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Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking

chamster

Is from: AU
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chamster Registered since 05th Aug 2007
Fri 01-Feb-08 01:35 PM | edited Sat 02-Feb-08 09:08 AM by chamster
I have recently bought few lenses from a seller in USA privately. Outside this forum. I paid for the item by Western Union money transfer. The tracking number that I was supplied comes up as "There is no record of this item" at USPS website even after 2 days of lodgement. Is this common? Please help me. What should I do next?
wymjym

Is from: US
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#1. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

wymjym Registered since 13th Jan 2008
Fri 01-Feb-08 01:44 PM
the USPS tracking system is not to be relied upon, as a matter of fact, I think they (USPS) should either make it reliable or take it down.
wj

#2. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

Fri 01-Feb-08 02:14 PM | edited Fri 01-Feb-08 02:16 PM by Texasdave 75229
I hope all went well with your purchase but everytime I see Western Union I think of all the scams that has used that. Best of luck.

I have never been able to track anything using the post office tracking either. It usually arrives before the system shows it.

Lirz69

Is from: Lansdale, US
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#3. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 1

Lirz69 Registered since 25th Jul 2007
Fri 01-Feb-08 02:15 PM | edited Fri 01-Feb-08 02:30 PM by Lirz69
As a former USPS employee I agree that their tracking isn’t the greatest. However, the Express tracking is the exception because it’s the only service that comes with a money back guarantee. Express tags are scanned at every point along the way. The first scan should show up within an hour or so of being received at the PO and the packages are taken directly to the airport (and scanned again), from the individual stations. Not to alarm you but if they’re not showing up after two days then something’s fishy.

#4. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 2

Fri 01-Feb-08 03:11 PM
I agree that USPS tracking is a mess. I'm worried for you as paying by Western Union usually indicates a scam. Hope I'm wrong.

#5. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 2

Fri 01-Feb-08 03:13 PM
Hope this worked out for you, but why would anyone pay with Western Union?? every where you look people get ripped off using them, They offer no protection and Its the first sign of a SCAM. When anyone wants WU RUN Forrest Run. Even if this works out its still a risk you shouldnt take
KJ6304

Is from: Winchester, US
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#6. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 5

KJ6304 Registered since 10th Oct 2007
Fri 01-Feb-08 04:56 PM
If after 2 days and you still cannot track the status from USPS then I am afraid you will not be seeing it especially paying through
Western Union because they are the favorite route for Scammer to get
paid. It is untraceable that's why they love it.
Sorry to hear about these things.
Hope he turns out to be legit.
Best wishes
ldim

Is from: US
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#7. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 6

ldim Registered since 03rd Apr 2004
Fri 01-Feb-08 06:27 PM
I've always been told by USPS that you must track these at a local
Post Office and not on a home computer. I've done that many times with no problems, just walked in and had them track it right away. I've found that the insurance tracking number is the easiest to track at a Post Office.
sparky16

Is from: Sacramento, US
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#8. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

sparky16 Registered since 24th Sep 2007
Fri 01-Feb-08 09:14 PM
USPS Express Mail provides excellent tracking from the moment a package is accepted at the retail window.
All domestic Express Mail tracking number starts with letter E(express)+another letter+9digit numerical numbers and ends with US(E* ********* US). Unlike Priority Mail delivery confirmation which is scanned upon delivery, this is tracking service. All the Express Mail package should be able to track from acceptance and every step of the way.

If the tracking number you were given is not of above format, or you don't see any tracking result, I suggest you to contact your local US Postal Inspection Service.

Steve

#9. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 8

Fri 01-Feb-08 10:32 PM
Me thinks you have been HAD. Not sure of how much money was involved, but I pretty sure it's gone. Western Union, as someone else mentioned, is the first red flag. I hope I'm wrong here, but it certainly doesn't look good to me. USPS should at least have acknowledged receiving it by now. Keep us informed.

George

#10. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

Sat 02-Feb-08 12:05 AM
From what I understand, the tracking on a non-express is just a "delivery confirmation".

It will only be updated once the package is delivered, and sometime a day or two later.
chamster

Is from: AU
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#11. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 10

chamster Registered since 05th Aug 2007
Sat 02-Feb-08 09:09 AM
Looks like that I have been scammed. What are my options? Any luck with employing a debt collector?

#12. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 11

Sat 02-Feb-08 09:22 AM
I would contact the State District Attorney in the state where you sent the wire and get their advice
mtpenmaker mtpenmaker

Is from: Billings, US
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#13. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

mtpenmaker Registered since 23rd Aug 2007
Sat 02-Feb-08 09:42 AM | edited Sat 02-Feb-08 09:43 AM by mtpenmaker
Even eBay, and Craigslist IIRC, state you should not pay by Western Union.

Gerry Rhoades
www.montanapens.com
My Nikonians Gallery
Visit my Nikonians gallery.

MMarz

Is from: Long Island, US
968 posts

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#14. "RE: Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 2

MMarz Registered since 09th May 2007
Sat 02-Feb-08 10:51 AM
>I hope all went well with your purchase but everytime I see
>Western Union I think of all the scams that has used that.
>Best of luck.
>
> I have never been able to track anything using the post
>office tracking either. It usually arrives before the system
>shows it.
>
>

I agree.. Avoid the "too good to be true" transactions especially when payment is requested via Western Union

--------------------------

Michael
D300, D700 and a lot of other stuff
Member NWPLI

wlwakefield wlwakefield

Is from: Irving, US
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#15. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 13

wlwakefield Registered since 21st Jan 2007
Sat 02-Feb-08 10:56 AM
Exactly... Never pay by Western Union... lots of folks may not like PayPal, but it's the only safe method for payment for both buyers and sellers... I've had dozens and dozens of Ebay transactions over the years, and Paypal has always been a fair method both as a seller and buyer.

Cashiers checks aren't much different than Western Union and in this type of payment only the seller is protected. Luckily, most everyone here is honest and it's not a big concern, but I'd never conduct a transaction without using Paypal online...
37Degrees

Is from: San Francisco, US
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#16. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

37Degrees Registered since 13th Jan 2008
Sat 02-Feb-08 11:08 AM
You can file a Mail Fraud Complaint with the US Postal Service so you can have a record on file of what happened, but I'm not sure what else can be done to track down the goods or the person(s) involved.

http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/
KJ6304

Is from: Winchester, US
53 posts

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#17. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 16

KJ6304 Registered since 10th Oct 2007
Sat 02-Feb-08 11:20 AM
My suggestion is to contact your local State Attorney General office
to file an internet fraud complaint against this scammer with all the information that you have on him. It won't cost you anything except a stamp to send back the complaint form to the AG office.
Many states has participated a joint internet fraud network with the
FBI to deal with all internet fraud across the state line.
It will take at least 2-3 months before you'll hear anything, you may
never get your money back but they will put this guy in jail.
Recently in MASS they arrested a woman whom had scammed over $15,000
selling bogus item and she was put in jail for over 2 years. This is Grand Larceny and they will take action. The key is we all must
cooperate to report these kind of scam and cheaters.
If price is so good then why should you be the lucky one??
Hope everything else is good for you.
Cheers & happy shooting.

#18. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 17

Sun 03-Feb-08 11:55 AM | edited Sun 03-Feb-08 11:58 AM by thundrr
The first thing you want to do is gather as much information on the person as you can find. Google their name, Google their on line name, find out if and how many sites this person has. You may even find photo's of the scammer. If they have a site, do a "whois" on it, that will tell you everything about the site.... owner, address, phone number, etc. Gather as much info as you can and turn it over to the local police, first. Again, you'll have to wait about 3 months for any results. If that doesn't work then turn it over the a higher authority.

How do I know about this??? I too, got scammed on the "Bay" buying a police scanner. And no, it wasn't a "too good to be true" price. The unit was never shipped. Paypal only covered $200.00 and charged $25.00 for their "investigation", which consisted of sending the seller an e-mail. I started my own investigation immediately. I used his online name and found out his real name and his location. I then found photo's of him on the web (kind of amazing). I spent about a month tracking him down and found a site he had. I printed out all the info and turned it over to the police (happened to be State police in my case). After about a month, I got a refund from Paypal, as he returned the money to them.

It turned out that the State cop was perusing his site with an "obvious" State Police computer. He must have seen this in his traffic reports and decided that someone was on to him. It wound up costing me the $25.00 that Paypal charged me, but I consider it a cheap education.

Start now!!!!!!!

George

#19. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

Sun 03-Feb-08 12:25 PM
Even Paypal isn't perfect although it usually is.

I sold an item to someone after 3 weeks, the person complained and Pay Pal reversed the transaction and withdrew money from my account. I gave the buyer 5 days to notify me of any problems and he didn't. So in the end I got screwed and had to repair the problem even though when I sent it, it was perfect. I also insured it - but my the time I received notice of the problem, it was to late to make a claimmm - so I got screwed. This way I usually prefer Money Orders and not Pay Pal. But I do understand the concern.
carlysgranddad carlysgranddad

Is from: Laurel, US
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#20. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 0

carlysgranddad Registered since 23rd Aug 2007
Sun 03-Feb-08 03:52 PM
You never ever pay by Western Union for anything. That is the first sign of a scammer. Ebay even tells you on their site not to bid on anything that requires Western Union payment.


Norm (carlysgranddad)

#21. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 20

Sun 03-Feb-08 04:38 PM
I would notify Western Union of the potential fraud. I would call the listing source you obtained the sale information from and determine if they have a process to initiate fraud investigations.

The key is rapid response if there is any hope of tracking a perpetrator. Did you pay Western Union with a credit card? If so dispute the charges.

Good Luck
chamster

Is from: AU
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#22. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 20

chamster Registered since 05th Aug 2007
Mon 04-Feb-08 07:08 AM | edited Mon 04-Feb-08 07:09 AM by chamster
I never use Western Union. In general I would not get caught by scammers. The reason I fell on to the trap was that I have bought few grands worth of lenses over the last few months from him before and have even talked over the phone few times & appeared very "reasonable". My first encounter with him was through eBay. His eBay ID is jtjdp or Jonathan D. Berry from Columbia, MO. Has 99.9% positive eBay feedback for >2000 items eventhough majority were low priced items.

I appreciate all the help & encouragement from some really expert Nikonians especially with regards to the next step. I do not want anyone else getting into the trap of this person. I will post any siginificant updates.

#23. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 22

Fri 08-Feb-08 07:27 PM
Well, it's Friday,,,,,,,, any update??? Hopefully you got your lens..

George
chamster

Is from: AU
78 posts

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#24. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 23

chamster Registered since 05th Aug 2007
Sat 09-Feb-08 08:31 AM
Hi George,

It was definitely a scam. The lenses never arrived. I have reported to the appropriate authorities.

#25. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 22

Sat 09-Feb-08 08:40 AM
You have his phone number? Have you tried it? Are you sure it is here in the US. The authorities can certainly use this info to track this guy down!

#26. "RE: Got caught by a scammer!! Help regarding USPS Express Mail Tracking" | In response to Reply # 25

Sat 09-Feb-08 09:15 AM
If you have a PH # you might try www.Anywho.com and do a reverse lookup, but if you have done business with him you probably already know his address, but this might help others who are buying

G