ActionFraud not pursuing despite strong evidence

eshroom

I reported a case to action fraud with very strong evidence and it is not being pursued, is this the norm? Here are the details:

- Launch day iPhone X purchased on eBay
- Tracked delivery was to a solicitor (not myself, not a friend)
- Opened in presence of solicitor
- Box contained various bits of worthless rubbish (no iPhone X)
- Seller denied everything and pointed to tracking to prove delivery
- This unravelled when solicitor letter showed the package did not contain iPhone X
- Reported to ActionFraud and eBay
- Seller never responded again and has not sold anything on eBay since
- Courier provided address of parcel drop off shop
- Electoral roll research showed:
- Parcel shop was closest one to alleged seller's home
- Seller's email address was his name + year of birth @googlemail.com
- Only one person in whole UK with that name and year of birth
- @googlemail.com email address have not been given out since 2012 so rather than being created in 2017 by an identity thief, everything points to this email address being genuine
- eBay registered address for the seller is the home currently registered to their father (according to electoral roll)

To me, my research shows that there is a high probability the suspect has been identified, but despite providing all this information ActionFraud have not even provided a response to the case raised in October of last year. (Except today when they simply informed me this was not being pursued).

Granted there is a chance the courier could have tampered with the parcel, but the seller's disappearing act suggests this is unlikely - and in any case the seller never made this allegation nor accused/tried to use my evidence to claim from the courier.

verityboo

As there is the possibility that the phone when missing in transit, and that the seller is innocent, some of your actions seem really suspicious. I don't think it is normal to buy something on ebay and then have it delivered to a solicitor?
If I was the seller I would be suspicious of you and ignore you

mije1983

eshroom wrote: »

I reported a case to action fraud with very strong evidence and it is not being pursued, is this the norm?

You say 'strong evidence' in the title, but I can't see any strong evidence that the seller is fraudulant from what you have put. Do you have more evidence you haven't posted? From what you have got, you have possible evidence, nothing remotely strong. How could anyone proceed with this with the 'evidence' you have supplied?

eshroom wrote: »

has not sold anything on eBay since

And? Were they a regular seller before? I often can go a year or more without selling things on eBay. Does that make me fraudulant as well?

eshroom wrote: »

- Courier provided address of parcel drop off shop
- Electoral roll research showed:
- Parcel shop was closest one to alleged seller's home
- Seller's email address was his name + year of birth @googlemail.com
- Only one person in whole UK with that name and year of birth
- @googlemail.com email address have not been given out since 2012 so rather than being created in 2017 by an identity thief, everything points to this email address being genuine
- eBay registered address for the seller is the home currently registered to their father (according to electoral roll)

What is all this about? You haven't said anywhere that the seller has denied it was them, so of course your 'research' will show the seller is who they say they are. Just looks plain weird.

eshroom wrote: »

Tracked delivery was to a solicitor (not myself, not a friend)
- Opened in presence of solicitor

As said, you also look suspicious. Who gets a delivery sent to a solicitor? There is something else going on here, I'm not convinced we are getting the full story.


If you are convinced your evidence is strong, you need to take the seller to SCC and present your case to a judge.

agrinnall

What you haven't told us is the response you got from ebay, did they refund you?

AndyPix

eshroom wrote: »

- @googlemail.com email address have not been given out since 2012 so rather than being created in 2017 by an identity thief, everything points to this email address being genuine

Just a little FYI - googlemail and gmail domains are interchangable - if you have a gmail address, you can still email [EMAIL="yourname@googlemail.com"]yourname@googlemail.com[/EMAIL] and vice versa ..


Not that it is going to help you here though mind ...

eshroom

agrinnall wrote: »

What you haven't told us is the response you got from ebay, did they refund you?

I did get a refund from eBay, they were very good. They refunded me within 2 weeks based on my providing them an action fraud reference number and the seller not answering any of their messages.

I would let it lie but I pursued this for the simple reason that it was essentially theft of a very large (to me at least) amount of money.

Tazer wrote: »

why deliver to a solicitor?

I paid over 2 weeks before the phone was released by Apple, as the seller was being erratic in his responses after I had paid, I became suspicious and changed the delivery address to a solicitor (without the address containing any clues to the fact it was being delivered to a solicitor).

mije1983 wrote: »

If you are convinced your evidence is strong, you need to take the seller to SCC and present your case to a judge.

I've not lost out so have nothing to present.

AndyMc.....

Why did you report it to action fraud rather than the police?

Tallaght

AndyMc..... wrote: »

Why did you report it to action fraud rather than the police?

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

forgotmyname

So you have lost nothing and you expect action fraud to do what?

You changed the delivery address after payment? Really???

How much did this not a friend solicitor charge you? Of course its 100% not possible for a solicitor to tell lies isn't it???


Selling items pre-order, sounds familiar... Hows your pre-order business doing?

AndyMc.....

Tallaght wrote: »

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Nice link but it doesn’t answer the question.

LilElvis

AndyMc..... wrote: »

Nice link but it doesn’t answer the question.

It does it you follow the link as Action Fraud is the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime and is run by the City of London Police - the clue is in the .police.uk suffix. Call your local police and this is who they will tell you to contact.