Getting phising/spam/scam text messages after a negative ebay experience.

[wasore_58]

I have been receiving a spam/scam text message pretty much every second day for the last month and this all started the day after leaving legitimate negative feedback and returning an item to a ebay seller who falsely advertised their products. The negative feedback included photographic proof of my claims, with no name calling, nothing against the feedback rules and only facts surrounding the product and the false claims. I purchased a LED light bar advertised as being way more powerful than it actually was when tested with an ammeter. The feedback was of course removed by ebay without question at the sellers request like it seems most negative feedback is these days.

Anyway my main concern here is I am curious how can I get the sellers contact information since they have blocked me and ebay has depreciated the 'find contact information' in advanced search. Ultimately I really wish I could contact other buyers who have had negative experience to see if they are also getting similar spam since having a 'run in' with this particular seller as this is obviously illegal if they have done this and it would be impossible to prove without getting in contact with other people.

I would like to think it was a coincidence but I have literally never had text messages like this in my entire life on my mobile, have been on ebay for around 15 years and never a problem like this and it happens the day after leaving a negative for a seller who falsely advertises their products, seems like one hell of a coincidence.

I really believe that this seller has provided my contact information to a nefarious third party or maybe even posted it online somewhere and now am receiving these messages with links to sites that are known for phishing which I have verified with virustotal.

I think being required to provide phone number is a joke if things like this can happen to people.

This is the 'results' for one of the links I was sent today;

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/url/1a371866151f080e1ebf29e7b9a752bc9abea5e9a2e20d7ade14941b5d749811/...

[jellybirddesigns]

I agree that it is frustrating when feedback is removed.

Ebay does not give out seller information unless there is a legal purpose. Sometimes sellers include a return address or details on the package, but that's about it.

Where is the seller registered? Australia or overseas? You can check this on their feedback page (not where item is located). Or you can provide an item number so we can look for ourselves.

I hope that you did not incur any postage costs - did the seller provide return shipping funds or a postage label?

[wasore_58]

They are based in Australia and says they have been a member since 2012 so after reading that I think it is less likely with how long they have been on here, certainly they have had to deal with other disappointed buyers even though it is possible it is just a coincidence I still think it is very fishy.

They paid return postage cost ect it was just the whole situation that soured me, it was a light bar advertised as "240w" with 20w cree LEDs but total power consumption was only like 65w so obviously had 10w bulbs running around 60% which I left feedback about and which was removed, ebay said they made a mistake removing it but that's obviously just lip service. Seller claimed it was faulty and would test 'others' they have at the factory and let me know the results but never got back to me and the one I had worked perfectly fine just very low power compared to claims.

item number was 114806793120

They also seemed to have an alternative account because there was a second seller with more expensive but identically advertised light bar which I purchased after this first experience and they instantly refunded me 'buyer requested to cancel' then blocked me as well and ended the listing (item number 294057409501)

[jellybirddesigns]

If you didn't open case for "Not as Described" and the whole thing was liaised outside of a dispute, then it's possible that they could ask Ebay to remove the feedback as there was never a case to begin with. Also, by not having a case, it's probably why the seller could cancel the sale as a buyer request.

[davewil1964]

There are a lot of those phishing scams going around. They are not necessarily eBay related, in fact most aren't.

There is probably not a connection between your unsuccessful transaction (hint: don't buy electrical stuff from China, as I'll bet you did) and the spam.

I started getting them for Amazon a few months ago - I don't have an account with Amazon. I also get eBay ones, but I don't buy much here, so they are easy to dismiss.

The bottom line is to not respond, block the number, and move on. I get less these days - maybe they have run out of available 'numbers' that I haven't blocked.

[jellybirddesigns]

I agree with the amount of phishing going around, especially on my mobile. Suddenly in the last 10 days I've been getting messages which are different to other scam attempts I usually get ie: the normal Aus Post parcel scams. These new ones are much longer messages with several clickable links. 

[gutterpunkz05]

They paid return postage cost ect it was just the whole situation that soured me, it was a light bar advertised as "240w" with 20w cree LEDs but total power consumption was only like 65w so obviously had 10w bulbs running around 60% which I left feedback about and which was removed, ebay said they made a mistake removing it but that's obviously just lip service.

The light bar has 12 individual leds,  which you claim  are only  10w leds, that equals  120w, yet you claim only

consuming about 65w.   Did you have the light tested by someone actually qualified.

Seller and obviously manufacturer  claim  item contains  12 x  20w leds

You allege  10w  leds  but by your figures  leds would be in the vicinity of 5w each.

Unless you had the light professionally  certified as not meeting the sellers advertising, then in all likelyhood the FB you left could have been interpreted as defamatory, and as such would be rightfully removed.

Edit:  Just to add, there is nothing wrong with the seller having multiple accounts, From memory you can have 8 accounts, and the seller can block you on all accounts as they see fit.

[wasore_58]

I understand your point and yes seller claimed that but it's certainly not obvious what the manufacturer claimed. I took photos of two different ammeters (including a professional grade fluke multimeter) reading which I also uploaded photos.  If you understood how these light bars worked you would realise that even the most expensive brand name ones usually only draw between 60-80% of rated led (max) power for multiple reasons but mainly to maximise led life and to minimise heat output. I also tested it side by side against a 8x10w light bar I already owned that uses basically the same ~60w and there was no comparable difference in light output.

[wasore_58]

I did open a not as described case and provided multiple photos showing amp draw and explained everything thoroughly. I bought a second time from what i assume is their second account and that time without warning they cancelled for 'buyer requested' but told me in message the last of their stock was all faulty and then ended the listing. I know it is quite common for these things to be falsely advertised and unfortunately average Joe has no way to tell what the thing actually uses or anything similar to compare to so for most people of it makes light it's 'good enough'. Anyway the feedback situation, as **bleep** as it was, is not the main concern here but I'll take others advice and Trump it up to a highly suspicious coincidence and I guess change my mobile number and provide a fake one for eBay sellers in the future as this seems like the only option to stop this problem.

[wasore_58]

Thanks for that, none are for eBay pretty much all of them are for your order has arrived, DHL, shipment needs info. That sort of thing. All literally started the day after I negged though, the timing of which I can't seem to get over lol