Ebay question - 3rd party CC (not good Update pg1)

[Hillbeans]

I don't Ebay all that much but use it occasionally to purchase items that I can't find any longer (cosmetics in this case).

Anyway, I got an e-mail last week about a purchase I made in June of cosmetics. I will have to go back through my CC records to find out if payment was made but below is the e-mail. I'm just wondering if this sounds legitimate. I don't want to short the company funds but I kind of feel as if they had to receive my payment before they mailed the goods and this may be an attempt to get my CC info:

Dear Customer,
I apologize for the confusion but here is the detailed information of the transaction Order # 7XXX.

You have bought from us the following:


Package #1 CLINIQUE XXXXXYYYXXXXXX


Total Order Amount: $28.24
DATE ORDER SHIPPED: 6/2/2008

You have paid by credit card through a secured Gateway which is XXXXX. Your credit card was charged on 1/1/0001 but was not completed because we were not advised by the 3rd party host we are using (XXXXX) that we have to accept manually this payment in order to complete the process. A limited period of time is allowed to accept this payment in order for it to be completed but we were not able to as we are not aware of it, hence the grace period to accept your payment had expired and the money was returned to you and was never forwarded to our account. This error was brought to our attention only recently the reason for the email previously sent to you.


We have sent this order # 75523 with USPS tracking # 91xxxxxxxx and has been received by you.

I would like to thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation to resolve this problem and complete payment via the following link:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX


If you have any questions, please call our toll free # xxx-xxx-xxxx

Again, thank you very much in advance for your kind help in working this out with us.

Sincerely, Company

 

[lindsmom]

NOOOOOO! Run, don't walk, away from this email! clicking links is bad, very bad. If this company is due money (which i seriously doubt), they can get in touch with you through snail mail.

These companies are getting sneakier and sneakier...

ETA: you could probably check your statements online to make sure it went through back in May or June

 

[Hillbeans]

I just checked my 2 CC statements and see nothing for that $ amount in or out of my account near the date. I usually do Paypal or partial Paypal but there is no record there either or in my checking account.

I don't really remember what card I may have given 6 months ago for a purchase. At this point i'd rather not give out my CC info but send a money order or something? I don't really want to send a check either since it has my bank info...

Hmm....

 

[cole6179]

Are they contacting you through ebay? (You can find out by checking your messages under your ebay acct) If not, I would ignore it. I would ignore it anyways...that just sounds strange. If you paid through PP everything would be taken care of.

 

[lindsmom]

Um, can you go back on your ebay account and check feedback and contact the seller through there? If either you left feedback or it was left for you, you'll have the seller's information. Send them an email, explain that you received this email and ask them to snail mail you a copy of the order or something.

If I were you, I wouldn't click on reply for the email (and it just goes back to the scammers if that's who they are), and I certainly wouldn't click on that link. If you ask them for the hard copy to be mailed to you, you'll get an idea of whether they're legit or not. If they're legit they won't hesitate to send it. If they're shady, well....

 

[angelat]

This is called PHISHING...this is very bad! Do not ever click on ANY link sent in an email. Even if it appears to come directly from your bank, ebay, etc. As a PP said, if they are serious and you do owe them money, they have your address (they supposedly sent you the item) and can contact you that way. As soon as you click on that link and enter your information, you say goodbye to your identity. PLEASE be very careful with these things.

 

[EpcotMatt2]

All messages sent legitimately through Ebay will appear on your My Ebay page. If you're ever unsure, even 1% unsure, forward the email to spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com if it's a PayPal email. They'll get back to you fairly quickly regarding if its a phishing email or not.

My bet is that this is a phishing email. Especially since it says you were charged 1/1/01, that's almost 8 years ago.

 

[Handbag Lady]

It does sound like a phish.

Delete the email. If you feel that you received an item that you did not actually pay for, go back to ebay through "my ebay" and contact the seller directly using ebay as the connector.

 

[Hillbeans]

Thank you all for the replies. That 1/1/0001 thing also raised a red flag to me and made me question why i'm being asked for payment 6 months after a purchase.

No, this was not sent through Ebay but via my e-mail address. I never respond or give out any information for e-mails inquiring for money, bank account info, CC info through any source that I cannot verify because I know there are so many scams out there.

I am going to contact the seller directly through ebay to see if this is legit. Great advice and thanks!

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

It sounds like you are being PHISHED. This is one of the reasons I am no longer am an ebay customer (have to use paypal and not accept money orders). I had to close two credit card accounts out because of this type of stuff. Please be careful.

 

[pixiewings71]

The 1-1-01 thing is what caught my eye too. I have no doubt this is a phishing scam and you should be very careful.....also, do you have a record of what you bought? You can always check your feedback to see if this seller left you feedback in June.....

 

[EpcotMatt2]

I am going to contact the seller directly through ebay to see if this is legit. Great advice and thanks!

You really don't have to bother with the seller. It'll probably just confuse them & cause unnecessary concern & wonder on their part. Just forward the entire email to spoof@ebay.com.

 

[Hillbeans]

so about 1 hour after posting my dilema on the DIS I got 90+ spam e-mails from this company asking for payment - shorter than the first e-mail but they came every 3 minutes.

me thinks that is quite a coincidence....maybe they read the DIS?

Anyway, I wrote this guy and told him that if he had any issue with my payment he should contact me through Ebay only, not on my personal e-mail account and not 90+ times. The e-mails also came from this 3rd party CC company and he apologized saying it was a computer error.

I have no problem making payment for the item if indeed there was a problem but I don't appreciate being harassed. I have enough crap going on in my life right now.

Edited to add - I now have 114 e-mails and they are coming every 2 minutes.

 

[lindsmom]

Edited to add - I now have 114 e-mails and they are coming every 2 minutes.

Honestly, I think you should (1) make sure your firewalls and security are set to high, and then (2) turn your computer off right now to prevent any REALLY bad stuff being uploaded to your computer.

Good Luck!

 

[horseshowmom]

so about 1 hour after posting my dilema on the DIS I got 90+ spam e-mails from this company asking for payment - shorter than the first e-mail but they came every 3 minutes.

me thinks that is quite a coincidence....maybe they read the DIS?

Anyway, I wrote this guy and told him that if he had any issue with my payment he should contact me through Ebay only, not on my personal e-mail account and not 90+ times. The e-mails also came from this 3rd party CC company and he apologized saying it was a computer error.

I have no problem making payment for the item if indeed there was a problem but I don't appreciate being harassed. I have enough crap going on in my life right now.

Edited to add - I now have 114 e-mails and they are coming every 2 minutes.

I would no longer feel under any obligation to correct their problem (if it is real, which I also doubt).

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

I have also be receiving emails - two since August for nonpayment on items I never bidded on. It came w/ ebay logos on the email. The 1st one was for chile bank note- w/ a letter demanding payment. I was in Disney at CR checking email late one night. then I got another email for 50 acre island in the south pacific I apparently neglected to make payment on! I sent both to ebay and was advised that they were fake emails.

I still want to know where this island is.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The 1-1-01 thing is what caught my eye too.

And the "UPS tracking number", and the salutation.

A legitimate issue would not be addressed to "Dear Customer", it would (or should) contain your name or your ebay name.

UPS tracking numbers always start with a 1, then a letter, then about seventeen characters - combination of numbers and letters.

 

[rflorek]

Anyway, I wrote this guy

Just an FYI: according to my IT guy at the office, as soon as you respond to a spam email, they have verified that they have a legitimate email address and you open yourslef up to a LOT more spam.

 

[Hillbeans]

I did step away from the computer after my post last night and it seems the e-mails stopped after the 142nd. Someone asked - I changed the names on my post to "Customer" and XXX'd out the UPS address because I didn't want to post personal info - but they did use their company name and my name in their original correspondence

I rarely use Ebay and will think twice about using it again anytime soon. This all left a bad taste in my mouth.

I haven't heard back from this person via ebay and have blocked their e-mail addresses and updated my security on my home PC. I will not initiate any payment via my CC to this person at this point. For $28 this has caused a lot more grief than it's worth.

 

[Green Tea]

It shouldn't be causing grief. Just ignore it. This is the equal to your long lost Nigerian brother who happens to have been a king finding you by email. Just ignore it and don't give it a second thought. But, since you replied to a spam email and appeared interested in resolving the issue, you can bet that your address will be sold a hundred times over to more spammers.