cf-banner.jpg
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144984 07/06/07 01:09 AM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
Webmaster Offline OP
Saint
OP Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
A forum member has passed on information about an eBay buyer who receives the merchandise and then a couple of months later says that the PayPal payment was not authorized.

Seller is out and the Buyer has the goods.

Buyer goes by LighthouseLover54.

Read his/her feedback on recent sales

Read even the positive feedbacks - many 'Follow-ups' that say they were eventually ripped off.

eBay sellers should know that they can block specific eBay members from bidding on their auctions.

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144985 07/06/07 11:07 AM
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 2,581
bright eyes Offline
Super Wacko
Offline
Super Wacko
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 2,581
How sad.... frown

The buyer's reputation has been ruined by these actions! Wonder if these actions are worth the purchases!

Paypal is a good, if it is handle correctly, but I firmly believe cash/money order/cashiers checks are the best way to complete a transaction!

Thanks for the warning on this buyer!!

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144986 07/06/07 12:22 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 7,893
Dave H Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 7,893
The member who originally brought this to our attention commented that there may well be more people out there who have been taken advantage of but do not realize they can leave additional feedback. The unfortunate flaw is that even when a very negative additional feedback is left the score is still a positive one because this is what the original was. John maakes a most important point that you need to read all the feedback. Over time I would imagine that the sheer volume of transaction feedback would overwhelm most people in trying to look at this person's history.

Some of the real issues highlighted here:

* PayPal is so far apparently blindly siding with the purchaser. Hopefully they will look at the incredible number of people reporting the same thing (and who have proof of delivery of product) and will change their position.
* A person who wants to cheat the system and others will find a way to do so.
* eBay is also being very slow in responding. This person should have immediatley been suspended from participation while they try to determine the facts in the case.
* It is interesting that this person is a fairly new eBay member that has been on a major buying spree. Nothing for sale. Is it going into a store someplace for resale or have they built a pretty decent set of collections?

eBay should in fact probably be helping the cheated sellers by providing as much information as possible. To a non-lawyer it would appear that they have broken any number of state and federal laws in doing what they are doing. They have figured how to work the system to cheat people and by eBay and PayPal defending them, those two entities are tsrnishing their own reputations. While I am sure they have their butts covered in small print somewhere, I would also have to believe that they should be held liable in both civil and criminal cases since they have, to date, blindly upheld the side of the cheater.

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144987 07/06/07 01:24 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
Webmaster Offline OP
Saint
OP Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
It appears from some of the feedback that although the buyer is using PayPal, they are using it as a way to clear their credit card, not paying from a PayPal deposit account. (I may be mis-reading that.)

If that is the case, then it is the credit card company that is reversing the charge. Seller is still out, of course. Hundreds of dollars in some cases. And somewhere in Maryland, someone has a huge stash of Lefton, Sheilas lighthouses, Longaberger Baskets and a few Harbour Lights as well.

One feedback left this address for the buyer:
PO Box 358 Maugansville MD 21767. Add mail fraud.

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144988 07/06/07 09:10 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,005
Lorie Roe Offline
Super Wacko
Offline
Super Wacko
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,005
The end of April, I had my AX charged $3200 from Paypal by someone going by the name weeziemakescake. I immediately called Paypal and told them I had never ordered anything from that person. I also told Paypal that I was supposed to receive an e-mail notification any time a payment was requested from my charge card (which was never sent). All Paypal would tell me was that 4 security check points cleared on my credit card and said they couldn't give out any information on the seller because of privacy laws. anger

I then called AX and had to file a fraud charge. AX said they could subpoena records from Paypal to show the IP number from the computer where the transaction took place. They also said they could ask for a shipping record for the "supposed" item that I bought.

The first month I was denied any money back from AX since they said all security numbers matched with my card (even though I still had my card in my possession). mad

I kept calling back Paypal and AX and said I would go to the police and file a fraud claim if something couldn't be done to get my money back. Finally...I just got back the $3200 last week.

I don't know about the rest of you but I check my credit cards online daily to make sure there aren't any fraudulent charges. Last year I had over $10,000 charged to my AX from Spain for airline tickets and Cannes film festival events.

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144989 07/06/07 10:22 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
Webmaster Offline OP
Saint
OP Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
I am amazed these days how easy it is to use a credit and debit card with the merchants doing very little checking.

Lorie your experience is amazing. Wouldn't you think it is time that AX provides you with a new card with a new number? Yours has apparently been compromised.

We have another member talking to the FBI about LighthouseLover54's fraud. We'll see if anything comes of that.

I think many of you have received bogus emails from eBay asking why you haven't PAID for something you won... These are clearly phishing emails looking for your eBay information.

However, one of these I received yesterday had some threatening language in the email... to the effect that the person was a policeman and knew where I lived and wouldn't hesitate to come and pay me a visit if I didn't pay up.

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144990 07/12/07 09:03 PM
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,125
Bill and Judy Offline
Super Wacko
Offline
Super Wacko
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,125
When we returned from vacation recently we received an email saying that someone tried to log in to our PayPal account from a foreign IP address. It said we could verify our account or do nothing and they would suspend our account temporarily. I decided not to do anything and i think I will just use checks in the future. thanks for the heads up on the other ebay stuff.
Judy

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144991 07/12/07 09:27 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
Webmaster Offline OP
Saint
OP Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
Judy - what you got was a 'phishing' email. Someone was faking an email from PayPal trying to get you to log into a fake PayPal site to 'confirm' your account information.

Once you leave that for the bad guys, they go the real PayPal account and take all the money.

You did the right thing by doing nothing. And you'll note that paypal did not suspend your account either. But that experience caused you to lose confidence in PayPal.

PayPal does not send you links. They ask you to sign into your account at PayPal.

Although it's not obvious, if there is a link in the bogus email, you can place your mouse pointer over the link (don't click). Chances are you will see a link that does NOT match the printed one in the email. It MIGHT contain the word "ebay", but it's not the domain they are trying to get you to go to.

Again, PayPal uses your real name in the body of the emails they send you. Most Phishing emails don't know your name, just your email address.

Someday, there is going to be a revolution on the Internet - one where the good guys stop allowing the bad guys to do this.

A first step would be to create a way to confirm the domain of the sender and that it matches the name/email address being used in the outgoing email.

Re: eBay Sellers Beware LighthouseLover54 #144992 07/13/07 11:28 AM
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,415
5lights Offline
Super Wacko
Offline
Super Wacko
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,415
Great advice John! You should also forward the email to spoof@paypal.com -if it is one that supposedly came from paypal. If it is a phishing email from ebay then forward to spoof@ebay.com . They will then check into it...trying to catch these people. Plus they will also verify for you whether it is real or phish.
They also advise that to find out if it is real or not to sign into ebay and check your messages there. They always send one to your messages and to your email.


Debbie

Forum Statistics
Forums39
Topics16,978
Posts184,640
Members2,579
Most Online10,155
Jan 14th, 2020
Who's Online Now
0 registered members (), 1,025 guests, and 4 spiders.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
SafeHarbor, Toots, Bluffhill, phtate, TexLight2022
2579 Registered Users
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.2