iOffer SCAM

[couturerider]

I purchased a Louis Vuitton handbag through ioffer, I should of known it sounded too good to be true...

After I used paypal to pay for the bag I kept sending emails for delivery conf. # finally I got one that has no record at all and it's been almost 2 weeks. Now that I just read all the other ioffer scams I want to cry... I paid $150 for this bag,

and now  theres a chance they can come up with a legit # and I'm out 150? why does paypal even get involved with such a shady service? I thought paypal would protect me, but I guess not.

Let's say I do get a package with something other than my bag, can I send it back with a tracking # and get my money back? will I have paypal protection at that point?

What should I do to make sure this seller doesn't get away with this again? I also noticed there are 5 others of this rare bag, all different sellers and none have ratings, they all have 0's.. I noticed all this after it was too late... all of them are the same exact photos with the same exact listing description... I was just so happy I was getting this bag that I forgot to pay attention to the details, which normally I do... Shame on me:(

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to end this person from doing this again?

I'm sure paypal gets ton's of these everyday from ioffer newbies, they should have some kind of escrow until the seller gets there package. I sell on ebay and I've had holds on some items I sold until the buyer left feedback, maybe that should be done with I offer to help stop international scams.

[surplusdealdude]

If you used a credit card to pay for the item, file a chargeback by calling the customer service number on the back of the card.

[couturerider]

I used paypal, but I did have  a bank tranfer for $50 of it. Do you know if I will be covered for the total if I send the package back and provide a tracking # ? I would also purchase insurance so I don't get scammed a second time.

I can't believe these people are getting away with this, I will never use ioffer again, atleast I know ebay is reputable, paypal covers you then but how come they don't with ioffer?

[surplusdealdude]

No, I wouldn't send the bag back.

The problem isthat, with any site other than ebay, you don't get coverage for a "not as described" item, even if you return it to the seller.

Since this seller is a scammer, he could just keep the bag and not refund you and there isn't anything you could do about it.

Sorry, but I think you're pooched on this one.

[couturerider]

Wow! never knew that... I fiqured I had protection...

I opened a claim with paypal about a week ago because the tracking # provided to me was non-existant, the seller hasn't replied to paypal yet with a tracking # but I can see he has been on ioffer everyday, is this part of the scam they've got going? wait til last minute to come up with a #? hopefully they don't! but now I still have to wait for my $$ andhave no idea how long this will take if I do get it back. I've already escalated the claim so maybe it will be sooner if they don't provide legit tracking. I don't know how ioffer still exist if there are so many of these scammers... I would of used a credit card but it's a debit and I'm always afraid to use it with things like this., from now on I'll use my husbands American Express business card, I know it's covered 100% but alot of times you can only use visa or mastercard.

Thanks for your answers!

[surplusdealdude]

is this part of the scam they've got going? wait til last minute to come up with a #?

What we're seeing a lot of is tracking number from other parcels being put in place, so check any number he puts in - it may be fake.

[surplusdealdude]

And I've been seeing reports of a ton of scams on ioffer - it seems to be the favourite place for scammers when they're taking a break from craigslist.

[couturerider]

Hi Superdealdude, He still hasn't replied to paypal and the tracking # was a definite fake. I contacted paypal and they said that my money is being held, if the seller doesn't reply by the 27th then my funds will be released back to me. I guess I was buyer protection eligible, but the only thing I worry about now is receiving some cheesy gaff bag in the mail and him providing a legit #  because I'm not sure if I can do anything like you said for item not as described... That's when I'll contact paypal again and see if there's anything possible that I can do?  I'm really surprised that sending back the item with tracking wouldn't get my funds back??? I didn't ask paypal about that yet. I'll keep you informed.

I hope paypal can catch these scam artist because now that I know about this I can tell you I was going back and forth with about 4 others and as soon as I started asking questions they stopped returning messages, I even talked to a few that I googled that have online stores... same thing... I asked for more photos of the bag that I would be getting and they don't return the message, but they were quick to send invoices. I also noticed that with this particular bag the pictures that are being posted are great ,high end store photos, I actually found the store on ebay that I believe they are stealing the photos from, the store uses the same background and mannequin for each of their listings, their ratings are very high and they are from "Beverly Hills",  that explains the high end look.  Thanks again for your answers!

[surplusdealdude]

Don't fear possibilities.

He has to provide proof of delivery, not proof that he's shipped it.

[Pblsnbambam]

THERE IS HOPE...when you make a purchase thru Papal with your credit card. I was scammed by a merchant who appeared to be selling the latest Louis Vuitton Summer shoes for women and North Face outerwear. The individual appeared to be a member for one year, however had zero ratings.  This person copy cut and pasted pics from the official website and posted them on his iOFFER storefront. After I payed for the items the site sent me a bold message stating the merchant may be fraudulent and to canel the transaction.  I sent the merchant several emails and got no response. A very small package was delivered with at small watch in a box. When I filed a claim thru Paypal they appeared to investigate. I kept checking on the status of my claim and then finally called the Customer Service telephone number. They denied my claim stating the merchant forwarded tracking info and I received my goods. I was then referred to the Fraud Division of  my  bank.  The Credit Card division had me fax supposing email documentation with the seller. I had 13 pages to submit which included my Paypal claim. I also filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI. Needless to say I got my $375 back from the merchants banks credit card account that was set up thru Pay Pal. Take my advise and do the same. We all pay fees for Credit Card protection. Contact the Fraud Division and file a claim. If you try and print info from the iOffer website do it ASAP. They watch members transactions closely and delete info from your purchases and negotions. That site has no customers service at all. I truely believed the scammers are the actual founders of that website. Everything on there is bogas including the number of members on line and the number of negotiations taking place. Buy with caution and read all feedback. NEVER EVER PURCHASE WITH A MONEY ORDER OR WESTERN UNION.  I have purchased some awesome items there that are excellent quality.  My last encounter was a wake up call to never shop there again.