Internet Fraud Annoyance

[TheFeniX]

So, doing my monthly read through my CC statement, I noticed an erroneous charge from newegg. I didn't purchase anything during that timeframe. So, I logged into newegg just fine and found someone bought an i5 CPU with my account and shipped it to an address in NJ. I normally keep up with my personal account that newegg is tied to, but I've been dealing with a screaming newborn lately, so most computer time is either work related or gaming to blow off steam.

Anyway, I contacted newegg about it and they were SOOOO helpful in not giving a shit about the fraud and just closing my account. So, eat shit newegg. My password was a random assortment of alpha-numeric numbers, a special character, and some uppercase that only shares a similarity with one other site I log into. And the password still worked, so it wasn't like it was bypassed via a password reset. Literally no help.

My CC company knocked the charge off, closed my account, and is reissuing. So, I'm fucking pissed (not at them) because I now have to update a bunch of payment information.

Local PD can't help because it's in the NJ wasteland. And the local NJ PD won't file a report without physically talking to you, even though the address is literally .5 miles from their office. I did submit the relevant information to the online cyber crimes webpage.

So, here's what I've got:
The delivery address and name. The name matches up to online records of the current owner of the home, but I can't be certain the person living there is the person who made the order. I also got his phone number through some more snooping. What legal avenues do I have available? NOTE: I'm not out any real money, just frustration and knowing there's some guy stealing shit and with all the evidence here, no one seems to give a shit. I can't be the only person he's swindled.

[Borgholio]

You could contact the FBI if it's across state lines. Interstate fraud is a serious thing. Also contact the carrier who delivered the package and let them know they were transporting what is essentially stolen merchandise.

[TheFeniX]

You could contact the FBI if it's across state lines.

I submitted the incident to the FBI via the IC3 website.

Also contact the carrier who delivered the package and let them know they were transporting what is essentially stolen merchandise.

I didn't even think of that. I'll report it to FedEx. Thanks.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Contact a local attorney for legal advice instead of a bunch of assholes on a random webforum.

[Flagg]

Yeah, and don't bitch about a website that doesn't know you from the average North Dakota meth smoker for not just taking your word on a fraudulent charge it took you (sounds like) over a month for you to report. Plus your email may have been hacked if you didn't get any notification about the password change and transaction, so make sure retail sites you frequent don't get any emails shunted to the spam folder and probably change your email.

But it does suck, so hope you nipped it in the bud. We had a tax refund almost stolen by someone who got ahold of my moms SSN and tried to file, so I know how much that sucks. Good luck St00pid n00b.

[TheFeniX]

Contact a local attorney for legal advice instead of a bunch of assholes on a random webforum.

I'm not out any real money as my CC company already flagged the charge. All a lawyer could do is possibly hassle local law enforcement to do something and I don't think I can afford to pay someone for that. Sue the guy? Maybe, but to get what? Spend thousands to get a few hundred? At this point, I'm wondering what else can be done without constituting harassment on my part. I'm not about to call the home line from a go phone and start running my mouth.

I think I'll just to have to sit on this for more than a few weeks. Maybe let it go.

Yeah, and don't bitch about a website that doesn't know you from the average North Dakota meth smoker for not just taking your word on a fraudulent charge it took you (sounds like) over a month for you to report.

12 days, but point taken. That said, Newegg flagged a purchase of mine a few years ago (a DVI extension and HDMI cable) shipped directly to my parent's house (like $30 total) because the billing address did not match the shipping. That was same state. This was $220 halfway across the country. Dell also routinely flags my purchases when I'm shipping PCs directly to remote employees. Directron required confirmation from the billing phone number for the card. My mistake with Newegg was mentioning the word "fraud" upfront before getting what information I could.

I made this same mistake with Walmart a few years back and didn't learn. Someone got my credit card number and was buying cartons of Cool Menthols. I know this because I called a few convenience stores and 2 Walmarts on my charge list and asked for my receipts. The convenience stores were happy to give the info. One Walmart was as well. The other fished for information and I let slip the word "fraud" and was immediately told I'd have to call the fraud department, who then said they wouldn't do anything without a written police report.

Newegg did the same thing. Before I could ask for any IPs logged during the purchase or figure out how my account was compromised with my password still intact, I was told my account was being closed and I needed to contact law enforcement if I wanted anymore information. And I've bought thousands of dollars worth the products through my Newegg account over the years. I'm not asking for someone to kiss my ass, but don't blow me off immediately, then lock my account so I can't even access previous orders anymore. Thankfully, I don't delete any of those types of emails as disk-space is cheap these days.

It's vindictive but I'm not creating another Newegg account.

Plus your email may have been hacked if you didn't get any notification about the password change and transaction, so make sure retail sites you frequent don't get any emails shunted to the spam folder and probably change your email.

My password was not changed and the notification emails were there concerning the purchase and shipping, I just didn't see them until it was too late. That's on me. But, unless someone somehow brute forced a password in the vein of (NOTE: not my actual password) "4*Duiq53" then there had to be something else at play. If he had reset the password, I would have known due to needing to recover it. Even then, I would have had an e-mail concerning the password change. Both my e-mail and Newegg account would have to have been compromised and my passwords reset back to their original state afterward for any of this to work.

But it does suck, so hope you nipped it in the bud. We had a tax refund almost stolen by someone who got ahold of my moms SSN and tried to file, so I know how much that sucks. Good luck St00pid n00b.

I've thankfully never been through that. For finances like purchases: I run most everything through my credit card and the wife and I never use our debit card for anything. I did this even before the whole paypal scandal draining people's bank accounts dry. That way, even dropping the ball for almost two weeks, I'm not fighting to get money back, only possibly having to pay what's been charged. It's just infuriating that I'm always up on this shit. I usually don't go a day without checking my personal account, much less almost 2 weeks.

The old credit card fraud could have been anything: someone holding onto my card too long, someone working a job and just getting a bunch of numbers, whatever: not catching that guy. But I could have stopped this. Probably why it pisses me off more.

[Flagg]

Well with a newborn, 12 days isn't much. I've done a ton of business with them as well and TBH if that was their reaction with me I wouldn't buy from them again, either. I thought we were talking like 3-4 weeks, not barely under 2. But that's your business anyway, you don't have to justify it.

What's funny is I had a shipment from Amazon get delivered to the wrong address, contacted them, and they overnighted the same order that day. In fact I got the new package before the neighbor who had my delivery figured out exactly where I lived (it was an area that was kind of oddly numbered when it came to streets and houses) and brought it over. I sent it back to Amazon, of course because I'm no thief, but I could have easily gotten one over on them.

The worst part as far as shit like you went through (and my mom with her SSN) is a weird violated feeling, knowing some person you want to put a hatchet into is out there fucking your life up, even if it's just a bit. At least from my standpoint.

But I do wish you luck in finding the shithead, though I doubt the authorities will.

[Enigma]

Almost a month ago my father in law had his Paypal account hacked from some Ukrainian in NJ and ordered a $2000 camera body from Ebay on a payment plan and had it "air mailed". My FiL only found out about it when he checked his Paypal account. The hacker used a name and address in NJ for which the camera body was to be shipped. I tracked down the address to a Ukrainian shipping company. I also tracked the name to an apartment that was located almost 20 minutes east of the shipping company. The business that he bought the camera body from and had it "air mailed" was located 20 minutes west from the shipping company. The whole thing was fishy from the get go.

My FiL got his money back (the first installment plus shipping charges), had the camera body returned, got the FBI involved AND the local (for the city in NJ) police. Paypal on the other hand were asshats. Once the money was refunded, they froze his account for faud. Once he got that settled, he was told that the person responsible was caught but they would not give out more information and told him to contact our local police. He did that and the police just told him that he has to subpoena Paypal for the information.

[Napoleon the Clown]

I say contact an attorney because they can tell you which law enforcement agencies you can talk to if you want to make the asshole that did it miserable. Their job is to know the law, have literature on the law. It'll reduce the run-around and pissing away time contacting agencies that won't help you. If you want to just forget it now that you've got your money back and secured your accounts, then you've accomplished that.