do NOT have time for this shit...

[lupo pazzesco]

I'm working on web orders for my store right now. Big ol' red flag popped up on a book ordered through our store website. Buyer is in Nevada. We're in Texas. They opted to buy a $144 textbook, plus super expensive shipping, bringing the order to about $200.

They're phone number is area code 723, which a quick reverse look up says doesn't exist, and a quick google points out as being a telemarketer area code. A quick reverse look up of the address shows it belongs to a completely different person. Great, more fraud orders are starting to roll in. Shiny happy fun times!

Ok, no...

Flagged the order. C&Ped pertinent details to regional LP. Let's see if they actually do something. I'm going to cancel this order, though. Seriously, the book they're looking for can be found on Amazon or Half for literally half of what they're trying to "pay" us on our store website. I know they're not students at any of the schools my store sells books for. And further, WHY are you ordering a textbook for a college bookstore website that is in no way affiliated with your city, let alone your state? Why? Do you think we're stupid and we won't catch on? (probably, but you're dumber than us, asstard!)

Ugh, I don't want to deal with this, I'm still catching up on paperwork and forms from the last batch of fraudsters... >.>

Happy Monday!

[bainsidhe]

I say good on you, because honestly these are flags that wouldn't occur to me. Too trusting of humanity, I guess.

What are the usual fraudster flags? Do you seriously check every single order to see if ph# matches addie?

[lupo pazzesco]

Usual fraudster flags for my store specifically? Ok, we're a college bookstore. We sell college textbooks for 3 Texas universities. You order off our website, you pay the full price for the book, because in theory, you're taking a class at one of our schools. so, in the case of the above order. The customer is in Nevada. The book they want lists for about $90 on amazon.com, and about $100 on half.com. Why, then, if you're buying books online, are you searching for a specific book from an off campus university bookstore that sells textbooks specifically for a Texas university? If I want to order a book online, I'll got to a marketplace site, personally, not pick a random bookstore website, and search all their classes to see if they have a book I want.

Secondly, the shipping. Usually, fraudsters try to get as fast of shipping as possible, because normal mindset for companies is "Expedited shipping, get it out, nownownownow!!" without asking questions.

another red flag is the billing address vs. shipping address. If Joe Schmuck is living in Ohio, and orders a book, why is he shipping it to Johnny Jackass in Nevada? No, seriously. Why? If the billing address and name match the shipping address and name, and the customer is in a certain area of Texas, I let it go, because odds are, they're taking the class from the school, maybe even online. General rule on textbook orders is if it's not a Texas address, we don't ship it. Works for us because we've gotten lots of emails after the orders have been cancelled from LP, saying that these are known fraudster addresses, stores need to beware.

Another thing is merchandise, which is a little harder. See, we sell University apparel, gear, goodies, etc on our website. And given that alumni from our school live all over the country, it's harder to keep track of what may be fraud or not. Generally, if they order all high dollar merch, (like 5 replica jerseys priced at $75 each), and again, want "super duper fast, don't even think about what I'm ordering" shipping. Also, in some cases, they'll order the same damn thing multiple times. (i.e. 5 jerseys, same player number, same size. ).

Usually, if I see a high dollar book or merch order, I look at the order a little closer, and do a general google search for the area code. you'd be surprised how many fraudsters use area codes for places like Puerto Rico, the American Samoa, or in this case, a telemarketer area code. they also use similar naming patterns or entry of data. I don't know how to explain it. It's just the naming scheme they choose, once you've seen it, it sticks with you. (Doesn't hurt that these Einsteins decide to have 12 people living at the same damn address ordering shit, and no it's not an apartment complex...). When I see the phone number is odd, I reverse look up the address. 9 times out of 10 it's one of 2 things: Listed under a completely different name, or a set of office buildings/warehouses in the middle of a downtown metro area.

My, I babbled a lot. Like i said, it's hard to put it into words how I zoom in on what's a fraud order. It's partly my OCD, partly instinct and partly experience. Also, if we cancel these orders outright, we know that genuine customers will be contacting us demanding to know why, fraudsters won't. Then we simply say we had a computer glitch in our ordering system, but it's fixed now, please do try again. Sucks some, yes, but we have to be super careful, sadly enough.


Sa

[bainsidhe]

I dabble (only slightly) in the realm of half.com, never Amazon. My "high ticket" sales involve a few cheap DVDs and an occasional book. I've been lucky so far, but I always worry something will be lost in the mail or it's a scammer. I'm glad you're savvy enough to prevent some of the fraud, it's really sad how much junk is going on nowadays.

[Andara Bledin]

I dabble (only slightly) in the realm of half.com, never Amazon. My "high ticket" sales involve a few cheap DVDs and an occasional book. I've been lucky so far, but I always worry something will be lost in the mail or it's a scammer. I'm glad you're savvy enough to prevent some of the fraud, it's really sad how much junk is going on nowadays.

If you do your homework, all of the power is with you as the buyer, if you're in the US.

Check your seller. Pay with PayPal if possible, and use a credit card (or debit with credit card protections) always. And, if you ever don't get what you ordered, you can file a mail fraud report with the USPS regardless of shipment method. FTC regulations place all mail/phone/internet orders under the same umbrella and the USPS is the one stop shop for reporting fraudulent or criminally negligent sellers.

^-.-^

[bainsidhe]

Actually, I meant dabbling as a seller. Sadly, there's not much protection if you're a seller since the buyer has most of the power.

[Andara Bledin]

Actually, I meant dabbling as a seller. Sadly, there's not much protection if you're a seller since the buyer has most of the power.

Yeah, that's a whole 'nuther animal, these days.

It used to be a bit more even, but eBay keeps changing the rules and bending the sellers further backwards for no discernible reason. I'm not sure if the way it is now is much better than the bad old days when anyone could leave Feedback for anyone else (or themselves) for any reason they wanted. (I have a Feedback from myself, long, long ago ) No, it's worse, since a sucky buyer or two can essentially destroy a seller's ability to use eBay at all with almost no effort.

^-.-^

[MoonCat]

and use a credit card (or debit with credit card protections)

Wait, how does one do this? I thought debit cards were NOT protected the way credit cards are?

[Andara Bledin]

Wait, how does one do this? I thought debit cards were NOT protected the way credit cards are?

Debit cards that carry a credit card provider logo will often have some, if not all, of the same sorts of consumer fraud protection as a full credit card. I believe mine has shorter time limits on disputes, but is fairly similar.

Just remember that if you use a credit card to fund your PayPal purchases (which should be always), then always file a complaint through PayPal first (even if it is outside of their time limit) prior to filing a claim with your credit card provider.

^-.-^

[wagegoth]

Wait, how does one do this? I thought debit cards were NOT protected the way credit cards are?

It depends. Purchases have to be authorized by the person to whom the card belongs. If someone else uses it without your permission, you are usually not responsible, as they have, in effect, stolen your information.

[surreal20]

My comment is, with Amazon, I've never had an issue. Selling or buying. Amazon has always been a brilliant source for me to get my school books and other paraphernalia. I stopped buying my school books at the school book store after my 2nd semester of college.

I've always gotten my stuff on time, in a timely manner. And when I buy items for other ppl and send it to them, they always ask me twice for the address. So say for instance, my grandmother bought something through MY account. It hadn't been registered on my account before (her card that is) so after i added it, they then asked me to verify the address again. Annoying, but understandable why.

Also, when I sent a DVD out to my husband's parents house for christmas this year (before we were married) they asked me for the address of his father before they were process the order again, to verify that is EXACTLY where i want it to go.

I know game stop will email you to get verification on an address you've never used before/doesn't match your billing address bc it's a way to catch frauds. My husband had ordered Aion for the both of us when it first came out, his arrived just fine, but mine never did come. I latter got into his email account and found that they had sent an email just mins after his order to verify the order for mine. They were both ordered at the exact some time. Withing a certain time limit, if it is not verified, they cancel the order. It states right there in the email. And that's what happened. So i had to go to a retail store and buy it. Not a happy camper, but it was more so bc my husband was an idiot and didn't check his email. I respected them for doing what they did.

[roothorick]

So how does this scam work? I don't see the profit vector. Are they just trying to deliberately empty the bank account of some poor sap?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

So how does this scam work? I don't see the profit vector. Are they just trying to deliberately empty the bank account of some poor sap?

I'm thinking they're buying textbooks (why, I have no clue) using stolen credit cards for "payment."

[Andara Bledin]

They buy expensive textbooks with stolen credit card numbers, have them shipped to wherever, then sell them for cheap online for a healthy profit.

They need them fast so they can do the turn-around before classes start.

^-.-^

[lupo pazzesco]

^^^^^

That. Exactly.

Plus, from previous theft rings (this isn't the first incarnation). they ship them to elderly people, then send those people a shipping label, apologizing for getting the address wrong, and ask them to box up said books and slap said label on the box.

Meanwhile, we're out the books, and getting bitchslapped with chargebacks from CC companies for the fraudulent charges.