Mail Fraud Attempt by Buyer
Summary: eug405 is dealing with a high-value fraudulent return claim regarding a package that was allegedly tampered with during delivery. Despite Royal Mail confirming the package was delivered intact and a police investigation being initiated, eBay imposed a deadline for resolution. papso22, sml192, and other community members advised accepting the return to prevent an automatic refund and recommended gathering evidence to counter the claim. eBay has placed the case on hold for investigation, and legal advice through small business organizations was suggested for future cases.
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for urgent advice on how to handle a potential high-value fraudulent return request before my deadline today
The Situation:
Item: High-value electronics (£2,200) shipped via Royal Mail Special Delivery.
Buyer’s Claim: The buyer opened a return request claiming "missing parts/pieces," stating the package was opened/tampered with in transit and only the charger arrived inside.
Delivery Status: The package was signed for and collected by the buyer.
What Royal Mail Has Confirmed:
I spoke directly with Royal Mail. They confirmed that the parcel was delivered/collected in intact, good condition with no recorded tampering, opening, or damage noted at the point of signature. Royal Mail has opened a formal investigation.
Where Things Stand:
Police Action: I have reported this to the police as mail theft/fraud, and an officer is taking my formal statement today to issue a Crime Reference Number (CRN).
The eBay Dilemma: eBay is giving me until today (29 Sep) to either "Accept the return" or "Offer a refund". If I don't respond, eBay will step in and likely auto-refund the buyer from my funds.
My Questions for Experienced Sellers:
1. Has anyone successfully fought a false "tampered/empty box" claim where Royal Mail Special Delivery was signed for in good condition?
2. If I click "Accept the return" to supply a label (so the buyer has to send back the packaging/charger), does that jeopardize my chance to appeal once I upload the Police CRN?
3. What is the best way to get eBay Seller Support to place an administrative hold on the case while the police and Royal Mail complete their investigations?
Any guidance from sellers who have navigated this exact scenario would be greatly appreciated.
langar-trading
·4 days agoSimply accept the return, he/she will not be refunded until return delivery to you confirmed.
pillarboxred
·4 days agoI am pleased you have involved the police. You should ignore eBay's deadline but speak to eBay and tell them that the police have been informed.
eug405
OP4 days agoYes, I’ve contacted eBay and they’re investigating the dispute
crash_salvage_repair
·5 days agohi there i strongly suggest you join the FSB for peanut yearly cost you have superior grade 1 legal advice, as the country is run by LAW not ebays terms or conditions or any couriers terms and conditions they will guide your business through these times of scamming and theft
like issuing a moneyclaim online for 25quid will summon the thief buyer to court and dealt with magistrates who see these scammers day n day out 365 days of the yr they can spot them them a mile off
and if he doesn't attend you just get a court order and then the court approved bailiffs with collect and seize his goods if he doesnt pay up , these are different to normal bailiffs as they have been approved by court; a big difference, yes it may take several months but you will get your time.
its come to a stage i dont even bother with ebay claims just as long as ive got the buyers name and address will deal with them outside of the platform which is biased towards buyers hence why so many sellers have left the platform. as there is no way your get away with lying to a magistrate sat 2 tables in front of you!!!!
sml192
·5 days agoA Money Claim through the courts should really be the last resort as the judge would normally want to see evidence of the steps already taken in order to remedy the situation.
A Money Claim is a civil proceeding heard in a County Court in front of a district judge so there are no magistrates involved unless it gets referred to the Magistrates Court as a criminal matter.
Enforcement is separate from the original judgement and usually using court bailiffs wouldn't be considered for most debts concerning a private individual. Instead the courts would look to enforce the judgement by other means such as an 'Attachment of earnings' or a 'Charging order'.
pillarboxred
·4 days agoIs that the Forum for Small Business? I've never thought of joining that but will look into it.
suelel1968
·1 week agoSurely RM has pictures of the delivery
sml192
·1 week agoYou need to accept the return and then once returned make sure to use the 'Report a problem' option in the return request, select the most appropriate reason, and provide eBay with the the Report Fraud/Police reference number together with whatever other evidence you have. Doing that closes the original return request and opens a case against the buyer instead. Don't use the 'Ask eBay to step in and help' option as that won't close the original return request.
eug405
OP1 week agoI contacted eBay and informed them on very, including the active police investigation, it says the return has been placed on hold and they are doing an internal investigation, I’ll be contacted to submit my evidence
papso22
·1 week agoDoes this hold show in the case itself? I would be very careful here.
eug405
OP1 week agoyes it shows eBay customer support has placed the return case on hold until Sunday while they review the incident
papso22
·1 week ago · EditedYou need to accept the return. Then when you receive the item, whatever it is, that's when you report the buyer, which freezes the refund, and provide ebay with your evidence.
Until the buyer returns something different to what you sent them, there is no actual evidence of a crime having been committed.
eug405
OP1 week agothere’s actually evidence of crime, a claim the buyer made and messages sent to me, contradicts what Royal Mail has, they have an evidence of him receiving the package in good condition and he also signed to receiving the package
*vyolla*
·5 days agoDo you have written evidence (and/or photos from Royal Mail that show the package up close from all angles) that you've supplied to eBay? If not, the only way you'll get anywhere is if that buyer has past form of doing this and has a red flag on their account.
If they don't, it becomes a he said/she said type scenario, and you need to accept the return and then report it advised.
crash_salvage_repair
·5 days agoyes there is as he has lied and said items are missing so that will fall under the laws of fraud and theft
papso22
·5 days agoNo it won't.
pillarboxred
·4 days agoWhat is the seller going to receive? The buyer says that all he has is the charger so that is all he can send back. The question is whether the theft was in transit or committed by the buyer.
eug405
OP4 days agoWith the evidence from RM, most likely the buyer, they packaged was intact when he signed for the delivery
pillarboxred
·4 days agoThis shows how ridiculous eBay's system is: how can a buyer send back something which they say they have not received? Eh?
jonatjonatjonat
·3 days agoRead again. They claim they received a charger. Viola, something to return.