I Have Been Had :(

[PCTech]

Dear betaone,

I am just a little confused. I put a P4 2.8GHz 800 Mhz FSB CPU on ebay for 300$, someone wants to buy it, so they email me and stuff, and then they pay via paypal. All seems normal, BUT... them email they paid via paypal was different then the one they used to email me with. Now I recieved the money, but the person that used the paypal email reversed it AFTER i transfered the money to my bank account. They said it was a Fraud Transaction, and unauthorized. They are saying if this can't be resolved by paypal they will prosecute. Ok to recap I got emailed from a person "A" who has a partner in the Ukraine. person "A" uses someone elses paypal email address and pays me for my 3 processors that he wanted. That person that didn't know anythign about it emails me saying pretty much "wtf". They were very professional about this. I now have a negitave balance in paypal. I told the person that filed the fraud report, I was willing to help them anyway I can. If I contact my ISP, what can they do? who can I contact that will help me? I didn't do anything, I was just trying to sell something. I can inclose the email that I sent to person "A" after I recieved payment, but I dont know if the Admins will allow it, if so please let me know. Thanks any advice is needed! what can happen to me?

Concerned,
~PCTech

below is the email at which he emailed me from to begin with. and it has all the info from after the payment

[unicorn]

I think you should contact Ebay and PayPal for getting help resolving this. They should both be interested in having you satisfied. It's like with VISA and other cards; the cardholder can't possible be accused for fraud if the card is stolen - then nobody would use the cards. If this story is true and you get out off itloosing money - who will ever use Ebay and PayPal? And don't Ebay have an insurance against frauds?

I really hope things get sorted out.

[poolman]

Thats what my thoughts are too, Eaby or Paypal, you did nothing wrong so this matter should be handled by them. I would direct the person to either of those 2 places. Did you ship the CPU yet?? Hope not. Send the user's name who bought it to ebay and see what happens???

Good luck, I hope everything works itself out in your favor.

[Bads]

Hum..............

Two years ago, I lose the money for 2 pentium III 550.....about $500 cdn

The problem was that I have buy 3 CPU in the same month and the Ebay "inssurance" just gives me the money for only one item

Now, I will never buy more than one item from the same person

[PCTech]

I have called paypal, to report this and tell them "hey I have been had!" and to try to get involved. They said the Ukraine is an unauthorized country and that this kind of thing happens alot, and that I should also file a claim and copy and paste the exact email with name and address and phone of the person alledgly talking to me via email claiming to be someone else. They also went on to say that this will be resolved, and they will prosecute this person if they can prove that the person at the email in the attachment above did login to paypal with someone else' account. But it will be difficult to finish they said. I told them I will help in anyway that I can, he said you can start by paying the negitave debt in your paypal account! I said if you will check its already at 0 again. I was kinda hoping they would be nice and do that for me, but oh well guess not! well I hope everything works out for me for the best and stuff. Thanks for all the advice, any more is appreciated also!

Thanks,
~PCT

[billybob3]

Believe it or not, this happens very often. You might want to check outhttp://paypalsucks.com to read up on stories just like yours. You'll find, that people have lost thousands, literally, and PayPal has done nothing. Same with eBay, it's just a risk that you will have to take.

I also, had a previous problem with eBay, and lost a lot of money. The only thing that eBay did, was ban the user from eBay. Which, in my mind, was not enough. I never got my money back, and probably never will. This is why, you must be coutious(spelled wrong, sorry!) when bidding on eBay, and using Paypal.

One thing to look at is the user's feedback. You want them to have a feedback of 15 or more.

[Cyberion]

I had a few friends that have tried many methods of cheating eBay. To me that sort of behavior is stupid and childish, and should also be put in jail.

FYI : When I heard about ING Directs banking w/ 5.8% interest, I was very interested. I went to my branch and asked for more information about it. They said that the German Insurance Company launched a banking service to broden their horizens. Though with out "bricks", a physical building, it is almost impossible to trace the finances back and forth. I quickly decided that it was NOT worth my worry and that bank bonds are always a good venture.

Later.. ING Direct NOW does have "bricks," I think its right below the CDI College in downtown Vancouver.

No, I don't go to school @ CDI. Though I hear that it does has very nice programs.

[BearCat]

Hey PCTech,
first of al, I'm sorry to hear of your bad experiences and I hope they can be resolved.

I have some Q's and comments..

Quote:

the person that used the paypal email reversed it AFTER i transfered the money to my bank account. They said it was a Fraud Transaction, and unauthorized

I did not know that they where able to "steal" back your money, without going through PayPal ?
That sounds like a serious security flaw in the PayPal system, if anyone can first transfer money, then take it back,
claiming *someone* was missusing their acc.
For FS, then THEY are the ones having a problem they need PayPal to sort out, right ?

Quote:

Originally posted by PCTech@Jul 18 2003, 11:04 PM
... he said you can start by paying the negitave debt in your paypal account!* I said if you will check its already at 0 again ...

Does this mean that _you_ "refilled" your paypal acc. with your own money, after that *someone* reversed the first transaction ?
Too bad, than I guess even PayPal have had you... as now they have "their" money.
What do their set of rules say about negative ballance ? Is that something you are even _supposed_ to be able to make ?

I don't know the laws applying to PayPal, but if someone missuse my VISA/AmEx, I'm not obliged to pay them anything
unless they can proove that I was the one using it.
So a _late_ advice would be, don't pay any money to PayPal,
tell THEM to pay you back the money *stolen* from your acc., causing your minus.

Keep us informed on how this is working out for you, OK ?

Best of luck....

[KingCobra]

Sorry to hear that PCTech! I read the email and now knowing this story and that it's happen to several others it seems a good GOLDEN RULE to always use the users paypal email account or no sale.

I would guess that PayPal would be like a paycheck deposit into your account. In the paperwork that you sign, you give them the right to withdraw the same amount you/they deposited.

For example,

They deposit a $300 paycheck and think they made a mistake they can take it back. Then 3 days later they decide the $300 deposit was correct and then deposit it again. They are within their right. If you wrote out checks after the first deposit and they bounce because the deposit was withdrawn from the employer (Even if it's their mistake) you eat those checks and there is nothing you can do about it.

No I don't have direct deposit!

[Stringent]

I'm still confused as to whats actually happened, I never use PayPal always insist on a personal cheque or the cash. I did use Billpoint which I think was far better than PayPal.