mwp

My son bought a Go-Ped on ebay and sent a cheque to a now disapeared seller (stupidly lost the address !!!) who did not deliver the goods. the details he registered with ebay are false.

Trying to get anything out of ebay is a nightmare and they only refund up to £105.

This is my first brush with ebay and it seems they are happy to promote a fraudulent environment with little or no checks on sellers credit or credentials.

Clearly It would be optimal to pay via a credit card etc for high price goods and he's learnt the lesson now.

Anyone have any ideas with how to find the scum who didn't deliver ?

Also, I don't see much press about ebay and non-delivery ... are the consumer's association and world at large happy with ebay's practises.

Thanks, Mark.

47 NAT

I know hind-sights always a brilliant thing, but whenever I buy something via cheque via post, etc I always write on the back "Acceptance of this cheque is for exchange of XYZ only & will be cancelled if not recieved by myself" I dont think it has any lawful stance, but was told by my bank a while ago that it makes it easier to cancel cheques.

Its just a shame that a minority of these rip off merchant scum bags give the genuine sellers a bad name

Good luck in getting it sorted and I hope you do.....

Nath

camk

you need to involve ebay and the police as its fraud. It would be easy for the bank/police to find the account the cheque was cashed into and investigate from there.

Gordo

good advice from camk - if only the police would be 'bothered' investigating something as mundane as fraud.

much easier to nab a few more crims on the Queen's highway.....

Tiggs

next time......

collect items over £100 if you are not 110%

and what the hecks a goped?

Spoon

Tiggs- You need to get out more if you are serious in not knowing what a goped is!!

BuRR

I deal with Ebay fraud day in, day out.

You need to report the matter to your local police.

They should obtain a statement from yourself in relation to the matter, and take copies of all email correspondence that went on between buyer/seller. Please also provide them with ALL extended header information in any email correspondence.

This package will enable the offender to be traced.

We do investigate fraud. Trust me .

Sbradley

The banks will be interested as well - cheque fraud, whether by presenting a cheque without the funds to honour it or by cashing a cheque under false pretences are both issues that I was involved in while doing some consultancy for a banking organisation.

They don't give a monkeys about their image or the damage to their customers, but they do see it as a potential loss of profit for them. Oh, as well as the extra revenue gained from dragging the perpetrator through the courts, of course...

Report it to your bank as a fraudulent transaction and go on from there.

Good luck and don't give up!

SB

JackClark

Picture of my Go-Ped for Tiggs.

*Sonic*

Burr

I need to speak to about internet fraud

Steve

midget1500

jack - and you have a *cannon* !!

Leslie

I have got exactly the same fraud problem. Ebay have failed to contact the so called seller who has disappeared and say they wait 30 days before doing anything else. I have informed the police who say they will not proceed further until after 28 days. They say they will investigate it. I can only hope for success. I have got copies of all emails etc.

Les

Recaro

Ebay dont seem to do anything regarding fraud.

A while ago I sold a phone for a very good price (well to me anyway) and the buyer used an online payment scheme called "Trase-safer". The money was supposed to be paid to this company who then told me the money would be sent to be once the buyer recieved the goods. I sent the phone and never recieved the money.

It turned out that the account/username was hacked by someone and this was used to buy ALOT of goods on the internet. The company "trade-safer" was a scam and not real.

I have an address but tried contacting ebay a number of times but recieved nothing, no confirmation of emails, no replies, nothing.

The most annoying thing was that the person who had hacked the username I was dealing with, even managed to hack my account.

BuRR

Steve - I'll phone you on your mobile tomorrow.

Tiggs

ahhhh....a scooter.

3times

Stop the cheque!

As far as I know you can stop a cheque up to 6 months after it has been cashed if the reason is valid.

fatherpierre

How can you stop a cheque if it's been cashed?

You can't.

*Sonic*

NP Burr

3times

FP,
My dad had this happen to him a few years ago. Client paid him by cheque and then 'stopped it' a couple of months later, the money was recliamed from my dads account. When my dad questioned this with his bank he was told that a cheque could be stopped up to 6 months after it has been cashed.

Maybe someone with better knowledge of banks (other than overdrafts) may enlighten us more.

Leslie

Well if thats true about reclaiming a cheque, I feel a bit happier. I have reminded the local police today about the log and they say they will contact me about it. Do you know anything about reclaiming cheques Burr?

Les

BuRR

no, nothing, sorry

wannabeScooby

I used to work for a bank. As far as I know you can't stop a cheque once it's been cashed, BUT you can go through the steps of reclaiming the money etc. So the money will be re-credited back in to your account. Sometimes takes a while though, but worth it, atleast you get your cash back. Not sure exactly what the steps are but talk to your bank.

Dracoro

Assuming the account a) has funds in it and b) is still active. It wouldn't surprise me if a professional fraduster opens an account, does his 'business', cashes the cheques then closes the account (all in false names etc.).

Mind you, many people that are 'trying it on' won't close the account and this type will be more common so there's still hope.

MartinM

Are the police interested in counterfeit items being sold on eBay??

I've just bought a low value item (Nokia phone fascia) that's arrived in a unopened Nokia bubble pack, but its of such poor quality I can't imagine it's a genuine item
- blobs of glue on the inside of the screen
- where there should be a hole on the back there's just an outline and a thinning of the moulding ie I need to cut it out with a knife
- the NOKIA logo is slightly different on the front and back
- the 'datestamp' on the inside of the moulding, and the 'recycle logo' are very unclear compared with my current one
- the films covering the front and back of the screen are generally grubby and scratched

Seller has 1604 feedbacks, 99.5% positive, and offered a money back guarantee if not completely satisfied. Answered my payment questions by email within 30 minutes each time, but my email telling him I'm unhappy has been unanswered for 6 hours - maybe he's on holiday.

I do have his name and address though!!! - anyone live in Chelmsford

Martin

[Edited by MartinM - 8/26/2003 2:07:14 PM]

Dracoro

Was it a Nokai cover?

MartinM

No - it's spelt correctly

..and on reading the back of the packaging more carefully:
- there are at least two spelling mistakes
- graphical instructions on replacing the key mat, when there isn't one in the package (I wasn't expecting one either)
- two obvious sentences without a full stop between them and the first word of the second not capitalised

Even more suspicious..or are Nokia a bit slap-happy on their packaging anyway???

[Edited by MartinM - 8/26/2003 2:47:04 PM]

fatherpierre

Ebay's a hotbead for fake and stolen stuff.

A friend recently bought a Lacoste T shirt. The pictures looked genuine and the seller had a high (97%) feedback rating.

The t shirt was a terrible fake from Thailand. He requested his money back but got no response.

He left neg feedback and a nasty comment.

The seller's stil peddling his sh1te but has made his feedback private so no one can read it.

His percentage rating is dropping like a stone every day so he must be knocking out his crap to loads of people.

He complained to ebay but they don't care.

mwp

Update ...

My bank were very helpful and so were the fraudster's, supplying his sort code and account number over the phone to my bank manager (and the total amount he paid in that day >£2000).

Police were also interested.

Thanks for all the advice .. i'll keep you posted if they catch up with him.

- Mark.

Kevin Mc

If someone's rating was private - I'd assume they were dodge and not deal.

I always check through the ratings of sellers to see if they look okay. Beware of hijacked accounts of Ebay users with feedbacks into the 1000's - usually obvious though. Loads of feedback for low price items, and suddenly flogging £2000 Plasma TV's

I've had no problems so far with about 35 transactions. Worst I've had so far is a slow payer. There are Scams about, just need to keep your eyes open. Admittedly there will be some which will be impossible to spot.

Ebay and the Police should both be interested in Fraud. Ebay certainly charge enough to pay for an excellent fraud unit. As for the Police - I'm all for a tax hike for more coppers (unless of course it has the same result as the Tax for the NHS which is now seemingly disappearing into a black hole).