International fraud... anything I can do?

Xelloss · Post by **Xelloss** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:19 pm

I've been burned so many times in the last couple of years that it's almost surprising I'm still in this hobby. The latest no-show is 3 cels from France from an ebay auction, and a totally unresponsive seller. I opened a dispute, ebay did nothing... paypal tells me that the seller isn't elligible for me to get my money back, and I seem sunk again. This time I lost enough where I really want to go after this person. I've got their phone number through paypal... is there any way I can use it to file for international mail fraud or something?

Wish me luck...

- Karen

SqueakyGate · Post by **SqueakyGate** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:59 pm

Should you decide to pursue this avenue, please post the steps and experiences of the process for the rest of us. Never know when someone else ends up in the same boat.

Thanks and good luck!!

moonrabitt · Post by **moonrabitt** » Thu May 08, 2008 6:17 pm

Mmmmm....FRANCE??
I think I know who the seller is...I think I bought my Op sketch from them. It took like 3 months to get to me...but at least it arrived....
I know getting burned sucks...but don't give up just because of a few faulty people. If it is the same seller that I bought my slayers sketch from, then I hope that it does arrive....Maybe late, but I hope that it does arrive...

Belldandy16 · Post by **Belldandy16** » Thu May 08, 2008 7:51 pm

im sorry to hear what happened to you!
i know ebay really stinks. sometimes it seems like they actually help those kinds of sellers. i was dumb one time and didnt check someones feedback and they took my money - when i acutally DID check his feedback it was hidden but he had SIX HUNDRED negatives!! i mean cmon, by at least fifty ebay should be on to them and ban them. but no! they actually let the person HIDE their feedback AND let them keep selling!!!

whats up with that???

chibikitty2045 · Post by **chibikitty2045** » Thu May 08, 2008 7:57 pm

PM sent

akadro · Post by **akadro** » Fri May 09, 2008 1:30 am

Hi,

I may be some help, I speak french I may contact him ?

PM me if you need me,

dro

Wendy · Post by **Wendy** » Fri May 09, 2008 2:04 am

edit due to new developments.

Killua · Post by **Killua** » Fri May 09, 2008 6:39 am

It would help if you know where the guy lives. If you do, then you could call the local police and talk to them.

Post by **JWR** » Fri May 09, 2008 10:56 am

There are a few things you can do.

Check your funding for the paypal transaction. If it came from your credit card , file a charge back. Paypal will lose and be required to pay your credit card back.

Do file a police report on the internet fraud with your local police, then contact the host countries equivalent of our FBI known as Interpol http://www.interpol.int/Public/Region/E ... France.asp and file a claim , provide all info on the fraud including your local police report (required first).

I my own case I got ripped off on a watch purchase from England , researched and followed this , New Scotland Yard arrested and convicted the person and I recieved my money back but it did take over 11 months start to finish.

Post by **JWR** » Fri May 09, 2008 11:00 am

Wendy wrote:I was thinking the same thing, although for me my international problem seller resides in the States.
I bought a pricey cel ($700) from Jason Wolfgang (jaw271) over a year ago which I have still to receive.

His Ebay feedback was spotless and he was/is a member of both Rubberslug and Anime-Beta so I had no doubts this person could be trusted.
About the same time I stopped getting emails from him his feedback changed and he received a lot of negatives from other people who never received their cels.

I could not file a complaint through Paypal because the moment I realised something was definitely wrong the payment was over a month old.

I'm robbed of $700 and never got the cel.
I have no idea how to handle this either. It would be great if I could file some sort of complaint with US Police or some other International Fraud service, but to tell you the truth I really wouldn't know how to begin.

Good luck with your 'problem'. Hopefully you'll be able to either get your money back, or the cels.
Please let us know if you were able to do something about it.

Wendy , I would contact the USA FBI http://www.fbi.gov/hq.htm , They do take such fraud seriously. http://www.ic3.gov/

beatrush · Post by **beatrush** » Fri May 09, 2008 11:02 am

JWR wrote:
Check your funding for the paypal transaction. If it came from your credit card , file a charge back. Paypal will lose and be required to pay your credit card back.

I was just about to say that.
I have done this before with 2 ebay transactions where I got ripped off and my Credit Card got my money back.

graymouser · Post by **graymouser** » Fri May 09, 2008 1:43 pm

I am sorry about all the trouble you had. There's been a lot of good advice so far.

A few years ago I had the same problem with a French dealer. I saw a cel in his online shop. I sent the money and after a lot of delay/stalling he sent me the wrong cel via dealer#2. I sent the cel back to the dealer#2 with a printed copy of the cel I was supposed to get. I was later informed by dealer#2 that he had already sold that cel - a month previously (and three months after I paid for it from the French dealer). I never heard from the French dealer again, even after many emails.

It was a cel in the few hundred dollars range. I also had this person's phone number (and his home address in Paris). I reported him for mail fraud, Paypal (how I paid), ebay (he also sold there) and to the FBI on the page that has already been given. It depends on how the transaction proceeded whether you can report your seller for mail fraud. I think some part of the transaction has to go through the mail system. In my case, the wrong cel was sent in the mail.

It took a long time for anything to happen. I got impatient enough to research lawyers in my area that practiced international law and even played with the idea of traveling to France to talk with him in person. Money was no object and I was willing to pay many times the value of the cel just on principle alone. He scammed quite a few other people too - which only added to my anger.

Eventually, he was kicked off of ebay and paypal. This calmed me down quite a bit. He had a couple of ebay IDs and both were removed. He even tried to come back to ebay a couple of years later under a new third ID. Fortunately, another collector recognized him by what he was selling and posted a warning. I have to admit that I am curious if this is the same person making another attempt at a comeback or someone else.

On an odd side note... The cel eventually resold on ebay (from the person who bought it from dealer#2 - yes, I am sure it is the exact same cel) and to this day I know exactly where it is located. I would never bother the buyer since as far as he is concerned, the ebay transaction would have been legit and the fraud is not his fault.

Xelloss · Post by **Xelloss** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:26 pm

Thanks for all the advice, now to just decide what to do. Maybe I should contact a lawyer before proceeding.

Thanks,

- Karen

RoboFlonne · Post by **RoboFlonne** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:52 pm

JWR wrote:
I my own case I got ripped off on a watch purchase from England , researched and followed this , New Scotland Yard arrested and convicted the person and I recieved my money back but it did take over 11 months start to finish.

Wow! You got your money back even without using a credit card! I'm impressed. If anything like this happens to me, I'll be sure to consult your wisdom!

I hope both Xelloss and Wendy get their money back right away!

graymouser · Post by **graymouser** » Fri May 09, 2008 6:28 pm

Maybe I should contact a lawyer before proceeding.

Unless you're willing to spend a lot, its probably not worth it. I was angry enough at the time to look into it. Realistically, the cost would have been a lot more than the value of the cel.