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Someone on Ebay trying to scam me! What to do?

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Not much new since the last update. Sorry for the slow update but I just got a job and I've been very busy with that. Ebay did send me an email but it didn't help much (though I only glanced at it). I'll look into filing complaints with USPS and maybe the police (how would I do that, I'm in MD he's in CA). I'm NOT planning to close my Paypal account or anything. I'd rather he get his money back than screw things up between me and Paypal. BTW I did notice that he bid on a defective video card. Makes me wonder if he is running a scam with more than just me.
 
Again, mail fraud is a federal crime. Report this to your local post master and somebody from the federal mail fraud division will contact you.
 
Originally posted by: AnyMal
Originally posted by: DaWhim
Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Originally posted by: woowoo
Originally posted by: Suture
Wow, good eyes for catching this, OP. I'm very interested in hearing the final outcome.
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Sorry to say but paypal will probably side with the buyer.....
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How could they possibly do that, especially if the OP provides pics.

Also why I don't accept returns on computer parts. Sold as is.
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paypal usually side with the buyer. I have heard enough horror stories about it. payla doesn't give a crap about what is the whole story.

did he use delivery confirmation with usps?

like other has said. take the money back to your bank account NOW. paypal will most likely take the money from you.
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Can we please stop giving bad advice to the OP? Cleaning out his PP account will not protect OP should they rule in favor of the buyer. PP will either withdraw money from his linked checking account, or worse yet, will send his account to colleltion agency which will go on his credit report.

As for the "horror stories" you've heard.. As someone who has been involved in several PP disputes both as a buyer and a seller I can tell you firsthand that PP will rule in favor of the buyer only if seller outright lied about his item, or did not do his due diligence. PP has no interest in pissing off sellers, since sellers pay all the PP fees, not the buyers.
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Very good advice if i do say so myself.
 
Originally posted by: Dobbs
the person has commited a Federal Crime, mail fraud. Definatly contact the fraudsters local police dept and file a report, also do so with paypal and ebay immediatly. If you do not take first action, he will. Ebay does not care, sad but true, as long as they get paid which is why its a scammers paradise. I suggest you remove any and all funds attached to that paypal account. If its linked to your bank account, empty that too. Paypal screwed my friend over a couple years back due to a similar instance with an illegaly frozen account yet he was the victim.

You have been scammed, make the first move and dont let the scammer know this until you have filled complaints with his local police dept, ebay and paypal. I would even report this to my bank before paypal tries to screw with the account (if its attached to paypal).
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Do this NOW!!!
 
Too often, we hear horror stories that could have been stopped in their tracks if someone had been diligent in pressing the issue the first time someone tried scamming others. I think a lot of people get away with it, simply because no one wants to go through the effort of pushing the issue as far as they can. I hope you will consider saving the next guy from the same aggravation; and who knows... maybe someone right now is putting an end to a scammer who otherwise would be scamming you next month.
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Too often, we hear horror stories that could have been stopped in their tracks if someone had been diligent in pressing the issue the first time someone tried scamming others. I think a lot of people get away with it, simply because no one wants to go through the effort of pushing the issue as far as they can. I hope you will consider saving the next guy from the same aggravation; and who knows... maybe someone right now is putting an end to a scammer who otherwise would be scamming you next month.
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Law enforcement just doesn't care is the problem. I spent 6 months fighting with police and USPS (He used a USPS MO) and go NOWHERE. The guy took my dad for $800 and got away with it. The police would deal with him give him 30 days to pay it back.... then they would do the same thing over and over and over.

I'm sure the guy has ripped others off also. It was partly my dad's fault since he was dumb and paid the guy with a MO and everything.
 
Originally posted by: Umberger
Report to ebay and paypal ftw. and maybe the local police where he's from?
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Agreed. He might get you from a Paypal standpoint (because they suck), but you CAN go after him for theft through the local authorities. Mail fraud maybe not because he didn't do anything illegal from a shipping standpoint.

I would say that I have pictures before and after proving the swap. He can either:

A) Complete the purchase as originally intended

- or -

B) Prepare to be the target of legal action, with the help of your corporate legal entity (or some such thing)
 
Here's his most recent email:

you're right, i guess there really is no way for you to know that i
don't
have another xpc. however, i will tell you right now that, yes, i do
have
another one; it's a SN85G4V3 754 pin athlon64 shuttle. It's a great
little
machine, that's why i wanted to get another one for some of the older
stuff
that i have but wasn't using. i'll give you the fact that yes, i guess
not
having the box with the hardware/manuals means that you don't have
everything, however where would i get another board for the shuttle? i
checked around, and i couldn't find any place that sold shuttle boards,
let
alone a barebones like the one i returned to you.
 
Remove all your funds from the paypal account and close it if possible. Close any bank or card accounts associated with the paypal account. Seriously. Paypal will come through and take your money and deny him his refund. They have even been said to debit /clean out/freeze bank accounts if the money is not in the orginal paypal account.

Then I would file with the post master. Postal investigators are federal law enforcement officers and if one goes to knock on his door this should spook him enough to leave well enough alone.
 
I would call his local police department or sheriffs office. Ask them about filing a theft - fraud report on someone in their location (city, county) and give his name. After you speak with the detective I am sure he will inform you of what they will need from you.

Have to informed the USPS yet? I would do all of this ASAP, the sooner you start the ball rolling the more likely they are to side with you.
 
Post the ahole's address and let vigilante justice run its course. Some people just don't know when to quit.
 
call me crazy, but with those facial figures in buyer's first email, I'm guessing he's a teenager.

and he's in CA? so.cal? if you need help there are alot of members from SoCal I'm sure one will lend a hand if you need one, I'm one of them.

I'd contact paypal first, and make sure that they note your account of what's going on so you'll get the benefit of the doubt if this thing drags out and most certainly paypal will be involved.

this is most intriguing story since that athlon x2 3800 turned FX60 thread. 😀
 
I just got this email from him:

i still find this kinda frustrating because i know i didn't do anything
to
the motherboard; i have neither the skill nor... well ok, the skill
maybe,
but not the patiance to replace a board that small. honestly, the only
time
i ever let the shuttle out of my posession was when i left it to best
buy to
have my friend look at it. would you mind sending me those pictures you
have
of the boards? not the i want to accuse my friend of doing something
like
this, but if you didn't do it (obviously) and i didn't do it, the only
other
time something would have been done was there, at best buy. so ya,
send me
the pictures so that i can have some type of proof. anyway, this is
what i'm
thinking. i'm not going to make a claim because, even though losing a
little
over $150 hurts, it's not going to break my bank. i don't; however,
want to
feel lke i'm being cheated out of everything you know? so can you at
least
send me back the shuttle? not that having a broken computer does me
any
good, but at least with those pictures, and the shuttle, i would have
some
evidence of other things that might have happened. let me know what
you
think. thanks



I'm going to send him the pictures so that he can see the difference. Unless I come up with a reason not to, I think I'm going to offer to send the Shuttle back to him if he will pay shipping. Anyone see a reason not to do this?
 
Originally posted by: MWink
I just got this email from him:

i still find this kinda frustrating because i know i didn't do anything
to
the motherboard; i have neither the skill nor... well ok, the skill
maybe,
but not the patiance to replace a board that small. honestly, the only
time
i ever let the shuttle out of my posession was when i left it to best
buy to
have my friend look at it. would you mind sending me those pictures you
have
of the boards? not the i want to accuse my friend of doing something
like
this, but if you didn't do it (obviously) and i didn't do it, the only
other
time something would have been done was there, at best buy. so ya,
send me
the pictures so that i can have some type of proof. anyway, this is
what i'm
thinking. i'm not going to make a claim because, even though losing a
little
over $150 hurts, it's not going to break my bank. i don't; however,
want to
feel lke i'm being cheated out of everything you know? so can you at
least
send me back the shuttle? not that having a broken computer does me
any
good, but at least with those pictures, and the shuttle, i would have
some
evidence of other things that might have happened. let me know what
you
think. thanks



I'm going to send him the pictures so that he can see the difference. Unless I come up with a reason not to, I think I'm going to offer to send the Shuttle back to him if he will pay shipping. Anyone see a reason not to do this?
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No, don't let the guy get away with mail fraud!!! Have you reported him yet??!!
 
Originally posted by: MWink
I just got this email from him:

i still find this kinda frustrating because i know i didn't do anything
to
the motherboard; i have neither the skill nor... well ok, the skill
maybe,
but not the patiance to replace a board that small. honestly, the only
time
i ever let the shuttle out of my posession was when i left it to best
buy to
have my friend look at it. would you mind sending me those pictures you
have
of the boards? not the i want to accuse my friend of doing something
like
this, but if you didn't do it (obviously) and i didn't do it, the only
other
time something would have been done was there, at best buy. so ya,
send me
the pictures so that i can have some type of proof. anyway, this is
what i'm
thinking. i'm not going to make a claim because, even though losing a
little
over $150 hurts, it's not going to break my bank. i don't; however,
want to
feel lke i'm being cheated out of everything you know? so can you at
least
send me back the shuttle? not that having a broken computer does me
any
good, but at least with those pictures, and the shuttle, i would have
some
evidence of other things that might have happened. let me know what
you
think. thanks



I'm going to send him the pictures so that he can see the difference. Unless I come up with a reason not to, I think I'm going to offer to send the Shuttle back to him if he will pay shipping. Anyone see a reason not to do this?
Click to expand...

It's clear that he knows he's been caught and he's just trying to get the evidence back while still making it look like he was "unaware" of the whole situation.

His emails sound like he put a lot of effort into fabricating his story which would suggest that he did try to scam you. Report him.
 
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