Do scammers use their real names or not?

[meelo_darling]

As both a longtime buyer and seller, a question I have always had is this. Do buyers use their real names on their buyer accounts? What about their seller accounts?

The reason I ask is, if they are forced to use their real names, wouldn't they be worried about being named and shamed on the Internet? Or further, tracked down and harassed for their scamming activities?

If they do not us real names on their accounts, how are they getting away with this? Hhow are they managing to have a Paypal account with a fake name (isn't Paypal linked to a real bank account with a REAL name?), and would Ebay indeed allow they to use fake names (that don't match up with the name on their Paypal account, etc)?

In other words, wouldn't people using their real names be more likely to be honest in their online transactions? Your thoughts?

[meelo_darling]

>....I would never presume to answer for a scammer as I have never scammed anyone in my life.

While I assume you guys probably aren't scammers, I assume you have dealt with some of them. So, what have you observed? Do you get the sense they are making up fake names on their accounts?

[meelo_darling]

>....I would never presume to answer for a scammer as I have never scammed anyone in my life.

While I assume you guys probably aren't scammers, I assume you have dealt with some of them. So, what have you observed? Do you get the sense they are making up fake names on their accounts?

[lyndal1838]

As a buyer I have indeed had dealings with a couple of scammers.

The one in the UK was probably not a scammer as such but was a very unpleasant individual.  She raised no flags or alarm bells.....An ordinary everyday name and address, low but good feedback and good clear listings.

I won the auction with one bid in the last few seconds.....and then the abuse started.  I was a scammer, how did I know how much to bid to be the highest bidder with only one bid etc etc.  She even reported me to ebay as a scammer.

I won that little altercation as ebay could see that I had done nothing different to the way I always bid.

The US one was a doozy.  Again no alarm bells.  I won a series of figurines which she promised to pack well and send in 2 days time when she went to town.

After 3 days I asked if she had a tracking number for me. 

Long story short I was given the right royal run around and there was no sign of the package being sent.

I did a bit of googling only to find that the seller lived in a trailer park in a very low rent area.  I had a phone number which proved to be a friend of hers who assured me the seller was not a scammer and would send the items.

After further delays I rang the local FBI office (they handled cyber crime in the US).  Surprise, surprise they knew her and paid her a visit.  My parcel did arrive eventually but the packing was almost non existent and every item was chipped or broken.

I lost out big time on that deal but I did have the satisfaction of reporting the seller to ebay, along with the details of my report to the FBI.....she was booted off ebay very soon after.

I have had a few other suspect sellers since that have not raised any alarm bells but due to ebay's much improved buyer protection I have not lost money or sleep over those transactions.

[springyzone]

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@meelo_darling wrote:
You misunderstood my question. I never at any point said that every buyer or seller is going to scam me, nor did I assume such.

I asked what scammers themselves do. How do THEY conduct themselves on Ebay. DO they use their real names?

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Unless someone followed something up and did a lot of investigating, it would be hard for them to know for sure if the scammer was using their real name.

I presume any half way professional scammer would use a name that was at least feasible.

And I think it is possible, too, that some 'scammers' aren't always scammers 100% of the time so would be using their real name and address.

For example, mayny years ago now, I made a purchase from a seller. The item eventually arrived but it took ages for her to post it off, something like 3 weeks. This was back in the days before paypal or ETA's so buyers were at the mercy of a seller once they paid into the bank account.

My sister also made a purchase a few weeks later. Same deal, slow as a wet week but item arrived eventually and was exactly as described.

Fast forward a few months and another item from this seller caught my eye. I decided to bid on it and won and saw in the ad a sentence that said something like-look at my other items as I combine postage & it is no extra if it can fit in the same satchel.

So I looked, saw another item (these were all new clothing items with tags) that looked to be very light and I knew could fit in the same satchel and I bought that too.

So I waited. And waited.And waited. I wasn't alarmed as this was her usual habit to be slow but eventually messaged her and got no reply.  Next time I clicked in to check, there were about a dozen or more recent negatives, all given after my item had been bought, all saying the same thing, item had not arrived. And the seller was no longer a registered user so i presume had been kicked off ebay.

Was she a scammer? Yes, I think she became a scammer at the end, in that she kept everyone's money and never sent any goods. It would have amounted to several hundred dollars. Was she under her real name and address? Yes, i think so because I don't think she set out to scam at first, I think she fell into it as an easy/lazy option. Sometimes I wonder how she views herself. Probably doesn't see herself as a scammer.

[*tippy*toes*]

Given your insistence, and constant asking, I have to ask, are you planning on becoming a scammer, that you need to know these things before you start? You don't seem to be letting up with the same question, so I am curious.

[lyndal1838]

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

Given your insistence, and constant asking, I have to ask, are you planning on becoming a scammer, that you need to know these things before you start? You don't seem to be letting up with the same question, so I am curious.

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I was thinking the same thing Tippy and had second thoughts on whether to continue answering.

[moov-auction]

I had a buyer who's name was Troll who may or may not have tried to scam me. Opened a case claiming item not recieved and closed it after i pleaded him to wait it out. Newb buyer, expensive item, I sent with no tracin

[imastawka]

Never judge a buyer by their ebay name