Home› Buying & Selling Topics
Shopping at LEGO or Amazon?
Please use our links: LEGO.com • Amazon
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Online Fraud: Drop Shipped LEGO, etc. (eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Bricklink, etc.)

1…1213141618

Comments

  • SherlockbonesSherlockbones Member Posts: 411
    Right-o should I report him if I see him?
  • ColoradoBricksColoradoBricks Member Posts: 1,659
    @Renny, sorry to hear that. The picture for that listing was ripped from a Swiss website: Green Grocer.

    I got fooled 2 years ago when I got back to LEGO, also on the GC, however the seller never sent anything and I got my money back..
  • whatsinanamewhatsinaname Member Posts: 17
    edited February 2013
    I didn't lose my money but I ended up falling for the drop-ship scam. The set had a buy-it-now of only $20 under MSRP and the seller's history didn't look sketchy. After that, I decided not to buy any more Lego off eBay. It will just be Amazon/Walmart or [email protected] for new sets for me.
  • RennyRenny Member Posts: 1,145
    Quick update. I appealed ebay's decision and heard back from a customer representative. He told me that if I signed and faxed in a declaration that I did not receive the item, that they would then refund me the full amount. Very surprised and excited that the appeal process appears to work and that someone actually read my notes and didn't just focus on a bogus tracking number.
    Amanda1983
  • tmgm528tmgm528 Member Posts: 457
    edited February 2013
    I in a way got scammed at a Walmart. I got the Sith Nightspeeder and when I opened it there was newspaper, the plastic bags that should be in there were open and thre was about 4 duplo bricks. I brought it back and I got m money back but the lady at customer service seemed to think I did it. Now I always make sure to shake the box before I buy it.
    Edit: Did I say Duplo? It wasn't even Duplo it was Mega-Bloks.....
  • RennyRenny Member Posts: 1,145
    Ebay reversed the ruling in my favor and I just got the refund today, what a relief :) I found it a little odd though that they used the following wording "We have decided to issue you a courtesy refund for your case....".

    I wonder if that means that ebay just absorbed the loss and the culprit got away with it?
  • CrownieCrownie Member Posts: 228
    I hope not, but it makes me very happy to hear you finally got your money back. What a nightmare.
  • samiam391samiam391 Member Posts: 4,492
    I hope not as well, but it may very well be good for eBay to absorb a small loss here.

    Every little amount of profit they lose, will hopefully make them avert more time, effort, and money to stopping people before they can scam someone else. It wasn't much, obviously, but those pennies, and hundreds of dollars, start adding up, and perhaps eBay will take notice.

    Very glad to hear you got your money back @Renny!
  • RennyRenny Member Posts: 1,145
    Thanks. This ordeal has made be become much more careful with which auctions to bid on. I may miss out on a genuine good deal here and there but peace of mind (and money saved) will be worth it for me.
    CrownieAmanda1983
  • leppgleppg Member Posts: 45
    ^^ Don't kid yourself ebay will just increase the fees to make up for the losses lol.
  • lulwutlulwut Member Posts: 417
    Ebay customer service is worthless.
    Renny said:

    Renny said:

    I'm pretty sure I just got scammed out of $250. Bought a Lego set from a new seller, something I don't normally do but there was a 14 day return policy so I figured it was safe enough. Well, I received shipping notice today but after checking the tracking number it was supposedly delivered 3 days ago. I received no such package. The package was also sent first class which is impossible due to size and weight of purchased set.

    So now I am screwed. Tracking information shows it was delivered, yet I have nothing to show for it. I can't file a claim for another week. Looking at the claim process though it seems that for items less than $250 as long as the seller can show delivery confirmation has been marked as delivered than there is nothing Paypal can do. Anything $250 or above requires proof of signature. Unfortunately for me my total came to $249.99. I'll still file a claim but I don't think I am going to win this one. It's humbling and frustrating to be conned so bad.

    Hard lesson to learn.


    Not sure anyone really cares but I just got a decision back from ebay and unfortunately they sided with the seller even though he never responded. They completely ignored the points I brought up and just focused on the fact that his phony tracking number showed that something was delivered in my zip code. You are awesome ebay....*golf clap*

    Don't tell me this was for set 10195, with the seller being from CA?
  • RennyRenny Member Posts: 1,145
    No, this was for a 10185 Green Grocer from CA.
  • lulwutlulwut Member Posts: 417
    edited February 2013
    Renny said:

    Just an fyi, this seller's real name is andrew kincaid and he is from CA. Not sure how helpful that is but he could create another account so if you see that name pop up just be aware.

    I found out my buddy got duped exactly like you did last year, except it was for the 10195 set @ $240. Seller didn't update the tracking info until a week later. USPS couldn't help because they couldn't track where the package was exactly delivered as the scammer didn't use signature confirmation. He had to fight a Paypal supervisor on the phone to reverse the Paypal claim in his favor.

    I don't think the scammer is using his real info, but public information available in directories. With just the name on the paypal account of the seller that my friend gave me, I was able to find the address associated with the name. I did the same thing with "austin kincaid" and found also found a public address.

    Didn't realize this scam was this huge, looks like it's pretty common now.
  • RocketBaseAlphaRocketBaseAlpha Member Posts: 9
    Browsing ebay today and amidst the endless 100-junk-bricks-for-$10 barrage I saw several Buy It Nows that were too good to be true: brand-new sets for at least 40% off retail. I got curious and started looking at the sellers. They all had 10-14 feedback points, member names following a common pattern, and they were all buying/selling from each other (hard drives and lego) and leaving positive feedback to pump up the ratings.

    http://myworld.ebay.com/johnathan1154124
    http://myworld.ebay.com/davidobrooks122012
    http://myworld.ebay.com/jamesau142012
    http://myworld.ebay.com/dunbardavid132012

    It took me three minutes to discover. It's preposterous that eBay doesn't have an automated program to sniff this stuff out.

    I feel sorry for whoever bought this:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/JU-LegoTM-Horizon-Express-Train-Set-10233-KD-/281067615281?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item4170ef7431
  • CircleKCircleK Member Posts: 1,055
    First Post:

    I grabbed a MMV set off ebay last month for $90 shipped. It wasn't a great savings, but I knew the set was being retired and didn't want to hold out any longer. I thought it was a little strange when it arrived direct from [email protected] The package even contained the Legend Of Chima freebie from last month. It seemed strange, but I thought maybe the seller purchased it with VIP rewards or something. I should have known something was sketchy and now I feel like an idiot after reading this thread. I called Lego tonight and sure enough... They have requested that I send the item back since it is unopened. I sat on the phone with eBay for over an hour pleading my case so that I could get a refund. The transaction was over 45 days ago so Buyer Protection is expired. They agreed for a one time allowance though as long as I provide some documentation from the TLG stating that they did in fact request this item back. So... I'm out my set, but I will at least get my $$$ back. I will probably be hard pressed to pick this set up at $90 now that it is officially retired and sold out everywhere so I'm still the loser in the end.

    As a side note: I asked Lego if I could just pay them and keep the set and they said nope. The representative told me this set will never be sold since it has been involved in a fraud case. Almost like it needs to be kept as evidence or something the like. I also asked if they would have wanted the set back if it had been opened or built to which they also said No. Does that seem a little off to anyone else? I'm not sure why it would matter if it had been opened or not if it is never to be resold.
  • RennyRenny Member Posts: 1,145
    edited February 2013
    ^ Welcome :) It's unfortunate your first post had to be a sad drop shipping tale. It's this very reason why many people here don't purchase currently available sets on ebay.
    Pitfall69
  • TinKnockerHimesTinKnockerHimes Member Posts: 76
    http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/tag/3636712723.html

    ^^ this has to be to good to be true, but I sent an email seeing if i could just meet him and pick it up, maybe I will get lucky an it be real...
  • StormsworderStormsworder Member Posts: 107
    Sherlockbones said:

    http://www.ioffer.com/i/lego-star-wars-death-star-(1o188)-deathstar-brand-new-531296456
    I must buy this, the problem? I think it's been drop shipped, the guy I mentioned earlier on last year has been banned for scamming people...

    I would not advise buying things like that on ioffer. I was recently the victim of online fraud on ioffer and I've lost nearly £50 as a result. What annoys me especially is that the seller can leave me negative feedback more or less accusing me of being a fraudster myself and ioffer did nothing when I reported the fraud. Still, such is life in post-Thatcher/Blair "help yourself" Britain.
  • leppgleppg Member Posts: 45
    So I am selling some CMF's on ebay and someone purchases 3 of them off of me. He then proceeds to send me this message,

    "Hi,

    I have a problem between ebay and paypal, i always got the error message "Return to merchant and try a different payment method" after login in paypal for the payment. I take a look to paypal, they recommend that you create an invoice for me in paypal. Could you please do this for this order? My email is "xxxxxxxxx at hot mxxx dot com".

    Thank you,"

    The guys ebay account is brand new as of today which makes me suspicious as he says this has happened before. Also him suggesting doing something outside through paypal sounds fishy. I also doubt there would be any problems between paypal and ebay seeing as how they go hand in hand.

    So any insight into this would be great. If you think it is a scam, etc. and what should I do?

    Thanks.
  • GoldchainsGoldchains Member Posts: 795
    I think you can send an invoice through Ebay and Paypal, so that shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't accept any other payment outside of Paypal, because then you don't have them to back you up if they try to pull a fast one. Definitely if it's a brand new account, there is something very fishy about this. They don't really say that it's happened before, just that they are getting an error message.

    If you wanted to accept a payment outside of Paypal, I would only accept a money order(no checks), and tell them that you will only ship the minifigs once the MO clears. But that's your call.

    If they give you any grief, tell Ebay immediately, and cancel the bid/auction if possible. If they try to give you bad feedback, you should be able to win a dispute.

    I'm sure there are others who have more and better opinions/advice.
  • LegoFanTexasLegoFanTexas Member Posts: 8,404
    You can indeed send an invoice via eBay, it is right in My eBay.
  • TheLoneTensorTheLoneTensor Member Posts: 3,937
    ^Right and assuming you said during the auction that you only accept Paypal stick to it. If they don't pay you can eventually file a non paying bidder complaint and get final value costs back.
  • jdylakjdylak Member Posts: 281
    What is the scam?
  • TheCableGuyTheCableGuy Member Posts: 114
    @leppg
    Paypal have had a problem in the last couple of days with merchant links so I don't think it is a scam. Paypal can also be a bit flaky and hard to use for new buyers remember.
    It's not a problem sending either a money request or invoice through paypal to the person's paypal account.
    The scam that IS similar to this one is when you get an email from a buyer stating that they are having a problem paying and they provide a hotlink with the item number which then asks you to sign into your ebay account - THAT is the scam part to get your ebay account details.

    Hope that helped.
  • paul_mertonpaul_merton Member Posts: 2,967
    It might not be a scam. eBay once did the same thing to me as a buyer - it literally would not let me pay for the item, as every time I tried, it gave a similar error message. When I contacted eBay support, they told me to ask the seller to send me an invoice via PayPal.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    I also had it happen to me only yesterday (as a buyer).
  • leppgleppg Member Posts: 45
    Alright well he has somehow managed to pay. I don't know he hasn't said anything else to me.

    I was initially suspicious because of the new user and him asking to complete it outside of Ebay. I am not sure where the scam is it just seemed fishy to me so I thought I would get some input from you guys. In case you guys have had something similar happen.

    I am just going to go through with it is a small risk anyways. Thanks for the input.
  • ecmo47ecmo47 Member Posts: 2,101
    edited June 2013
    Up till now, I have been very successful at buying items off of Craigslist. Both dealing locally and having people send me stuff after paying through Paypal. I just settled (Paypal gave me my money back) on an Eiffel Tower set and now thinking that I am going to get burned on a snowspeeder. My questions is how do these scams work? As long as the transaction goes through Paypal, I'm going to get my money back as long as I can prove that the items was never shipped/received. Once Paypal judges in my favor, I assume that they send Lefty and Guido over to the perps house to collected what is owed. Am I wrong? Is it Paypal that ends up holding the bag? Do the folks committing the scam spend a bunch of time creating bogus addresses and ID's so Paypal can’t track them down?? Since the money gets to the person, Paypal at least has a legitimate bank account number so I would think it would be easy for them to track down the persons committing the fraud. As a side topic, I think it might be a good idea if the moderators created a "Fraud Alert" category where we could post scams. (Like the fact that I saw the Eiffel tower in three different cities after I contacted the "seller".)
  • TheLoneTensorTheLoneTensor Member Posts: 3,937
    First of all, use paragraphs, please.

    Craigslist Buying 101

    Meet face to face in neutral area
    See the item
    Inspect the item thoroughly
    Pay in cash
    Leave

    If you do anything else, you will be burned. It's not a question of if, it's a matter of when.
  • samiam391samiam391 Member Posts: 4,492
    tensor said:

    First of all, use paragraphs, please.

    Craigslist Buying 101

    Meet face to face in neutral area
    See the item
    Inspect the item thoroughly
    Pay in cash
    Leave

    If you do anything else, you will be burned. It's not a question of if, it's a matter of when.

    I don't think he's asking how to buy on CL.... I think the question is "what's the point of the scam", if in the end "I always get my money back".

    If I'm incorrect, perhaps the OP can clarify more. :o)
    Dad
  • ecmo47ecmo47 Member Posts: 2,101
    edited June 2013
    ^ Thanks for the back-up. Perhaps I didn't do a good job of explaining my question but you have summarized it nicely.
  • CrowkillersCrowkillers Member Posts: 757
    tensor said:

    First of all, use paragraphs, please.

    Craigslist Buying 101

    Meet face to face in neutral area
    See the item
    Inspect the item thoroughly
    Pay in cash
    Leave

    If you do anything else, you will be burned. It's not a question of if, it's a matter of when.

    LOL.. Don't forget "Bring a gun"
    Pitfall69rancorbait
  • TheLoneTensorTheLoneTensor Member Posts: 3,937
    ^That takes it to a whole new level.

    Not that I disagree :)
    Pitfall69
  • CrowkillersCrowkillers Member Posts: 757
    I was just reading a story about a recent Craigslist meeting that turned out to be a robbery and the robber got dealt with.. ;)

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/17/suspected-craigslist-robber-shot-dead-trying-to-steal-man-phone/
  • DevastatorDevastator Member Posts: 66
    Same exact story happened next to my apartment about a set of rims. I would have them meet you at the local police station to exchange the lego for cash. See how serious they are then. I can't imagine Paypal just takes it on the chin. Isn't it linked to the receiving bank account?
  • ecmo47ecmo47 Member Posts: 2,101
    ^ That's why I asking the question. The scammer has to receive the money so that part of the info to Paypal would be have to be accurate. I would think that it would be easy for Paypal to collect since they have bank routing information.
  • ecmo47ecmo47 Member Posts: 2,101
    ...and thus not making the scam worthwhile.
  • DadsAFOLDadsAFOL Member Posts: 617
    Open bank account, open PayPal account, scam a bunch of people out of their money, transfer funds to bank, withdraw cash, close account, disappear. Yes, PayPal gets left holding the bag.
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,791
    edited June 2013
    Well Im guessing the scam is if the guy is using a stolen Paypal ID and account, in which case he is not losing money, the owner of the account is.
  • BoiseStateBoiseState Member Posts: 804
    Ya, I'm not sure what happens on Paypal's end. Not sure they have the power to take money from people's bank account without permission.
  • DevastatorDevastator Member Posts: 66
    So I'm bored and decided to read some more on this. It looks like Paypal locks your account if it has a negative balance until you make it positive. They can't break into your bank account without permission otherwise they would be sued into Oblivion. After some time they send it to debt collections agencies who harass, lie, and break the law to collect. i guess it will affect the persons credit score (if you care about that type of thing) assuming the scammer didn't create a false identity or steal another persons to commit the fraud in the first place.
  • RennyRenny Member Posts: 1,145
    They can actually scam you if the item is less than $250. Someone did this to me on ebay but luckily I complained enough that ebay finally returned my money even when they closed the case in the sellers favor.

    The thing with Paypal is that if the item is less than $250 a signature is not required. So, the scam works like this: Let's say you bought and paid <$250 for a Lego set via Paypal. The seller will then ship a letter or postcard or whatever to another address within your same zipcode through USPS. The tracking number will show that the seller did ship something and it will show as delivered since the mailman will just drop it off in the mailbox. The tracking for USPS is so bad that they only confirm that it was delivered to that zip code and not the address.

    When I contacted the USPS office they were not able to tell me the exact address it was delivered to. So now the seller has proof that he shipped something and that it was delivered. Since it is less than $250 Paypal/ebay will close the case and rule in the sellers favor without even reading your defense.

    Even when I pointed out that the item shipped was done via first class and weighed 2 oz when the set I bought was at least 5 pounds and impossible to ship via USPS. Like I said they only refunded me because I appealed and got a hold of a customer rep who cared.
  • ecmo47ecmo47 Member Posts: 2,101
    Thanks for the insight. Seems like most scams would be too much work to net any worthwhile gain.
  • BastaBasta Member Posts: 1,259
    PayPal and Credit Card companies factor fraud into there business model, although they would definitely try and get money owed back, some percentage they would not get back and they'd also sell some debt to collection agencies for cents on the dollar. Fact is there is enough money to be made even when people rip them off.

  • doriansdaddoriansdad Member Posts: 1,337
    Most of the time these scammers are overseas using hacked paypal accounts. Once they receive your funds they convert the money into virtual currency. Be smart and deal locally.
  • natro220natro220 Member Posts: 545
    Having worked in the fraud department of the ACH area of a large bank, I can tell you Paypal can and does take money from checking accounts without specific authorization. You agree to giving them the ability to reverse the transaction (take back a deposit) in the terms and conditions. A lot of times, fraudsters hack people's legitimate checking accounts, perpetrate the scam, withdraw the money, then leave the unsuspecting person or the bank to deal with the aftermath (Paypal taking the money back). A lot of the time it's the bank who has to write it off as a loss, as ACH transactions are covered by Regulation E, which means consumers have zero liability in the case of fraud. I'm not sure it works this way with credit cards, but probably similar. (And I live in the U.S., not sure how this works elsewhere).

    So, long story short...the fraudster makes off with the cash. It's very worthwhile for them, as long as they don't get caught.
  • mrseatlemrseatle Member Posts: 410
    Basta said:

    PayPal and Credit Card companies factor fraud into there business model, although they would definitely try and get money owed back, some percentage they would not get back and they'd also sell some debt to collection agencies for cents on the dollar. Fact is there is enough money to be made even when people rip them off.


    Sad but true...
  • DoubleDDoubleD Member Posts: 488
    I have looking at set 10199, and I have seen this guy post this set for the third time this week, each running for 24 hours. I was about to bid on it again and released it was same set from the same guy. He has 100% but only 10 items, but when you try to check what the buyer says it say has no feed back.

    Do you guys think this is a scam and I should look else where for the set? Here is the post.
    http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?index=0&sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=251295499603
  • roxioroxio Member Posts: 1,384
    His feedback is there, but its all as a buyer, none as a seller.
    Has various recent auctions ended for multiple Maersk trains, QAR and WTS - no buyers have left feedback yet. Looks a little fishy but could be a reseller starting out ???
  • ColoradoBricksColoradoBricks Member Posts: 1,659
    24h auction on retired sets that should fetch around $150-200, I put my money on hacked account, hacker trying to get as much money as possible in a short time...
Sign In or Register to comment.

Shopping at LEGO.com or Amazon?

Please use our links: LEGO.com • Amazon

Recent discussions • Categories • Privacy Policy • Brickset.com

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Sign In Register

Categories

Brickset.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, the Amazon.com.ca, Inc. Associates Program and the Amazon EU Associates Programme, which are affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.