That obscure UT210E of desire: Could we figure out how an ebay scam works? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2017, 10:21:51 pm
content: Because the title of the original thread is no longer appropriate, I wanted to throw out the proposition that if we put our heads together we might be able to figure out how this ebay scam works, and what is broken with the system that needs to be fixed so it no longer can happen..For those who have not read the thread,https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/deal-alert!-ut210e-us-$17-27-on-ebay!/a scam is going on involving cheap Unit-T UT210Es, priced at a very low price..($17 and now $18)and that we, as a group, could likely figure out whats really happening behind the scenes in China and why. I personally suspect that we are dealing with a script.. a bot.. which is sold to its users (as what?) Likely, I am sorry to say, likely as a way to get a profit without delivering the product..I would not be surprised if the software vendor "splits the take" with the person "whose online reputation is potentially ruined" (we would like to think, but IMHO unlikely)One person pointed out that strangely, the vendor did not want to ship the UT2010E to his own country, China...We're likely not the only victims of this scheme, which I suspect is marketed to people in the form of a piece of software, likely written in Chinese.A bot.Anyway, I think its a kind of interesting situation and that a few changes in the fulfillment process could likely end it, by setting off larms for certain kinds of activity which currently goes unchallenged.What is happening is the device is priced at a price lower than any others we have seen, we ordered it, then some time later (more than a week in my case) I got a notification that it had been accpted and eventually a package appeared which started winding its way through the Chinese post system (taking an unusually long time) and eventually going to the wrong state, and wrong address in the US.What was in that package? I think that was somebody else's package and the system doesnt check if the same tracking number is given to multiple people.Another clue is "the letter"We've all gotten the exact same letter pleading in what seems like an intentionally pathetic way for our forgiveness."Hello dear friendI'm really sorry,Received your mail after I first time contact the warehouse office to ask the situation,It has now acknowledged acknowledged,Our careless staff sent the wrong item and address,This is unforgivable,Employee errors, causing many items to be sent to the wrong address,I am now trying to communicate with the buyer to solve these problems,Most average has accepted and forgiven usI apologize to you,I will send you the project again for you,Is this okay?We are committed to give you full service,I hope you can forgive us, I will ship you again,Of course you can also choose a refund,I still hope you give me a chance to correct,You really are a kind and Upright buyer,Can meet you and become friends with you,I am really honored,Looking forward to your visit again,Bless you and your family happy every day!From Chinese friends,Sincere blessing(the date is inserted here and of course, it varies)gaobing2199

author: Jay_Diddy_B
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2017, 10:30:21 pm
content: Hi,A good start may be for people who have sucked into this to post the last 4 or 5 digits of their 'tracking number' here on the forum.eBay has access to the tracking numbers. eBay could check that the tracking number matches the address on file for the member bidding.It important for people to post negative feedbackbeforerequesting a refund. Once you request a refund you can't post feedback.Regards,Jay_Diddy_B

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2017, 12:44:10 am
content: The problem is, at this point it seems obvious that they never intended to send any of us the item promised, so the scheme was/is entirely fraudulent.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2017, 01:44:11 am
content: Quote from: Jay_Diddy_B on October 08, 2017, 10:30:21 pmI did not find this to be the case. I think it's only true if the seller cancels the transaction, rather than just issuing a refund.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 09, 2017, 02:12:33 am
content: While I admire the intention, I think it is rather difficult to stamp this practice out.Sellers do this because there is a certain percentage of people who just could not be bothered chasing after them and/or do not know about all the avenues available to them and just give up when they encounter the first roadblock.EBay's ability to detect these scams is limited by the information they have at hand - and the mechanisms available to handle that information.If you were to attempt to automate this, you would soon run into problems with false positives. To proactively search manually is simply impractical - however, allowing the buyers to notify of suspicious activity and act on those reports is much more manageable. This also has the bonus of being seen to address problems that have been noticed, which is always going to earn them brownie points. Addressing problems that no-one has noticed is not.So - the best recommendation I would suggest is to simply "Report" these listings to eBay. This is the facility they have in place to deal with the problem ... so use it.

author: Jay_Diddy_B
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2017, 11:04:18 am
content: Duplicate post - Also posted in deal-alert!-ut210e-us-$17-27-on-ebay!BIG NEWSSomething is happening on eBAYThescammer'sseller's eBay profile has changed drastically. This is what his feedback looks like now:A whole bunch of positive feedbacks are gone.All the negative feedback is goneThis is what the feedback looked like before:There are only two items in the store:Hopefully people will all get automatic refunds.Regards,Jay_Diddy_B

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2017, 02:35:07 pm
content: Maybe somebody here who speaks Chinese could invite the seller to tell us their side of the story here, and translate their explanation?The real story, not the form letter.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2017, 02:37:17 pm
content: On the ebay community web site there are a bunch of threads about how Chinese sellers of action figures have developed a bad reputation for sending nothing or sending the wrong, counterfeit or broken items...

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2017, 06:03:20 pm
content: I went into this deal thinking, hey if it's real it's great and if it's not it's not the end of the world - even if don't get my money back. That doesn't mean I think what they're possibly (now likely) doing here is anything but wrong though, pulling $20 off of hundreds of people becomes a lot of money.I placed my order on Sept 16. Estimated delivery is Oct 15 to Nov 19 and I've found that shipping times have increased quite a bit lately so Iäm not surprised about a month, two on the other hand.... I have a tracking number and the last entry says:2017-10-04 09:45:26.0 leaving Guangzhou ??parcel dept. going to next airport/seaportLooking at my purchase history on EBAY this very item stands out as it now says the following:Quote