Online purchasing scam using valid USPS tracking number

[jprsatx]

The online purchasing scam using a valid USPS tracking number has been going on for several years. Basically, the scam has 2 aspects: 1. the sale of an item and 2. the denial of a refund by providing a valid USPS tracking number associated with any USPS delivery in your state. For example, I notified PayPal that the vendor was scamming buyers and PayPal asked the vendor to respond. The vendor responded with a  valid USPS tracking number. On that basis, my claim was denied. If you look up the tracking number using USPS web site, a msg is displayed as follows: "Your item was delivered in or at the mailbox at 5:18 pm on February 28, 2022 in Your City, TX Your Zipcode." I reported the matter to the local USPS delivery station for my area and the USPS rep looked up the tracking number which was for a package delivered to a different address in another city.  In other words, if you go to the post office and a USPS rep looks it using the USPS system, the results are different, i.e. delivery was made to different Zipcode in a different city. The brick and mortar USPS has the real address details.

[kernowlass]

@jprsatx 

Paypal is just a payment processor that gives you 'some' buyer and 'some' seller protection.
So disputes for non receipt of item are mostly automated. Seller provides tracking that shows delivery = seller wins.
So then its your turn to do some work to assist Paypal in recovering your purchase price from your seller.

Firstly ring Paypal customer services and tell them that the number is fake or that the item was shown as shipped before you purchased it. With that information they may well just issue you a refund.

Secondly if they don't then... APPEAL
To submit an appeal on the dispute that was closed, PayPal asks that you obtain a detailed report from the shipper/courier (on their letterhead or some other form of official stationary) that includes the address the seller gave them for the shipment. Or one that includes a statement mentioning your address and saying the item was delivered to a different address. THEY DON'T HAVE TO SAY WHICH ADDRESS IT WAS SENT TO, JUST THAT IT WAS NOT DELIVERED TO YOUR ADDRESS.

Check tracking in below link to see where it went.
https://www.17track.net/en

When you have that, contact PayPal via phone (log on to your account and click contact at the bottom of the page, or via Facebook (send a Private Message to PayPal) or via Twitter (send a Direct Message to @AskPayPal) and say you want to appeal the denial of the dispute based on the shipper saying the item was delivered to a different address. Once it's submitted (you will be provided with directions on how to do that), the dispute will be reviewed further and a determination will be made.

You also have the option to contact your card issuer if you funded your Paypal payment that way and see if they will do a chargeback for you?

[jprsatx]

Note on using https://www.17track.net/en -- inaccurate info is displayed. The only way to get accurate tracking info is to go to the brick and mortar USPS. USPS rep acknowledged that using various web site tracking services would produce fraudulent info. I am appealing -- only permitted to do so via the phone since once the original appeal was closed -- all options to appeal online are no longer available. Besides getting a refund, another goal is to get PayPal to recognize that the company is a scammer so that the next PayPal user may be alerted that the user should not do a business transaction with this company. Before ordering the item, I tried to find out if the company was legit -- it was spoofing Wayfair. When the transaction did not appear in my Wayfair account, I notified PayPal. They contacted the company and were sent a valid USPS tracking number -- that closed the case. Coincidentally, I was working on my mailbox at the time of said delivery. Normally, if given a USPS tracking result, I would have supposed that the item had been stolen. I am still waiting for the appeal decision.