Decker

So I bought a game off ebay last week. It was Mercenaries 2. Someone with a good feedback rating was selling 5 new copies for $47 each, including 3 day UPS shipping. This seemed to be a very good deal, so I bought one. Sure enough only 2 days later, the game arrived. What's strange, though is that the game was shipped from EB Games, one of the nation's largest video game chains, with an invoice included with my name and address. Reading the invoice, the price with tax and shipping was $72. They even had an order number (which I can't serch by, according to their website).

I suspect this guy is somehow messing with their ordering system and doing something illegal. Should I report this to ebay? To EB Games? Or should I just shut up, enjoy the game and leave positive feedback? I don't want to support illegal activity, but I don't want to get in trouble either.
I noticed the guy has no items for sale now. He's been a member since 06.

Any thoughts?

My Other Self

Sometimes stores sell product on eBay. I know Buy.com does the same thing. It could very well be legit.. I don't know about EB Games, though.

Groucho

Sounds fishy to me. I would at least call ebgames and tell them what occurred.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Id keep quiet if it doesnt effect me. Maybe he got some deal and instead of sending the item to himself and then having to pay shipping he is just having it shipped to you.

Decker

I just wonder if it DOES effect me. EB Games has my name and address, even if they don't have my credit card number. The invoice is from them and has the total price of the order right on it. I wonder how this happened. I really don't think item was sold by EB Games in any legit way and the price is almost half the invoice ammount.

Maybe I'll talk to a local Game Stop manager I know and run it by him.

al_bundy

maybe it's drop shipping?

Ingram Micro does this for half the internet sellers of computer crap

StealthStratos

Since the invoice price was way more than your purchase price, it sounds like a possible triangulation scam. The guy places an order with EB Games with a stolen credit card, and when they realize the transaction is fraudulent, EB Games only has two possible addresses to go after: the credit card holder (billing address) or you (shipping address).

I would call EB Games and ask them if there is any problem with that order number. If they state the order was fraud, they'll advise you whether it's ok to keep the item (since you had nothing to do with it) or if they expect you to return it to them. Once you get more info from EB Games, then you'll know whether it needs to be reported to ebay.

Decker

Thanks, Stealth. That triangulation scam is what it sounds like. I'll run the order number by EB Games and see what they say.

Shannon Nutt

My only other guess would be that he's an employee of EB Games who is selling their stuff on Ebay at a lower price, while he's paying cost and maybe making a profit on the difference. But I'd still contact them, since I'm sure that's something they'd frown upon as well.

Be sure to give us an update when you find out!

Decker

I emailed ebay yesterday -- nothing back yet. I called EB Games and they took a while looking into it. Apparently it was paid for with a Visa card. Sounds like that "triangulation" scam. The folks at EB Games didn't seem too worried about it (they got paid after all) and suggested I just follow up with ebay.

I guess I'm in the clear but I hate that I just paid some crook $48 to commit fraud.

Josh-da-man

Don't drop shippers usually list the seller's name or company on the invoice rather than the drop-shipper?

And, that the price on the invoice was more than the paid price also sends up a red flag.

Decker

And, as I posted above, I called EB Games and they said that it was purchased with a Visa card. It's a credit card fraud ring, I guess. Still no reply from ebay.

I'll be damned if I give this guy a positive feedback, but if I give him negative feedback, it's only based on my huge degree of suspicion that he's a credit card thief. I'm waiting on feedback for now as he doesn't have anything else for sale.

beesonosu

My dad found himself in almost the same scenario just a few weeks ago. He had bought all of the Babylon 5 seasons off ebay brand new for something like $95. A week later, he receives a Walmart package that includes his order AND an invoice for $200. Curious, my dad emailed the guy an obvious question - "How did you make money if I paid $95 and the invoice says $200?" and his response was simply - "Let that be my secret". After further inspection, the ebay seller was supposedly located in Iowa while the man who technically ordered the DVDs from Walmart lived in New York with no obvious connections between the two. Being the honest guy he is, he has contacted ebay about it (with no response so far) and refuses to open the cases in case he has to return it. It's quite an ingenious scam I think but very obvious to anyone who is paying attention.

Goat3001

Maybe I'm thinking the law is too good but this should be able to go back to the seller somehow. If the credit card company/police come after you, you should easily be able to prove that you made the purchase off ebay. Make sure you keep everything that was sent to you. Also make sure that you have printouts of the ebay transaction invoice and emails between you and ebay. This is just to protect yourself since this scheme seems pretty ingenius (except for the fact that the seller didn't use a gift reciept) but this should be able to go back to the seller.

Decker

Well, if anyone involved besides me actually cared, I suppose that the payment I made via Paypal could be tracked somehow. Right now, I'm just waiting for a reply from ebay.

Beesonosu, what did your dad do about feedback? I still haven't left any yet.

foxdvd

If it is stolen, there is a good chance you will have to return it...the law does not let you keep stolen merchandise even if you did not actually have anything to do with the crime....

Decker

Well, if it's purchased with a stolen credit card, that's a little different than stolen merchandise, isn't it?

If someone shows up with a badge, I'll certainly give the game back. I would imagine that my purchase is covered by ebay and since I've notified both ebay and EB Games, I'm certain I'm covered regarding any wrongdoing. Anyway, I've opened and started playing the game by now.

Cheato

Just wanted to say thanks, Decker, for starting this thread. If I had been in your position and received the item, I don't know if I would have thought twice about it (once, yes, but twice, probably not). I probably would have assumed it was some kind of employee discount or something coming into play. I've had invoices from Columbia House showing crazy amounts compared to the actual amounts I was charged (but "crazy" is SOP for CH).

I hadn't heard of the kinds of things that were discussed after the OP before. But, I'll definitely pay more attention in the future. And in my uneducated-about-the-law opinion, I think you covered your bases. Enjoy the game!

foxdvd

well...you would not get in trouble, but if asked, you will have to return it...but with most credit card fraud, I would guess they will not ask you to return it...but they could

Josh-da-man

That's something that really pisses me off about fraud... that companies don't really seem to give a shit.

A few years ago, some fraudulent charges showed up on one of my credit cards. I called up the card issuer and they cancelled my card, gave me a new number, and mailed me some affidavits to sign that said I didn't authorize the charges, but other than that, they didn't seem to give a shit. The attitude seemed to be that this sort of things happens all the time, we're not interested in pursuing this, here's your money back.

But if someone is caught shoplifting, they're prosecuted to the fullest exent of the law.

Bill Geiger

They just write it off.

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Mosskeeto

This may be similar to a story I remember seeing on TV (Dateline?) a couple years ago:
A somewhat naive, trusting man had fallen in love with a woman (online I recall) that he wanted to marry, who claimed to be in the import/export business and convinced him to join her as a partner. So he was buying huge quantities of merchandise on his cards and even paying to have it re-shipped overseas where she was reselling it but never sending him a dime. He was being scammed by a Nigerian man If my recollection is correct.
So the transaction may be legitimate and a naive, trusting person may just eat the loss. They can't come after the buyer, only the seller if a complaint is ever pursued.

codymc7777

Hi Everyone. I am new here but thought I would share my bad experience that I had recently with a fraudulent transaction via ebay and western union. I had a guy approach me selling iPhones, PS3's, DVD's and other technical gadgets really cheap. His Ebay name is: WOOLFIKA and his fake ID name is: UROS POPOVIC from Beograd in Serbia. I made payment of $250 (was suppose to be $1000.00 but at last minute I cancelled it) to deliver goods. You guessed it, they never arrived. Be on the lookout for this guy, he has also used the allias: MYWOOLY2001 and also VUK MAKISIMOVIC.

If you come accross him with any transactions - AVOID HIM, he is very dodgy. I have reported him to local authorities.

Hope this helps someone out there to not fall for his lies!

Take care
Cody - Australia

fitlissa76

Most folks here wouldn't fall for that anyway.

Travis McClain

It's caveat emptor 101, but it apparently bears repeating: Do not enter into an eBay transaction where the seller has approached you. If it's someone with whom you just completed a satisfactory transaction and he or she is giving you first crack at something they think you might want, maybe look into that. But if someone targets you for the deal, seemingly at random? No, no no....