How should I report this?
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FatVonD
Posts: 5,315 Forumite
For a few weeks now my mum has been receiving tiny packages from China containing bits of tat (different name to hers), until I opened a couple she had dutifully been taking them back to the post office marked 'return to sender!
I've read that this is a scam and is likely to be followed by a letter from a bogus debt collector and have told her on no account to ring the number they give, she is worried even though it is not in her name.
Today while I was there a heavier UK signed for package arrived with a completely different address, it turned out to have been 'returned to sender' as it hadn't been collected from the post office. The 'senders' name and address was the bloke the small packages have been addressed to but at my mum's address (she's been there 37 years!)
So somebody is running an eBay business using my mum's address and I can't fathom out why? The heavy package today was a computer part.
Where is the scam in this and who at eBay do I report it to?
I've read that this is a scam and is likely to be followed by a letter from a bogus debt collector and have told her on no account to ring the number they give, she is worried even though it is not in her name.
Today while I was there a heavier UK signed for package arrived with a completely different address, it turned out to have been 'returned to sender' as it hadn't been collected from the post office. The 'senders' name and address was the bloke the small packages have been addressed to but at my mum's address (she's been there 37 years!)
So somebody is running an eBay business using my mum's address and I can't fathom out why? The heavy package today was a computer part.
Where is the scam in this and who at eBay do I report it to?
Make £25 a day in April £0/£750 (March £584, February £602, January £883.66)
December £361.54, November £322.28, October £288.52, September £374.30, August £223.95, July £71.45, June £251.22, May£119.33, April £236.24, March £106.74, Feb £40.99, Jan £98.54) Total for 2017 - £2,495.10
December £361.54, November £322.28, October £288.52, September £374.30, August £223.95, July £71.45, June £251.22, May£119.33, April £236.24, March £106.74, Feb £40.99, Jan £98.54) Total for 2017 - £2,495.10
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For a few weeks now my mum has been receiving tiny packages from China containing bits of tat (different name to hers), until I opened a couple she had dutifully been taking them back to the post office marked 'return to sender!
I've read that this is a scam and is likely to be followed by a letter from a bogus debt collector and have told her on no account to ring the number they give, she is worried even though it is not in her name.
Today while I was there a heavier UK signed for package arrived with a completely different address, it turned out to have been 'returned to sender' as it hadn't been collected from the post office. The 'senders' name and address was the bloke the small packages have been addressed to but at my mum's address (she's been there 37 years!)
So somebody is running an eBay business using my mum's address and I can't fathom out why? The heavy package today was a computer part.
Where is the scam in this and who at eBay do I report it to?
Where have you read this leads to a debt letter? Is there anything on that site you read this to follow up?
The only vaguely similar things I have read, here and on the eBay PS boards, are SF letters full of newspaper et al sent to random people - the consensus on the board was these were 'return' scams.
Have you done the obvious and googled your mums address, parts of etc?0 -
theonlywayisup wrote: »Where have you read this leads to a debt letter? Is there anything on that site you read this to follow up?
The only vaguely similar things I have read, here and on the eBay PS boards, are SF letters full of newspaper et al sent to random people - the consensus on the board was these were 'return' scams.
Have you done the obvious and googled your mums address, parts of etc?
I think I read it on Amazon Seller Central, the debt letter comes with a phone number and somebody had googled the debt collectors real phone number and called them and they hadn't sent the letter.Make £25 a day in April £0/£750 (March £584, February £602, January £883.66)
December £361.54, November £322.28, October £288.52, September £374.30, August £223.95, July £71.45, June £251.22, May£119.33, April £236.24, March £106.74, Feb £40.99, Jan £98.54) Total for 2017 - £2,495.100 -
Just googled her address and it doesn't come up on anything apart from the property sites.
Does anyone have any idea ti whom at eBay I should report that someone is using her address fraudulently? The postage label was an eBay one with the return address printed on it, hence why it was returned to her.Make £25 a day in April £0/£750 (March £584, February £602, January £883.66)
December £361.54, November £322.28, October £288.52, September £374.30, August £223.95, July £71.45, June £251.22, May£119.33, April £236.24, March £106.74, Feb £40.99, Jan £98.54) Total for 2017 - £2,495.100 -
If the postage label was an ebay one, did it have any reference/item number on it? If so, should be possible to track down the sender that way. Give Customer Services a ring and see what they have to say, but don't get your hopes up - ebay aren't noted for taking an interest in solving issues which don't impact on their profits.
Suggest to your mum that she doesn't sign for anything she isn't expecting to be delivered.0 -
Sorry if I've missed it but how do you know it's eBay these packages are connected to? Surely they could be Gumtree or Facebook sales if it's all a scam? Seems odd to complain to eBay with no proof they are the platform.0
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Sorry if I've missed it but how do you know it's eBay these packages are connected to? Surely they could be Gumtree or Facebook sales if it's all a scam? Seems odd to complain to eBay with no proof they are the platform.
Because the postage label was paid for and printed from eBay!Make £25 a day in April £0/£750 (March £584, February £602, January £883.66)
December £361.54, November £322.28, October £288.52, September £374.30, August £223.95, July £71.45, June £251.22, May£119.33, April £236.24, March £106.74, Feb £40.99, Jan £98.54) Total for 2017 - £2,495.100 -
I have reported to eBay but I'm not sure what they will be able to do without the user name.
I will drop a note to their customer and ask them to email me the user name of the person they bought from and what they want me to do with their package.Make £25 a day in April £0/£750 (March £584, February £602, January £883.66)
December £361.54, November £322.28, October £288.52, September £374.30, August £223.95, July £71.45, June £251.22, May£119.33, April £236.24, March £106.74, Feb £40.99, Jan £98.54) Total for 2017 - £2,495.100 -
The only scam I can think of was (usually) to offices. A company would send a low value item signed for and invoice at 20 times the amount. EG they'd call up a company say they had some sample stationery products to send, get someone's name. They'd then send a stapler or ruler or whatever and later send an invoice for a hundred pounds.
This sounds more like an error. I'd check things like house numbers, areas, etc. Is there another street near by with the same or similar name. Also Google the name on the package.
My guess would be it's someone at a new address and they're using the wrong postcode.
I did have a breach of security from a big company that led to someone trying to order something that would probably have come to my address if they'd managed it, so they gave up. Check for any hacked accounts your mum may have had or any irregular payment activities to be sure..0 -
Thanks, RFW, the things are arriving addressed to the bloke so, unless he is ordering lots of single samples of what look like Christmas cracker gifts from China, if it is a scam it is him they are trying to scam and not my mum.
It is purely by chance that the item he was selling got returned (a computer or camera battery pack type thing!) or we would never have realised he was using her address on eBay.
How are things on Amazon for you at the moment, RFW? My fledgling business seems to be gathering momentum, still very small fry compared to lots on there but encouraging to know that there is some kind of demand for my stuff!Make £25 a day in April £0/£750 (March £584, February £602, January £883.66)
December £361.54, November £322.28, October £288.52, September £374.30, August £223.95, July £71.45, June £251.22, May£119.33, April £236.24, March £106.74, Feb £40.99, Jan £98.54) Total for 2017 - £2,495.100 -
Isn't the cheap junk from china just a way to boost feedback?"Love you Dave Brooker! x"
"i sent a letter headded sales of god act 1979"0
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