Postal Letter - Is providing someone with a fake tracking number thru Fedex a federal crime?

Is providing someone with a fake tracking number thru Fedex a federal crime?

I bought something thru ebay. I havent received the item in 17 days. Paypal paid him and still no item. I opened a dispute, and this guy provides a tracking number, saying it had been sent. Well, Ive called Fedex everyday. That was 3 days ago. Its invalid. Is it a federal crime to give a fake number thru Fedex?

Public Comments

i don't know if it's federal, but i would contact Ebay immediately that sucks.....
nope , he an do what he wants , he commited a cyber crime and they are almost never caught ........it is a standard pratice to burn someone on ebay ..buyer beware ......
NO BUT IT IS A CRIME TO FALSELY ADVERTISE MERCHANDISE OR TO ACCEPT PAYMENT ON AN ITEM AND NOT SEND THE ITEM. MOST PURCHASES MADE THROUGH PAY PAL ARE INSURED BY PAY PAL FILE A CLAIM WITH THEM THEY MAY BE ABLE TO REIMBURSE YOU AND FILE CHARGES ON THE SELLER. GOOD LUCK.
since FedEx is a private company, and so is eBay, "no, providing an invalid FedEx tracking number" is NOT a federal crime, but fraud is a crime (taking your money via PayPal/eBay, without delivering the goods)
Hi panti-slave2006's anwer is very good. Fraud is a crime. I don't see what difference it will make whether it is a federal crime or a crime under any other regime. If you are thinking of having this person charged, I don't think you will have much luck. Criminal enforcement (the police) would not likely put resources towards things which are essentially civil disputes through eBay. They would have a lot to deal with this way. You could theoretically take civil action (ie. sue this person) but of course that takes resources. I think you are best to get in touch with this person, explain that this tracking number does not exist, and see what the explanation is. If this does not resolve anything provide negative feedback and report this person to eBay. If you used PayPal, you may be able to be refunded through PayPal as they protect their buyers. eBay itself also has buyer protection features for plain fraud like this, so look into that. Most importantly, remember to only buy from people with good eBay ratings, especially when a lot of money is at stake. This way you stand protected by the community of purchasers like yourself.
Not a crime because he could have been mistaken on the tracking number. I would keep the dispute open with Paypal and also file one with FedEx. Good luck.
Shouldn't you be asking FedEx this question? :o)
Fed Ex is a private company so it is not a federal crime unless it is a Larcaney (item over 800$). E-bay is extremely hard to deal with, but I recomend trying the best you can to try and resolve it with the seller. If you are unsuccesfull open up a dispute with e-bay then go onto Paypal. Just keep copies of dates e-mails. Worse case if you really want to go after them.. call the police in the town they are from and get them that way. Goodluck!