I have a feeling we fell for a scam - buyer claiming counterfeit on a genuine very expensive item

[bright_tomato]

I have listed my husband's very expensive phone (it's over $5000 brand new) and finally sold it at best offer for only $1300, much less than what we were hoping to get. But we really needed the money. I took all precautions - took very detailed photos, sent the buyer the IMEI number  and tracking number, insured the phone for $1300 when posted. She received the phone and literally the next day I receive a message that she believes the phone to be a copy or a fake. I am in a state of shock, I am not a retailer, I only sell my own second-hand goods and this phone was a gift from a close friend of my husband's. There is absolutely no chance that it is fake or a copy. She didn't even investigate,  i suggested that she takes the phone to a TAG store to check and she completely ignored that. I have a feeling this is a scam artist who is now requesting a return for refund and will send us back a fake phone to scam us.

My questions is, does anyone has any experience with what kind of process ebay/pay pal follows when a buyer claims the item to be fake? I listed the item with "no returns accepted" condition so I am also wondering - am I able to reject her return request?

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

I don't think the buyer will do anything that could help your case, like taking it to Canada Post or supplying the IMEI number.

I think they will simply put in a claim for Item Not As Described and submit the photos to show that what they claim to have received is nothing like the listing photos.

If they are asked by eBay or PayPal to return the item then I expect that if they are a true scammer you will receive a brick or rock that weighs the same as the phone in a box that is the same size as the phone box.  This way they get both phones and a refund.

[kopenhagen5]

I agree with the others to not name call and keep it factual from your perspective.

It also makes it easier for a mediator to recognise the party in the right, should it get to that.

There is a small possibility that the parcel was tampered with.

We do hear of quite a few postal workers/deliverers committing theft.

[bright_tomato]

And "lovely" emails keep coming (this is just in reply to my requests of taking the phone to Canada Post and providing me with IMEI number):

 YOU TOOK THE PICTURE S FROM SOMEONE OTHERS PHONE TO SCAME THE BUYERS AND LOWER THEM TO BUY THE ITEM TO MAKE IT LOOK REAL AUTHENTIC ITEM... YOU BOUGHT THE INSURANCE TO SCREW ME AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY. I WILL NOT MAKE ANY INSURANCE CLAIMS FOR YOU BECAUSE I KNOW THE BOX WAS NOT TEMPERED WITH..... I WILL SEND YOU THE PHONE BACK YOU DO WHAT EVER SCAM YOU WANT TO DO YOUR SELF.... YOU BOUGHT INSURANCE JUST TO COVER YOUR SCAMMING ASS, TO USE PEOPLE FOR YOUR SCAMS!!! YOU ARE A THEAF!!!!!!! YOU CAN FIND OUT THE IMEI NUMBER YOUR SELF! BECAUSE YOU DID NOT EVEN SEND ME THE CHARGER OR THE BATTERY FOR YOUR FAKE!!!!!!!! PHONE THATS HOW LOW YOU ARE!!!! YOU THINK YOU ARE SO SMART TO SCREW THE BUYER AND ON TOP OF THAT SCREW THE INSURANCE COMPANY WHILE YOU AT IT AND USE OTHERS FOR YOUR DIRTY WORK!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!  WHY ARE YOU NOT EXPLAINING HOW YOU PULLED THE SCAM ????  I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A SCAMMER AND YOU KNOW THAT AS WELL,SO WHY WOULD I MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY THAT I BELIEVE YOU SENT ME THE AUTHENTIC TAG HEUER PHONE AND SOME ONE CHANGED IT ON THE WAY????WHEN YOU SENT ME A FAKE COPY TAG PHONE????? YOU TRYED GETTING YOUR SCAMER BUDDIES TO SEND ME MESSAGES, YOU TOLD THEM TO THREATEN ME TO GO AWAY WITH THE RCMP AND ETC... THAT DID NOT WORK FOR YOU WHAT A SHAME, MUST OF PUT LOTS OF THOUGHTS IN IT??? I HAVE BOUGHT VERTU PHONE FOR OVER $6500... AND NVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS...BECAUSE OF AUTHENTIC SELLER....PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE SO LOW!!!! AND GIVE OTHER S SELLERS BAD NAME... AND SCARY THE BUYERS LIKE ME TO BUY ITMES ON LINE....YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!! EBAY NEEDES TO BAR YOU FROM EVER SELLING AND CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT FOR GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE ANY MORE TO GO BACK AND FORTH WITH THE SCAMMERS LIKE YOU... I WILL CONTACT EBAY TO HELP!!!!

[lizzy6107]

Perhaps you should just write to him that you apologise profusely if you have misjudged, but it certainly seems that you are unable to see any other reason how the phone could be different,  and that it may well be an issue with customs or Canada Post, and that you would very much appreciate his co-operation in trying to find the culprit.... that he please fill out police/ postal/ etc reports his end, and you will be doing the same your end, so you can get to the bottom of it...

Even though it is most likely he is the scammer, there is a remote possibility someone else is involved, and if not, at least your email looks better to the ebay / paypal investigators..

[clarry100]

Just a thought....

If someone in the postal/customs services either here or in Canada was intent on tampering with the package with the intent of stealing the contents, why would they bother replacing it with anything at all.

Wouldn't they just take the contents and then the parcel would have showed up completely empty. Then the buyer would be complaining about an entirely different thing altogether. My package has turned up empty!!!

It really does seem rather a slim chance to me that it was tampered with along the way.

About 2-years ago we bought new phones through a major online retailer. We received an email from them to say to open and carefully check the contents of the package in front of the delivery person and if it was empty to refuse to sign for it at all. And then contact them.

That suggested to us that there had been instances of theft in transit with empty packages arriving.

The phones came out of Hong Kong.

All was good tho.

[lizzy6107]

just read your update..

to be honest, she / he is going to alot of trouble..

If I were scammed, I would not even talk to the seller, after the first message saying "you sent me the wrong item", not,  "I think this is a copy or a fake", very strange message, when it's clearly a totally different phone!

I would just deal with ebay and paypal after the first denial from the seller.

I sure hope they see through this.

At least you have their personal details, so the Canadian police can check them out, there may be some history of theft.

[lizzy6107]

it went from being a fake/ counterfeit, to being an entirely different phone

Ebay should see through that.

[character_parties_aus]

If you can find out the weight of the item you have sent if no leads etc are in the box the physical weight will be different to a box in the shop. Find out the weight of this item as sold and find out the weight of the item you sent. Might help.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@bright_tomato wrote:

And "lovely" emails keep coming (this is just in reply to my requests of taking the phone to Canada Post and providing me with IMEI number😞

 YOU TOOK THE PICTURE S FROM SOMEONE OTHERS PHONE TO SCAME THE BUYERS AND LOWER THEM TO BUY THE ITEM TO MAKE IT LOOK REAL AUTHENTIC ITEM... YOU BOUGHT THE INSURANCE TO SCREW ME AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY. I WILL NOT MAKE ANY INSURANCE CLAIMS FOR YOU BECAUSE I KNOW THE BOX WAS NOT TEMPERED WITH..... I WILL SEND YOU THE PHONE BACK YOU DO WHAT EVER SCAM YOU WANT TO DO YOUR SELF.... YOU BOUGHT INSURANCE JUST TO COVER YOUR SCAMMING ASS, TO USE PEOPLE FOR YOUR SCAMS!!! YOU ARE A THEAF!!!!!!! YOU CAN FIND OUT THE IMEI NUMBER YOUR SELF! BECAUSE YOU DID NOT EVEN SEND ME THE CHARGER OR THE BATTERY FOR YOUR FAKE!!!!!!!! PHONE THATS HOW LOW YOU ARE!!!! YOU THINK YOU ARE SO SMART TO SCREW THE BUYER AND ON TOP OF THAT SCREW THE INSURANCE COMPANY WHILE YOU AT IT AND USE OTHERS FOR YOUR DIRTY WORK!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!  WHY ARE YOU NOT EXPLAINING HOW YOU PULLED THE SCAM ????  I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A SCAMMER AND YOU KNOW THAT AS WELL,SO WHY WOULD I MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY THAT I BELIEVE YOU SENT ME THE AUTHENTIC TAG HEUER PHONE AND SOME ONE CHANGED IT ON THE WAY????WHEN YOU SENT ME A FAKE COPY TAG PHONE????? YOU TRYED GETTING YOUR SCAMER BUDDIES TO SEND ME MESSAGES, YOU TOLD THEM TO THREATEN ME TO GO AWAY WITH THE RCMP AND ETC... THAT DID NOT WORK FOR YOU WHAT A SHAME, MUST OF PUT LOTS OF THOUGHTS IN IT??? I HAVE BOUGHT VERTU PHONE FOR OVER $6500... AND NVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS...BECAUSE OF AUTHENTIC SELLER....PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE SO LOW!!!! AND GIVE OTHER S SELLERS BAD NAME... AND SCARY THE BUYERS LIKE ME TO BUY ITMES ON LINE....YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!! EBAY NEEDES TO BAR YOU FROM EVER SELLING AND CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT FOR GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE ANY MORE TO GO BACK AND FORTH WITH THE SCAMMERS LIKE YOU... I WILL CONTACT EBAY TO HELP!!!!

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Does not surprise me one bit.  As I wrote in another post, why would they do anything that they think will help you when you straight out called them a scammer?

Now up to eBay/PayPal

[clarry100]

Yes good thought *parties*.

The package weight should be recorded on the PO lodgement receipt for an international tracked package I would think???

Certainly if the battery and charger were really not present (as the scammer claims) then this would be a significant weight difference.

Just somehow need to get hold of the real item package weight (when packed for shipping) from the OEM.

In the manuals maybe? Manuals online somewhere?

Just trying to think out loud...