S/O Beggars, Moochers and Scammers

[Bobbie]

I was checking my junk mail for real mail before trashing and I found some very bad news......I am being evicted from my apartment.  The good news is I haven't lived in an apartment in 20 years so I think I am safe from this "eviction".  I have also won multiple prizes from Coca Cola and a Agent Rev Dr (I kid you not that was his title)  wanted to get hold of me urgently about a Western Union money transfer for 500,000,00 <--how it was typed.  My husband told me to negotiate for 1,000,000,00.

[ladyknight1]

I have a friend who is ordained and has a Doctor of Divinity, he is Reverend Doctor First name Last name.

Michael's Arts and Crafts has now reported they had a credit card information data loss. I'm watching my account carefully.

[doodlemor]

I wonder if these are the people now using the credit card numbers stolen by hackers from various large store chains over the last year or so....?

Like Target a month or so ago...and another large department store chain had the same thing happen since then.

I wasted a lot of time yesterday, because I received something that I ordered from an Amazon market business in a Target box.  Anything to do with Target now makes me very suspicious.

I had ordered some things online with my grandson, to spend his birthday money, at the end of January.  We ordered from Amazon.com.  Yesterday something that we had ordered arrived, but it was from Target.com, and billed to a man in New Jersey.

I was immediately concerned with the strangeness of it all, and called Target.  The representative was hard to understand, and then we were [presumably] accidentally disconnected.  Then I called my credit card company, and that person set up a conference call with Target.  This time the Target rep immediately connected us to a supervisor.  After hearing the weird story, she said that this was an instance of "drop and ship," or something like that.  [I'm not sure 100% that I am remembering the term correctly, but the behavior is common enough to have a term of its own.]  Apparently some Amazon sellers sell things at a price slightly over retail.  Then they order them from a retail outlet, and have them shipped directly to the consumer.  Who knew?! 

The New Jersey guy used his Target card, so maybe he gets wonderful perks doing this.  I did check the address on google earth.  He lives in a lovely, middle class neighborhood in an attractive split level home.  I was concerned that somehow he was being scammed, until I heard the whole story.  O

[ladyknight1]

Amazon and Target are somehow connected.

[VorFemme]

Drop and ship means that the item was not shipped from Amazon but from the company that made it.

I've seen it frequently when I look at ordering sewing items.  I may order from Amazon or XYZ Sewing Supply House, but it will be shipped directly from Sew Fit (actual order) or Sewing Machine Company (hypothetical order).  This lets it go to your house directly from the manufacturer, reducing the amount of shipping costs and reducing the miles traveled, number of people handling it in transit, and the risk of it being damaged as it goes through  more hands & more transfers from one shipper to another.

My best guess is that either the supplier used a Target box that they had on hand or they had it shipped to your house from a Target store (but I would have expected that they paid for it using their funds that they got through Amazon - not using your credit card). 

It can't hurt to keep an eye on your credit card though...so many places are reporting that they've been hacked the last three or four months!  I've been checking more often since I got a phone call my first day on vacation (several hundred miles from home) that someone had used my debit card # (Texas address) in New York (store purchase under $10) while I was traveling through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and to get to where we were going to be for two weeks in Florida.

My card was cancelled by the issuer and a new one mailed to my home...where I got it when we got home 16 or 17 days later.  In the meantime, I was glad that we had more than one credit card account...as I was able to use a different card instead of the compromised & cancelled one.

[amandaelizabeth]

I got one from Tony Blair this morning.  He loves the things I make at my business and if I send him bank details he will make a large order.  Trouble is: I doubt that Tony Blair works from a yahoo address, how has he heard about me in little old New Zealand, and lastly my business is a Homebased Early Childhood Education service, so although we have lots of children, I doubt they are for sale.  Still you never know.

[Bobbie]

I have a friend who is ordained and has a Doctor of Divinity, he is Reverend Doctor First name Last name.

Michael's Arts and Crafts has now reported they had a credit card information data loss. I'm watching my account carefully.

Yes, I have seen Rev Dr but Agent  . 

[doodlemor]

Drop and ship means that the item was not shipped from Amazon but from the company that made it.

I've seen it frequently when I look at ordering sewing items.  I may order from Amazon or XYZ Sewing Supply House, but it will be shipped directly from Sew Fit (actual order) or Sewing Machine Company (hypothetical order).  This lets it go to your house directly from the manufacturer, reducing the amount of shipping costs and reducing the miles traveled, number of people handling it in transit, and the risk of it being damaged as it goes through  more hands & more transfers from one shipper to another.

My best guess is that either the supplier used a Target box that they had on hand or they had it shipped to your house from a Target store (but I would have expected that they paid for it using their funds that they got through Amazon - not using your credit card). 

It can't hurt to keep an eye on your credit card though...so many places are reporting that they've been hacked the last three or four months!  I've been checking more often since I got a phone call my first day on vacation (several hundred miles from home) that someone had used my debit card # (Texas address) in New York (store purchase under $10) while I was traveling through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and to get to where we were going to be for two weeks in Florida.

My card was cancelled by the issuer and a new one mailed to my home...where I got it when we got home 16 or 17 days later.  In the meantime, I was glad that we had more than one credit card account...as I was able to use a different card instead of the compromised & cancelled one.

The item I received was shipped in a Target box with a Target invoice.  I was listed as the recipient, and the New Jersey guy was listed as "billed to," or something like that.  The Target customer service supervisor told us [me and the credit card rep on conference call] that many people sell stuff on Amazon that they buy over the internet and have it shipped directly to the original buyer.  It seems like an unusual way to make $$$, and I wonder how well a person can do.  Maybe the NJ guy benefits from the perks he gets from his Target card.  I still think the whole situation is a bit strange.

[Friday]

Amazon and Target are somehow connected.

They were.  Not any more.  Amazon used to power target.com, but that connection was severed about three years ago

[Slartibartfast]

Okay, drop-shipping in a nutshell:

A vendor wants to sell things online, but doesn't want to sink money into inventory and a warehouse.  Instead, he finds a reliable source of a product for a reliable price, and lists that product on other sites for a bit more despite not actually owning it yet.  You, the eager customer, stumble across his listing.  There are several reasons you may choose it even though there is at least one cheaper source out there: you didn't do your research, you don't want to give your credit card number to a website you've never heard of, you want to be able to rely on the customer service and return policies of sites like eBay or Amazon, etc.  So you order from what you assume to be a trusted site.  The drop-shipper then immedialtely turns around and places an identical order with their source and pockets the difference.  If all goes well, you get what you wanted and the vendor makes a bit of money for his effort.

If all doesn't go well, though, you can have issues:

- sometimes those shady sites do have inferior items, so you have to throw yourself on the mercy of whatever larger site you used.  Sometimes they can force the drop-shipper to fix the problem, but sometimes it ends up being more hassle than it's worth.

- sometimes the drop-shipper goes to order from their supplier, only to find that the item is no longer available (or not available at a lower price than you're paying.)  Usually this results in you getting a refund, but you've wasted a few days and have to start your search for your whatsit again.  When drop-shippers get enough complaints about this kind of behavior, sites like Amazon shut them down.  Unfortunately, since there's almost no overhead cost involved, they usually just pop back up under a different name.

-occasionally drop-shippers end up using the same source, making it look like there are 20 copies of that super-rare DVD in mint condition for sale all at once.  If you tried to order it, though, you'd find that 19 of those listings were drop-shippers intending to order it from the 20th person.  This can make searches take a lot longer to wade through.

[sevenday]

Drop ship (there's no "and" in the phrase) originates from the early trading days.  Merchants would order X item from overseas (hence "ship") and when the ship arrived, instead of having this one comparatively small item go to his shop, he would have the dock workers deliver the item directly to the customer's house.  This saved the customer the trouble of having to come back to the store and the merchant the trouble of having that box sitting in his storage room until the customer could be notified and then arrive to pick up the item.  Nowadays it also applies to situations where ships may or may not be involved.

You are A, the customer. The person you buy from is B.  The person who manufactures the item is C.  Instead of an A to C conversation, it becomes this: A to B, B to C, C to A.  This can be helpful if the item you are looking for is generally only sold in bulk, wholesale, or as part of a special membership.  B goes through the trouble of becoming known/affiliated with this company, buys items from them for X, and sells them to you for X + Y.  They pay the company and the company ships direct to you.  It can be beneficial like with Target, if there are point rewards and the like, and it really doesn't "Cost" much to do this so if their profit is only a dollar or two, after an hour it does add up.

Generally I don't mind too much when I run into this, but there are times it gets super sketchy.  The trick is to go with your gut. If the item's price is quite a bit lower than is on more common sites it may be a cheap knockoff.

[MommyPenguin]

My husband is trying to sell a trailer.  By trailer, I mean one of those open-top carts that you can attach to a hitch at the back of your car/truck and pull along.  This particular trailer is *huge*.  It's 16' long, etc.

Anyway, he texted us saying, "Hello, do you still have it for sale?"  Notice the "it."  Then when my husband confirmed and asked him if he'd like to come by to take a look, he said, "Okay!, i will like to make a purchase asap by sending a Us bank check from my bank to you overnight via FedEx so please get back to me with your name and address to send the check out.i will also handle the shipment my self through my shipping company after you have cash at hand. Thanks Craig."

Um, no.  First, I know that scam.  Second, it's a trailer, not a bread machine.  How exactly are you going to ship it?  Good luck with that.

[MrTango]

WARNING: This was just posted on my city's local citizen website, Edhat. It is a warning from a subscriber about a new VISA/MASTERCARD fraud that is quite successful. Please read this, pass it on, and be very, very careful!

This is a heads up for everyone regarding the latest in Visa fraud. Royal Bank received this communication about the newest scam. This is happening in the Midwest right now and moving across the country.

This one is pretty slick, since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.

This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from 'VISA', and I was called on Thursday from 'MasterCard'.

The scam works like this:

Person calling says - "This is (name) and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti- Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?'

When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching, and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address). Is that correct?' You say 'yes'.

The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it again?'

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works - The caller then says, 'I need to verify you are in possession of your card'. He'll ask you to 'turn your card over and look for some numbers'. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the last 3 numbers to him.

After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?'

After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to call back if you do', and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. We were glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card.

We made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the Scammer wants is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master Card directly for verification of their conversation.

The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card, as they already know the information, since they issued the card! If you give the Scammer your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a 'Jason Richardson of MasterCard' with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the caller telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane tickets to Spain, and so on through the above routine.

It appears that this is a very active scam.

That's an old trick (Snopes has it dated back to at least 2003), but it's easy to see how it could work.  They give their victim so much information in order to lull them into believing that they're legit.

[rose red]

I have almost $10k owed to me.  I just have to supply my bank info so they know where to make a deposit.  Yay!

[Dr. F.]

I got a new one the other day. I got a phone call that was a recording that was artistically blurred at the beginning, so all you could hear was, "....Credit Union. We're sorry to inform you that your debit card has been frozen. To unfreeze, please enter all of this personal information."

Um, yeah. I don't have a Credit Union account, and I'm not that silly anyway.

Good try, though.