4 ms·
Don't the scammers often use the victimized sellers as drop shippers? Say, Alice lists a laptop on eBay or Craigslist. The scammer has also listed a similar m
by ben1040 14y ago
Don't the scammers often use the victimized sellers as drop shippers?
Say, Alice lists a laptop on eBay or Craigslist. The scammer has also listed a similar model for sale, and Bob has purchased it in what he believes to be a legitimate transaction.
Scammer "buys" it from Alice, with either fraudulent funds from a stolen card (that would get charged back eventually) or just delivering a forged paypal mail. Or the famous "P-p-p-p-p-owerbook"[1] scam involved a fake escrow service. The scammer has Alice ship the laptop to Bob.
Alice is out a laptop, Bob gets a laptop, scammer gets Bob's money.
[1] http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=1016390 http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=101...
- JulianWasTaken 14y agoOOC, what is the legal remedy in such a situation for Alice and Bob? Is Alice ultimately the one who loses out there presumably?
- icebraining 14y agoIf Alice can prove it's her laptop, Bob has to give it back.
- kleiba 14y agoThis might be dependent on the country in which the transaction takes place. Under some circumstances, if Bob believes that the laptop is now his, it actually is his property in some legislations.
- derfniw 14y agoCorrect. For instance in the Netherlands if you believe the person selling you the item has the right to sell it to you // perform that transaction, its yours. (The so called 'Vertrouwensbeginsel') The only way for Alice to get her money back would be by going after the scammer, because he did not do his part of his deal with her(paying).
- derfniw 14y agoIt should be noted that the belief should fall within reason. So if something about the transaction is completely and obviously fishy, i.e. 'you should have known something was wrong'. Then its impossible to invoke the 'vertrouwensbeginsel'.