REPORTING EBAY THEFT TO LOCAL POLICE

[the-fab-gift-shop]

Numerous complaints and we realise that Ebay has no intention of doing anything about buyer theft since they are now inviting it. We've had them pretend a few times to be checking into a buyer's account, but those same buyers are still on Ebay months later.

If a scammer uses the Ebay system to steal from us, then we are going to advise them, that we will be sending a written report with a stat dec to their local police station on what has ocurred. While we don't wish to take up the time of the police, by having them take a formal statement, a wriiten report at the writer's request, will be placed on permanent record at that station for future reference.  If enough sellers lodge complaints, then the police will be obliged to investigate and may issue a search warrant. If the thief has stolen electronic, furniture, jewellery etc worth big money, then it would be worth making a formal statement plus search.

Thieves generally like to keep themselves off record, relying on sellers to give in, for fear of  Neg. feedback. But with Ebay new invitation, you are going to find alot more long term professional scammers, becoming overly confident that the system supports them, so why email the seller, when they can get money quick, by going straight to the new scammers Ebay drive through ...

Stealing is an addiction and if allowed to get away with it, thieves nearly always move on to bigger/ other crimes. It assists police and the victims of crime in the future, if records are in place, showing a history of potential suspects in the area, or associated with a particular crime,  for when the thief gets caught out later on, for a major online fraud, house bulgary, car theft, assault etc.

Ebay may be building its reputation as a scammers paradise and instilling new found confidence in cyber thieves, but out in the real world theft/ shoplifting/ having stolen property in one's possession is still considered to be a criminal offense, punishable by law. Multiple accounts ... no problem. The name and address of the scammer and or friends and family is always the same ...

Reporting theft and only of you are certain that Australia Post is not at fault, is also a good deterent for wannabe newbie thieves.

[character_parties_aus]

I take your point but it will put the wind up a lot of people who perhaps have form with the police....

[harley_babes_hoard]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

Clarry, the website is very specific that the online Fraud Squad is located in Queensland but covers the whole of Australia.

There is even a section giving information on what authorities to contact when overseas sellers are involved.

I was able to successfully report a US seller....I did not get my money back but it was intensely satisfying to know that she would not be ripping off other buyers.

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Lyndal it looks like that has changed now,  no links for other states. The bookmarks I have are all going to just the queensland one now.

[lyndal1838]

Harley, there never were any links as far as I know.   You always had to lodge through the Queensland site for every state.

I have never lodged a complaint for an Aussie seller......just the US one where I had to contact the FBI.

[harley_babes_hoard]

Yeah you used to go to the Queensland site but there were different links for different states to lodge the complaints

[go-tazz]

The Queensland one is now for Qld only by the look.

The current ones are

NSW: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/fraud_prevention

WA: http://www.police.wa.gov.au/Crimetypes/Fraud/Quickreportingguide/tabid/1959/Default.aspx

VIC: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?document_id=21535

QLD: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/cscp/fraud/complaints.htm

TAS: http://www.police.tas.gov.au/cyber-crime/

Some now direct you to:  Cyber crime: http://www.acorn.gov.au/

There was talk that it was all going to go there,(so it looks like it's now in place),

[harley_babes_hoard]

Thanks Go Tazz, Nice to know I'm not going nuts lol

[kingfisher.curiosity.shop]

A few years ago I bought a $350 item from a well known collectables expert in QLD. Their identity was know to me via a collectables forum away from ebay. The item was a uniquely named item with the name being the value point.

Paid by bank transfer as per their request and a few days later it was marked as sent. Requested a tracking number but no reply received.

A week or two later no item and still no answers to messages.

The PO duly informs me that the sender has to open a missing item claim even though messages werent being answered.

At this stage I was messaging every couple of days. Their phone number kept going to message bank.

I went to my local Police Station and reported the item as missing in the post. Long story short the Police said that as seller had marked it as payment received and item sent there was a case. Just not in my state.

So I rang the Police station in the sellers town and repeated the story.Nothing they could do blah blah blah. When I mentioned the identy of the seller being a well known " expert " it caught their attention. I was told thanks for my call and they would get back to me.

My item turned up within a few days of my phone conversation. A couple of weeks later the police called to check up if I had received my item. I said it had and he gave me the impression it wasnt the first time this seller had taken money and not sent the item.

The police can help if they know about it so I recommend every attempted fraud/theft via ebay be put on paper with the police whether online or in person.

[cherry*135]

I saw those sites before also. I never found anything where you can report online fraud, online to the AFP.

I looked at the NSW link as that is where I live.

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/fraud_prevention

It is more fraud prevention advice and to dob in anyone you know who commits fraud.

Doesn't even mention online fraud (seller/buyer transactions), and in what way a person would be best  contact the police if that happens to them.

That link certainly isn't a substitute for the previous online fraud reporting site based in QLD (that doesn't appear to be current now, not Australia wide anyway).

[go-tazz]

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@am*3 wrote:

I saw those sites before also. I never found anything where you can report online fraud, online to the AFP.

The AFP wont take reports about online fraud.

I looked at the NSW link as that is where I live.

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/fraud_prevention

It is more fraud prevention advice and to dob in anyone you know who commits fraud.

That's why they are trying to direct everyone to: http://www.acorn.gov.au/

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They are trying to correlate everything through the one agency,(that way they can "suss" out related

scams,etc).

[dvdezydvds]

I am only guessing but i think all of the new charges have been designed to substitute ebay offering the brand name stores either free listing, free fvf, free paypal etc to attract them to the site. I just can't see any other reason these company's would need to list on here when they have stores and their own websites. I would love for every Australian Seller to make a stand and not list anything for one day. Who does ebay have left a heap of chinese sellers selling $1 items with free postage. Not a lot of profit in fees for ebay. It would have to make a  massive impact and could potentially do more to help than just making complaints to the accc and complaining on here. 

Ebay can do as they please, as they have done, time and time again over the years. Money is the root of all evil and sellers are used to the money and like the money, which is why they continue to sell on here after every fee rise, defect  rule and changes with paypal and ebay knows that. So they continue on there merry way making billions of dollars in profit that doesn't even stay in our country.  One day of no Aussies Sellers listing fee, postage fee, final fee and paypal fee, they may not care, but they may and if Aus Sellers did this one day every month then something would have to give. It won't ever happen but boy i would love to be a fly on the wall if it ever did.