10 minutes from reporting to admins on the forums and paypal.

 

[lxskllr]

Person was not on the list of know scammers...but now I am nearly 100% sure that I was. This was my first payment via paypal to a forums seller and the seller requested payment as a gift to avoid 3% fee and I now see that is a scammer calling card according to TONS of posts. Im 10 minutes from reporting to admins on the forums and paypal.

I dunno. Not wanting money taken off the top seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't consider that evidence of a scammer. He may be, but that doesn't indicate it to me.

 

[BoomerD]

I dunno. Not wanting money taken off the top seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't consider that evidence of a scammer. He may be, but that doesn't indicate it to me.

I can agree, but...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2188333

Recently, one of our members became yet another in a long string of trading victims of our current troll thief, Almando Boochoon, aka rud3bwoy, etc. Per his post in his own warning thread, he allowed himself to be victimized by agreeing to send payment by PayPal noted as a gift. In doing this, he forfeited his right to dispute the payment for non-delivery of the item he thought he had purchased.

This notice was inspired by a reply in that thread by another member who advocated the practice of gift payments. In further communications with him, he has wasted far too many words trying to defend the practice and acknowledging that he does this and that he asks others to do the same when dealing with him because he believes PayPal's fees are "unreasonably high."

His opinion and a dollar bill aren't worth the price of a single item in a 99 Cents Store.

PayPal is a for profit business that charges a fee for transfering funds paid for goods sold. That is their business model, and those fees are how they keep their lights on and their servers running. As a courtesy, they also allow their users to transfer funds that are designated as gifts at no charge. No one is forcing you to use Paypal's service. However, if you are paying or receiving payment for items you buy or sell, you should pay for the service they provide.

Do NOT make a purchase via PayPal and list it as a gift. You lose any PayPal protection you might have had.

 

[Meractik]

finals or no finals, the guy made a deal and you fullfilled the payment method of his choice, he has a obligation to ship the item ASAP after reciept of payment. If he can't plan around finals or whatever excuse he is using he should of told you to wait to pay him until he can ship it ASAP. I would file a claim and tell him that you gave him more then a considerable amount of time to ship and he hasn't done so. next time he will take the ordeal more seriously when he attempts to sell items online. Anyone who was a serious seller/reseller would of had better communication throughout the sell/purchase process.

 

[phenom01]

I can agree, but...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2188333




Do NOT make a purchase via PayPal and list it as a gift. You lose any PayPal protection you might have had.

Yea exactly...it sounded fine for someone to want to save the 3% but...now I know better. By By half a paycheck /flush.

*edit* paypal REALLY needs to make a warning while paying this option.

 

[Harvey]

YGPM. Reply, and I'll help if I can.

 

[BoomerD]

YGPM. Reply, and I'll help if I can.

If Harvey can't help, no one can...he's a bulldog at tracking down scammers.

 

[phenom01]

I already love you all. So much on point help.

 

[BoomerD]

I already love you all. So much on point help.

:wub:

 

[phenom01]

Uber early morning...thank you so much harvey and boomer in advance. Harvey..PM me any and all info you may need and it shall be provided.

 

[BoomerD]

Uber early morning...thank you so much harvey and boomer in advance. Harvey..PM me any and all info you may need and it shall be provided.

Good luck. You're gonna need it. Harvey's da man at this stuff.

 

[blotto]

The gift thing isn't necessarily a sign of a scammer. I just sold a set of high end headphones on another board and the guy who bought them had zero feedback anywhere. I would only take paypal if he used gift since paypal will almost always side with the buyer. He got the headphones today. So it worked for both of us.
Did you pay via credit card on paypal? You may be able to dispute the CC charge. You'll lose your paypal account but at least you'll get your money back.

 

[Harvey]

The gift thing isn't necessarily a sign of a scammer. I just sold a set of high end headphones on another board and the guy who bought them had zero feedback anywhere. I would only take paypal if he used gift since paypal will almost always side with the buyer. He got the headphones today. So it worked for both of us.

Well, aren't you the lucky one, but your experience in THIS transaction doesn't make it anymore safe, and doing it or asking others to do it is still committing fraud against PayPal, it still violates our FS/T forum rules, and those we catch will be appropriately sanctioned.

How many sad examples do we need to make the point? Trade straight, or find somewhere else to trade. Victims who set themselves up like this wear me out and waste far too much time I'd rather spend helping those who didn't volunteer to be ripped off.

 

[Zap]

*edit* paypal REALLY needs to make a warning while paying this option.

Why? I thought that they called it what it was. A "gift" payment is just that - you GIVING your money away. Or do you guys think PayPal should rename it "gift and/or avoiding our fees when paying for goods except you lose your protections?" Hmmm, somehow GaoAOFWPFGEYLYP doesn't have the same ring to it as "gift" does.

I totally applaud Harvey for even attempting to tackle this. I would not have the patience.

 

[esquared]

Well, aren't you the lucky one, but your experience in THIS transaction doesn't make it anymore safe, and doing it or asking others to do it is still committing fraud against PayPal, it still violates our FS/T forum rules, and those we catch will be appropriately sanctioned.

How many sad examples do we need to make the point? Trade straight, or find somewhere else to trade. Victims who set themselves up like this wear me out and waste far too much time I'd rather spend helping those who didn't volunteer to be ripped off.

Harvey is 100% correct.

What blotto is doing is making sure that the buyer has no recourse in a dispute by taking out buyer protection out of the buyer hands.

Tell this to a recent buyer (unnamed) who lost 3500.00 because the seller gave him such a good deal that he didn't want to pay the approximate 100.00 in fees.

I keep telling people if you don't want to pay the Paypal fees, stop using Paypal. It's that simple. Collecting money and then distributing it to your account is not free.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Yea exactly...it sounded fine for someone to want to save the 3% but...now I know better. By By half a paycheck /flush.

*edit* paypal REALLY needs to make a warning while paying this option.

A gift means you are providing an object or service without expecting anything in return.

That is what you meant to do:whiste:

Gift: Something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.

 

[Schfifty Five]

I would have filed a claim after 1 week. His excuse of "too busy" is BS. He wasn't too busy to post his ad thus shouldn't be too busy to complete it.

File a claim, neg him, etc.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I would have filed a claim after 1 week. His excuse of "too busy" is BS. He wasn't too busy to post his ad thus shouldn't be too busy to complete it.

File a claim, neg him, etc.

File a claim with what backing.

He sent a gift; not payment for anything

 

[Schfifty Five]

File a claim with what backing.

He sent a gift; not payment for anything

TBH, I didn't read any post after the OP. That's a bummer he used a "gift" payment.

In any case, generally if I were to get that BS excuse of "too busy" and I paid properly, I'd have filed for a refund and negged him.

 

[Gothgar]

ygpm. Reply, and i'll help if i can.

haaaaarvey to the rescue

 

[phenom01]

Harvey has gone FAR out of his way to help me. I know my FIRST trade has gone bad...but seriously calm down on something that has nothing to do with you all the people raging here.

Is it wrong of me to assume paypal who had WAY over the top security back when i last used it...to offer a option that bypassed all security?