topic Re: Serial Scammer in Selling

Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 20:39:24 GMT

I had a very bad experience with a scammer, looking at his feedback he has a history of claiming "item not received" and "quantity less than ordered" to many sellers. In my case, I had both type of claims from him from different transactions and end up losing a lot of money.

It's safe to say he is a serial scammer. PM me if you want to know more.

Save the tips on how to report him to ebay, I don't have the time and energy to waste on... I just want to help other sellers here.

Re: Serial Scammer

clarry100 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 20:58:50 GMT

We had one of these a while back who claimed qty less than ordered after ordering 8x items. Claimed all 8 were half a metre short. We knew they were not as we use a template to measure but we had no proof so we sent out the extra 4M. And to cap it off she asked for demanded the extra 4M to be in a colour she had not previously ordered.

Then about 10-days later we got another message from the same buyer claiming that another order was less than ordered. Trouble is she had no other dealings with us and we do not sell the items she was reporting. So clearly had tried it on again with another seller but sent the message to us by mistake. BUSTED! So we called her on it and reported her to ebay.

In hindsight we should have left it alone I guess as it has all fallen on deaf ears. She then left us NEGs on 6 of the items she had not previously left FB on. So by making waves and trying to stop these kinds of buyer our good selling account has suffered. It's very wrong but a fact of trading on here. We won't do that again. We are still suffering the defects from this one.

Despite the clear evidence she was a serial scammer ebay would do nothing about removing the NEGs or even investigation of the buyer. I'm sure if they would even bother to look at her messages to other sellers they would find a pretty tragic history of the same thing.

Clearly they offer support to scammers.

...and yes she is on our special lists now.

Re: Serial Scammer

lizzy6107 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:34:54 GMT

Yes please. I'd like to know this person. .. but I don't have a clue how to pm?

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:36:27 GMT

@lizzy6107 wrote:
Yes please. I'd like to know this person. .. but I don't have a clue how to pm?

click on my id then it's on the right hand side "Send this user a private message"

Re: Serial Scammer

old_holdens_never_die — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 23:07:48 GMT

well, from November 1st he'll be set! business will be booming for the "hire" scammers!

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 23:16:15 GMT

See the sellers got scammed by him, god knows how many more...

Re: Serial Scammer

2106greencat — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 23:17:37 GMT

Sellers nightmare.....

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 23:20:30 GMT

@2106greencat wrote:
Sellers nightmare.....

Add "item damaged or not working" to his bag of tricks, did that to me as well.

Re: Serial Scammer

i-love-my-sheep — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 23:24:28 GMT

He's now on my happy buyers list!

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Sat, 02 May 2015 05:12:22 GMT

This scum is back, bought something and didn't pay, with a different ebay account. I cancelled the transaction right away.

Also found another serial scammer from the same ethnic background with over 800 feedbacks and left hundreds of negs and extorted many many good sellers. One look at his feedbacks you will understand what I mean, currently trying to extort me for a refund. Another neg on the way....

PM me if you want to block these serial scammers.

Re: Serial Scammer

arlottstreetstation — Sat, 02 May 2015 05:29:49 GMT

Just an idea... Or maybe a question.... Has anyone ever thought of, or actually tried reporting these Scumbags to the Police?

I'm no Legal Eagle but to my mind it is Extortion or Fraud.... I realise that a lot might think that the Police may not be interested in that we are only talking relatively small amounts compared to most of their Cases, but I'm wondering that maybe... just maybe... if they receive enough complaints, they might think about at least giving Ebay a kick in the rear & "recommending" that they tighten up on this sort of thing - If you get my drift....

Re: Serial Scammer

arlottstreetstation — Sat, 02 May 2015 05:36:38 GMT

P.S.... I had a win some time ago with one of these scumbags before the MBG.... I realised almost immediately what was happening & messaged him/her saying that I had reported the matter to the Police & my decision to replace or refund would be based on the findings of their Investigation..... I hadn't of cause but I never heard another word..... Didn't even receive FB....lol

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Sat, 02 May 2015 06:00:25 GMT

Good on you, I am just sick and tired of them. I sell mainly low value items, not worth getting a tracking number. But these scammers with a refugee background are driving me insane. Judging from the feedbacks and reply to feedback left by other sellers, they have driven a lot of people mad...

I just want to help other good and honest sellers out there, so they don't have to go through what I have to go through...

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Sat, 02 May 2015 06:02:39 GMT

Tonight, I will do another screenshot collection of all the negative feedback & replies this new scammer has done. He has given hundreds of negs, so could take all night...

Re: Serial Scammer

clarry100 — Sat, 02 May 2015 06:29:48 GMT

I would lodge a report with the ACORN. See link. That way you will get a report number issued by them.

They will take it to the police if they think it worthwhile.

And if you report the member to ebay along with the ACORN report number they might take you seriously.

Give ACORN all your past evidence as well.

http://www.acorn.gov.au/

Re: Serial Scammer

springyzone — Sat, 02 May 2015 09:51:19 GMT

My god, that list you scanned is scary. Even the positive feedbacks imply that the buyer got replacements. It would seem no purchase ever worked out for this buyer, items supposedly lost in transit, parts missing. You would wonder why they stay on ebay-must be for all the freebies they extort.

I had to laugh (in a sympathetic way) at one of your neg feedbacks. You replied to it that the buyer wanted you to pay the $40 return postage for what was just a change of mind. The buyer then went into a capital letter rant to say you were a liar and the postage was free!!

This is a worry. Surely people realise postage might be included in the cost of an item but it is not free, not to anyone. Or are sellers now supposed to spell that out in listings too, that only the postage to send the item is free, return postage for change of mind isn't included?

The mind boggles.

I am sort of glad not to be selling a lot how we used to. Back a decade ago, I felt we had more autonomy. We could still get a neg back then but we decided who we refunded or if we refunded.

Re: Serial Scammer

curmu-curmu — Sat, 02 May 2015 10:46:54 GMT

I've had ocassion to use ACORN's services before - and they do take cybercrime seriously.

Although I've yet to experience a scammer, (prob' because of my niche market), I wouldn't hesitate to use them again, as the last time, they were efficient and swift.

OP and any other sellers - jump online and complete a report. Reporting scammers or other nasty buyers to ebay seems to be completely ineffectual, but with ACORN's intervention and enough complaints, ebay may well recieve a rev-up from ACORN, too!

It's such a shame that ebay turns a blind eye to these practices - it creates a pall over all of the fantastic buyers here as well!

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Sat, 02 May 2015 17:56:10 GMT

Yeah, took about a dozen messages and 3 nasty phone calls to fight off that "I changed my mind but I want a full refund because it was "free postage" on your eBay listing" buyer.

I have changed most of my listing from "free postage" to actual postage + eBay fee on postage. Also for risk free items, I changed them to "no returns accepted". It was a great lesson for me and angers me every time I think about it. Item was sealed in factory package from Dell. buyer said the dual monitor stand was too big for her table therefore "not as described" as compact and spacing saving in the description that I copied from Dell's website.

PayPal sent me an email saying they are offering "free return postage" now, subject to their approval. I deleted that email right away in disgust.

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Sat, 02 May 2015 18:17:40 GMT

Thanks for the advice, I am not sure if I have the time and energy. Everytime I dealt with government, lawyers, ebay or anyone with authority I always get taken for a ride...

Thanks to the kind ebayer who PMed and showed me how to use http://toolhaus.org/

I have finished compilation for the latest scammer. Screenshots took from toolhaus.org will be posted below.

I have removed all ebay IDs and I am quite certain the feedbacks aren't serachable via google.

Re: Serial Scammer

mydiyau — Sat, 02 May 2015 18:44:24 GMT

In reality, this latest scammer probably extorted hundreds of sellers, as seen by the 56 negs given over the years above.

The fact that he is still out there, ready to strike the next victim on eBay tells how frugal it is to fight scammers like him via "proper" channels. May this be the first step.