scammed?

[michieco]

I think it's time to start this thread. I hate scammers big time! I have been scammed before and I know how it feels to be stolen a huge amount of money. There are many conterfeit items out already, and there are many sellers who are out there ripping off other people with their money. Scammers are all over the net - be it ioffer, be it ebay. I just hope this thread will help people who has been scammed and didn't know what to do. These are the sites to consider:

FBI INTERNET FRAUD COMPLAINT CENTER (IFCC)
http://www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp

NATIONAL CONSUMER COMPLAINT CENTER FOR INTERNET FRAUD
http://www.alexanderlaw.com/nccc/cb-ftc.html

COMPUTER CRIME AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECTION
http://www.cybercrime.gov/reporting.htm

NATIONAL FRAUD INFORMATION CENTER
http://68.166.162.20/repoform.htm

 

[Arksiel]

thanks for the very usefull links. luckily, I have never been scammed myself save for once, and it was not for a large amount of money. but hopefully this info will help others.
I gave you karma points for your post

 

[michieco]

Thank you

 

[Ella]

Thank you for those links, very useful.

 

[shadow]

At the possible cost of missing out on very good deals, I would never ever buy anything very precious or rare or costly on the net. I basically do not trust the system or the photos which are posted, which may be real but it does not mean that what they sell you is what you see.

 

[Constance]

i went in the milan station in central and they were selling a gold togo 30cm birkin at US$8300+ or about hk$64000 (if you pay cash). cheaper than most resellers. i went to a milan store in causeway bay and they were selling a dark olive togo 30cm birkin for HK$5000 more!!! it was weird.

 

[z.cesca]

I just got scammed!!! I received my "Chloé Python Silverado" today and was beyond excited! The first thing I did was take it to my friend since I knew she had an authentic one, purchased at the Chloé store. Anyway, she couldn't tell and neither could I, being my first "python" bag and all. I decided to google some tips on how to tell if I have a fake and that is how I found this wonderful site! After posting on a few forums, I was notified by wonderful people that I did have a fake in my hands!!! I'll be the first to admit that I fell for the "too good to be true" trick. The title of the ebay listing said Chloé Python Silverado, but the description said it was leather... I didn't think much of it at first, thinking it was also part leather, which I know it is. Anyway, I have contacted the seller, since although it did say leather, it isn't an authentic Chloé... I am also going to look into the sites posted in this forum and contact PayPal and ebay. THANK YOU for starting this forum!!! For those of you interested in my upsetting buy, the item # on ebay is 6791458649...

 

[z.cesca]

I requested my refund and she agreed to it... but she wants 15% back due to her costs!!! I told her I would also be incurring shipping costs to ship it from Brazil to Australia, but she wrote back saying she had shipping costs plus the listing fees and the "gift" she included with purchase (lipstick and perfume samples). Unbelievable!!! Since I just want to see most of my money back, I am willing to give her her stupid 15%... I'll just spend less on the shipping! She started saying how she was going to give up selling b/c it was hard and you have to be tough and strong (bla bla bla - cry me a river!!!)

 

[bbbochap]

Hi z.cesca - did you use paypal to pay your seller? If yes, why dont you inform paypal and let paypal handle this case (or if you used your credit card, just do a chargeback and get back 100% of your money)... I don't personally agree that you should bear the 15% on your part.... Note that paypal will not refund you the shipping fee on this transaction. And paypal will require you to ship the bag back to the seller with a tracking number so that they can verify the return (so shipping fees will cost abit more). Just my 2 cents here...

 

[z.cesca]

Hi z.cesca - did you use paypal to pay your seller? If yes, why dont you inform paypal and let paypal handle this case (or if you used your credit card, just do a chargeback and get back 100% of your money)... I don't personally agree that you should bear the 15% on your part.... Note that paypal will not refund you the shipping fee on this transaction. And paypal will require you to ship the bag back to the seller with a tracking number so that they can verify the return (so shipping fees will cost abit more). Just my 2 cents here...

Hmmm, interesting... I was going to contact paypal if the seller refused to provide me with a refund. The seller doesn't have an return policy either... According to her e-mail, she said she never said the bag was authentic (which is true), so I said, "You listed it as Chloé, so therefore it is understood you are selling an authetic Chloe bag (since selling copies is illegal and ebay technically does NOT allow the selling of fakes... obviously they are not checking up on all items, but I have been informed that selling fakes is a fraud activity and considered illegal.)," etc.

You know what is weird about this whole shipping thing? She offered FREE SHIPPING. Oh well, I'll let you know of any developments...

 

[z.cesca]

Hmmm, interesting... I was going to contact paypal if the seller refused to provide me with a refund. The seller doesn't have an return policy either... According to her e-mail, she said she never said the bag was authentic (which is true), so I said, "You listed it as Chloé,so therefore it is understood you are selling an authetic Chloe bag (since selling copies is illegal and ebay technically does NOT allow the selling of fakes... obviously they are not checking up on all items, but I have been informed that selling fakes is a fraud activity and considered illegal.)," etc.

You know what is weird about this whole shipping thing? She offered FREE SHIPPING. Oh well, I'll let you know of any developments...

I have been in contact with the seller and she has agreed to giving me a refund as long as she gets to keep 15% (she said it was to cover her expenses, such as the shipping and fees, which I know makes 0 sense since I am also going to incur shipping costs, but I just want to get this over with, so I agreed to it). She is now saying that she will give me my money back as soon as she receives the bag... is that how refunds usually work on ebay?

 

[izze]

15% seems like a LOT for her to keep! Even for high price items, such as diamonds, the "restocking" fee is usually like 5% (usually to cover credit card fees that the seller incurs). If she is trying to claim that the 15% covers her eBay fees... that's bull... she can request a refund on all fees through eBay since the transaction technically wasn't "completed" since a return was involved. Really, she only lost out on shipping... and I highly doubt that cost 15% of your purchase.

 

[z.cesca]

15% seems like a LOT for her to keep! Even for high price items, such as diamonds, the "restocking" fee is usually like 5% (usually to cover credit card fees that the seller incurs). If she is trying to claim that the 15% covers her eBay fees... that's bull... she can request a refund on all fees through eBay since the transaction technically wasn't "completed" since a return was involved. Really, she only lost out on shipping... and I highly doubt that cost 15% of your purchase.

When I did the math, her shipping was really around 10%, not 15%, which I told her... but then she replies back saying there was the listing fees and bla bla bla. I just want my money back!!! So rather than do this song and dance for an eternity, I decided to give her the 15%... she was saying how you have to be tough and strong to be a seller and she didn't think she'd be selling again. Anyway, I just want to get this over with before she changes her mind and I have to involve other parties, which would take even longer... What do you think about her wanting to only give me a refund once she received the product??? Sounds about right?

 

[bbbochap]

When I did the math, her shipping was really around 10%, not 15%, which I told her... but then she replies back saying there was the listing fees and bla bla bla. I just want my money back!!! So rather than do this song and dance for an eternity, I decided to give her the 15%... she was saying how you have to be tough and strong to be a seller and she didn't think she'd be selling again. Anyway, I just want to get this over with before she changes her mind and I have to involve other parties, which would take even longer... What do you think about her wanting to only give me a refund once she received the product??? Sounds about right?

IMO, I think till she receives the bag, then the refund is given - sounds reasonable cos Paypal practises this process too. However, you might want to consider shipping the bag back with a tracking number (or shipping reference no.) so that she cant deny that she never received the bag back and you will be required to show the shipping proof to get back your money if she decides not to reply/refund you after the bag was shipped back to her. Hope this helps.

 

[*BergdorfBlonde*]

I had the same problem with eBay seller www-fashion-4-less or something and they still owe me EUR 1500 for selling me a fake! They said I could return the bag and they would give the money back. I tried to say I would only send the bag if I got the money first but they were rude and threatening and there was no way they would refund without getting the bag first. They even tried telling me this was a 2nd. hand Chloe product. RIGHT, as if high designer brands would sell 2nd. hand products
So I sent the bag and they stopped replying my emails I bought the bag in February and when I compared to my friend's (that was authentic) it was too late to try a chargeback. I filed a complaint with the IFC but so far I have no status on my case

 

[izze]

When I did the math, her shipping was really around 10%, not 15%, which I told her... but then she replies back saying there was the listing fees and bla bla bla. I just want my money back!!! So rather than do this song and dance for an eternity, I decided to give her the 15%... she was saying how you have to be tough and strong to be a seller and she didn't think she'd be selling again. Anyway, I just want to get this over with before she changes her mind and I have to involve other parties, which would take even longer... What do you think about her wanting to only give me a refund once she received the product??? Sounds about right?

It does sound about right... most places won't refund your money until they receive the product back. Did you pay by PayPal or credit card? If so, then send it back by a method that you can track. That way you can prove it was shipped and signed for. Then you can do a stop payment through PayPal or your credit card if she doesn't issue a refund and if/when they ask for proof that you shipped it back, you have it.

 

[mellowdrama]

My best advice to avoid getting scammed is "if it seems too good to be true, it most definitely (not probably) is." I am also wary of bidding on private eBay auctions (how can you spot shill bidding that way?) and private feedback, or no feedback at all, stock photos instead of photos of the real item you're getting, among other things. Ebay's rules about authenticity turn replica sellers into liars. Replicas are illegal to sell anywhere. Yes, I own one (fairly nice ioffer fendi spy), but I am on an aspirational list at Neiman's for a real one. Sellers I've seen to be authentic on eBay are leshent and dudeiloveyou. I think there's a few others, like whitefashion and tedstar, but they're UK based and the exchange rate and shipper is a bit higher. Check their feedback and notice their items are usually going for more than retail value.

My advice if you want to get an authentic item is to suck it up, save up, and get on a waiting list at a boutique. If you can't wait, like me, get a fake from ioffer, where everyone seems to know what the name of the game is. It's still risky, though...

Okay, I ran the risk of getting scammed by wiring money Western Union to Guangzhou, China, ran the risk of having my fake bag confiscated by either Chinese or US customs, but that didn't happen. I would not have been surprised if it did. Strangely enough, the seller I bought my fake spy from (smartbag) is no longer an ioffer member and has loads of negative ratings from buyers. Now if they were "scammed" properly, that is, deliberately stolen from, I can't say. I think being a counterfeit bag maker/seller in China--or anywhere for that matter-- is a pretty dicey enterprise.

My main point is if losing $200 or so is a big hit for you, don't bid/offer, and if you want guaranteed authenticity, buy from the boutique or contact the boutique to find out who are authorized online retailers: eluxury, yoox, net-a-porter, Saks, and Neiman's are some that come to mind for many luxury brands.

I'm sorry to read of anyone getting scammed. I don't like that nasty "serves you right" attitude. Believe me, I dream of a $1000 truly authentic eBay cognac spy, but it ain't gonna happen. It's rice and beans until Christmas for me, and, hell, won't I be shabby chic with the real deal hanging off my arm. Hope all this helps someone...

 

[z.cesca]

It does sound about right... most places won't refund your money until they receive the product back. Did you pay by PayPal or credit card? If so, then send it back by a method that you can track. That way you can prove it was shipped and signed for. Then you can do a stop payment through PayPal or your credit card if she doesn't issue a refund and if/when they ask for proof that you shipped it back, you have it.

Yeah, when I started thinking about it, it did make sense for me to ship the product and then receive the refund. Obviously I'll be shipping insured and with a tracking number just so that I have proof. I am also taking pictures of the item before it is shipped. She has been pretty cooperative, which makes me very pleased. Thanks!

 

[z.cesca]

Yeah, when I started thinking about it, it did make sense for me to ship the product and then receive the refund. Obviously I'll be shipping insured and with a tracking number just so that I have proof. I am also taking pictures of the item before it is shipped. She has been pretty cooperative, which makes me very pleased. Thanks!

I GOT MY REFUND!!!!!!!!!!! YAY FOR HONEST PEOPLE!

We ended up agreeing on a different amount, but I am VERY please and have already issued a transfer request for the funds to leave my PayPal account and go back to my bank account, where they will be VERY happy!

 

[*BergdorfBlonde*]

I GOT MY REFUND!!!!!!!!!!! YAY FOR HONEST PEOPLE!

We ended up agreeing on a different amount, but I am VERY please and have already issued a transfer request for the funds to leave my PayPal account and go back to my bank account, where they will be VERY happy!

YAY!!!!! Congratulations!!!!