Ebay/Paypal/Western Union Scam???

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Joerhyno

New Member
Okay, I got this email from a guy and after talking to him through email, I figured it was a scam, after getting all the info I could from him, I did a search and found this site :)
I'm just curious if this is a scam(which I'm almost positive it is) and how they actually do it?
here's his first email:
Dear Sir,

I am the manager of Evo Electronics, a Laptops store located in
Romania.
We cannot accept payment via Paypal, this service being unavailable to
our country yet. We can afford to sell this eguipment cheaper than the
competition does,
since we beneficiate from PHARE assistance (financial and tax
facicities are given to us).
So, my request to you is this: if you agree to accept the payment being
made to your paypal
account, you will be granted 20% of our sales volume.
If you are interested, please contact us ASAP on our Yahoo messenger
ID: evo_auction@yahoo.com

Best regards,
Evo Electronics.

these next string of emails are in reverse order, so basically start at the bottom and work your way up(sorry, I just sat here for a half an hour doing it one email at a time, adn them my computer froze on me):


Company: Evo Electronics
First name: Viorel Mihail
Last name: Popescu
Street: Gavana 3
City: Pitesti
Zip: 07000
Country: Romania
Phone: 0040746825116



--- Joe wrote:
How often would this be going on, will it be every
day, or once a week? can I have your company'd
address and a little more information on your
company what exactly do you sell?

Evo Power <evo_auction@yahoo.com> wrote:Via Western
Union Money Transfer.


--- Joe wrote:

How would I get the money to you?
Joe

Evo Power wrote:
Yes, @ $1000 - $2000 per day


--- Joe wrote:

So what do you want me to do? accept the money
and
then send it to you? And how much is it?
Let me know
Joe


Evo Power wrote:
The romanian ebay acounts are limited at buyers
accounts and I can't list on ebay.
I contact the buyers directy.


--- Joe wrote:

The ebay ID you gave me was only used to
purchase
items, not sell items, do you have a website?
Could you give me a little more details
please?
Like
what exactly you're selling, how much and how
many
of the items. Thank you,
Joe

Evo Power wrote:
My ebay ID: twoboat
I'll wait your reply soon!

Best regards!


--- Joe wrote:

I received an email about you having me
accept
your
auction payments through paypal...
Can I have your ebay ID so I can make sure
you
are
legit and a real company and do you have a
website?
Thank you,
Joe

Thanks, any help would be appreciated.
Joe
 
track the IP addresses in the email headers

Joerhyno said:
[/b]Okay, I got this email from a guy and after talking to him through email, I figured it was a scam,[/b]
Thanks, any help would be appreciated. Joe
Click to expand...

Hi

if you can track the IP addresses listed in the email headers - and post them - it would be of great help.

What you are looking for is especially is the " Received: from [xxx.xxx.xxx.xx] " address that tracks where th emails were sent from.

Eventually these Romanian eBay Western Union fraudsters will run out of new IP address - or will keep using the same ones - and we will be able to pin point them down to their exact locations, probably internet cafes where they think that they are untrackable.

There are more than one international law enforcement agency working on this problem and so it is only a matter of time and public co-operation until the gangs are cracked.

MA
 
Here's what is listed in the "headers" of the email:
X-Apparently-To: XXXXXXXX@sbcglobal.net(took out my email address) via 206.190.37.77; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 21:54:02 -0800
Authentication-Results: mta803.mail.scd.yahoo.com from=hotmail.com; domainkeys=neutral (no sig)
X-Originating-IP: [216.113.188.112]
Return-Path: <payment@paypal.com>
Received: from 207.115.63.34 (EHLO yipvmg.prodigy.net) (207.115.63.34) by mta803.mail.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 21:54:01 -0800
X-Originating-IP: [216.113.188.112]
 
Checking IP addresses.

216.113.188.112 seems to be an ebay.com regisered address.

do you have emails that were sent directly by the eBay Western Union conman?

Try checking where they are from via http://samspade.org .

Thanks,

MA

Joerhyno said:
Here's what is listed in the "headers" of the email:

Received: from 207.115.63.34 (EHLO yipvmg.prodigy.net) (207.115.63.34) by mta803.mail.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 21:54:01 -0800
X-Originating-IP: [216.113.188.112]
Click to expand...
 
Here's the headers from the other email that he sent me:
X-Apparently-To: XXXXXXXXXX@sbcglobal.net via 206.190.37.85; Tue, 01 Feb 2005 15:41:34 -0800
Authentication-Results: mta827.mail.sc5.yahoo.com from=yahoo.com; domainkeys=pass (ok)
X-Originating-IP: [66.218.93.198]
Return-Path: <evo_auction@yahoo.com>
Received: from 207.115.57.47 (EHLO ylpvm16.prodigy.net) (207.115.57.47) by mta827.mail.sc5.yahoo.com with SMTP; Tue, 01 Feb 2005 15:41:34 -0800
X-Originating-IP: [66.218.93.198]
Received: from web42105.mail.yahoo.com (web42105.mail.yahoo.com [66.218.93.198]) by ylpvm16.prodigy.net (8.12.10 083104/8.12.10) with SMTP id j11NbQFj019600 for <xxxxxxxx@sbcglobal.net>; Tue, 1 Feb 2005 18:37:27 -0500

 
Mr Popescu

Been scammed by this same person, check my post

http://www.thelaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4092

This person has got a s%%t storm heading his way!

Have contacts who will hopefully abide.

Joerhyno said:
Okay, I got this email from a guy and after talking to him through email, I figured it was a scam, after getting all the info I could from him, I did a search and found this site :)
I'm just curious if this is a scam(which I'm almost positive it is) and how they actually do it?
here's his first email:
Dear Sir,

I am the manager of Evo Electronics, a Laptops store located in
Romania.
We cannot accept payment via Paypal, this service being unavailable to
our country yet. We can afford to sell this eguipment cheaper than the
competition does,
since we beneficiate from PHARE assistance (financial and tax
facicities are given to us).
So, my request to you is this: if you agree to accept the payment being
made to your paypal
account, you will be granted 20% of our sales volume.
If you are interested, please contact us ASAP on our Yahoo messenger
ID: evo_auction@yahoo.com

Best regards,
Evo Electronics.

these next string of emails are in reverse order, so basically start at the bottom and work your way up(sorry, I just sat here for a half an hour doing it one email at a time, adn them my computer froze on me):


Company: Evo Electronics
First name: Viorel Mihail
Last name: Popescu
Street: Gavana 3
City: Pitesti
Zip: 07000
Country: Romania
Phone: 0040746825116



--- Joe wrote:
How often would this be going on, will it be every
day, or once a week? can I have your company'd
address and a little more information on your
company what exactly do you sell?

Evo Power <evo_auction@yahoo.com> wrote:Via Western
Union Money Transfer.


--- Joe wrote:

How would I get the money to you?
Joe

Evo Power wrote:
Yes, @ $1000 - $2000 per day


--- Joe wrote:

So what do you want me to do? accept the money
and
then send it to you? And how much is it?
Let me know
Joe


Evo Power wrote:
The romanian ebay acounts are limited at buyers
accounts and I can't list on ebay.
I contact the buyers directy.


--- Joe wrote:

The ebay ID you gave me was only used to
purchase
items, not sell items, do you have a website?
Could you give me a little more details
please?
Like
what exactly you're selling, how much and how
many
of the items. Thank you,
Joe

Evo Power wrote:
My ebay ID: twoboat
I'll wait your reply soon!

Best regards!


--- Joe wrote:

I received an email about you having me
accept
your
auction payments through paypal...
Can I have your ebay ID so I can make sure
you
are
legit and a real company and do you have a
website?
Thank you,
Joe

Thanks, any help would be appreciated.
Joe
Click to expand...
 
Selling phone

got the same guy trying to sell me a verizon pda phone brand new for $200 (worth 500-600). He only wants to go through Wester Union. He even gave me the UPS tracking number which he said that the UPS is holding the item until he receives the payment. I told him he could have packaged a rock for all know.
 
Evo strikes again....

Yes, I also had been in communication with Evo regarding a trade he had set up on our public auction website www.trademe.co.nz. His account was disabled due to him breaching terms and conditions. After three emails from him I could see that he was a scam so I decided to go along for the ride and see how far I could go with him. Basically, this guy is an idiot and a fraud. He'll try and push you to deposit money into a Western Union account despite all questions you ask him being vague in their responses. I asked him if he could provide me with a referee to verify his transactions were legitimate. Even the referee was dodgy... lol. I informed him that I will not proceed with any transaction unless an invoice was received with all business details. I have not heard back from him since. BE WARNED!! Keep clear of EVO, EVO ELECTRONICS and VIOREL MIHAIL POPESCU.
 
How To Sue eBay and Paypal for Unfair Business Practices

Consumers who have experienced unfair business practices from eBay and Paypal, e.g., where the companies refuse to live up to their buyer protection programs, may have recourse in a court of law. Typically unsatisfied consumers have bought a product on eBay or pay for it using Paypal only to find that the article is not as represented, is a different color or size than pictured, or arrives in a broken and unusable condition. When the consumer complains to eBay and Paypal and asks for a refund, both of these eBay-owned companies disavow any responsibility owed to the consumer.

This article will present a guide for consumers to prosecute eBay and Paypal for deceptive business practices that harmed them and what they can expect from eBay and Paypal in terms of defenses. At the outset, note that eBay and Paypal have managed to insulate themselves from damages claims through creative wording of their user agreements, which all consumers must agree to accept as a condition for using either eBay or Paypal.

Paypal, Inc., is a subsidiary of eBay, Inc., and the two companies are intertwined for purchasers of goods sold on eBay.com to complete payments to sellers using Paypal.com. The Defendants Paypal, Inc. and eBay, Inc., may be served with process (summons and a complaint) using the long arm statute of the consumer's state. The long arm statute most likely provides for service of out-of-state corporations through the state's Secretary of State. eBay's may be served with process at the following address: eBay Inc.; Attn: Corporate Counsel; 2145 Hamilton Avenue; San Jose, CA 95125.

Upon receiving the consumer's lawsuit, the defendants eBay and Paypal will advise the consumer that his or her user agreements with these two firms require the consumer to file disputes against the firms either with a court in Santa Clara County, CA, or with the National Arbitration Forum. If the consumer does not voluntarily withdraw his suit, then eBay will threaten to seek its lawyer fees to have the case dismissed. At this point, most consumers then drop their suits.

However, the arbitration clauses in the user agreements exclude claims for equitable or declaratory relief. Accordingly, if the consumer files his suit from the outset seeking equitable or declaratory relief, then the eBay user agreement defense will NOT prevent the lawsuit from going forward. With the lawsuit proceeding forward, the consumer can send eBay or Paypal interrogatories to seek discovery. Interrogatories are written questions sent to a party to a lawsuit that must be answered in writing, usually within 30 days. With interrogatories, the consumer can get access to information about the seller, as well as the frequency with which consumers have complained about items being delivered that were materially different from the item pictures on eBay.

The consumer's local state court will have personal jurisdiction over the eBay and Paypal to hear claims for equitable and declaratory relief, because these firms have established substantial contacts the consumer's state. The following non-exhaustive list of activities and contacts by the eBay and Paypal in and with the consumer's state make it fair, equitable, and convenient for eBay and Paypal to defend these causes of action in the consumer's state:

(1) The controversy arose out of the consumer's purchase of some item on eBay.com, which was shipped to him or her at the consumer's address, and which arrived damaged and unusable. The funds used to pay for this transaction were drawn from a bank in the consumer's hometown, and payment for this transaction occurred in the consumer's hometown. The contract to purchase the item and pay for shipping was most likely formed in the consumer's hometown.

(2) For more than 10 years, eBay and Paypal have systematically and continuously advertised their services to the consumer and other Internet users in the consumer's state via advertising and electronic mail. Over the years, eBay and Paypal have collected fees on scores of millions of dollars in payments and seller fees from businesses and residents in the consumer's state.

For circumstances in which a seller refuses to take back damaged merchandise and issue a refund, the consumer can seek equitable relief to bar that seller from any and all further transactions on the eBay and Paypal platforms. The consumer can seek declaratory relief that eBay and Paypal's Buyer Protection Plan submission forms are riddled with computer errors and will not allow users to properly submit claims.

The consumer should also check whether, and seek declaratory relief that, eBay and Paypal's fraud violated the state Consumer Protection Act, which frequently gives the consumer a statutory right to prosecute eBay and Paypal independent of any breach of contract claim he or she may have related to the user agreement.

The consumer can also challenge in his local state court the validity of the arbitration clause as unconscionable. A claim that the arbitration provision is unconscionable is a matter to be decided by the courts and not the arbitrator, because it specifically challenges the validity of the agreement to arbitrate irrespective of the validity of the whole contract. If the state trial court determines that the arbitration clause is unconscionable, then the consumer will be entitled to pursue monetary damages against eBay and Paypal. However, it is unlikely that a state court will find the arbitration clauses unconscionable, due to the pro-business tilt of the U.S. court system.
 
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