Help! I got scammed two hours ago, too late to cancel order. What do I do?

[donalngind0]

Alright, so two hours ago, I purchased a gaming pc. (12:29pm) At 2pm, I realized it was a scam, tried a cancel but ebay said no

[reallynicestamps]

Did you actually pay?

If so go to your Paypal account and open an Item Not Received  dispute.

If the seller cannot prove Delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded.

BUT.

You are a new member. Do you have a PP account or did you pay directly with your credit card?

It's okay.

The card was processed by PP, and the scammer did not see your info.

Call the 1-800 number on the back of the card and ask about a Chargeback. You should have dates, currency, transaction numbers, and payment amounts handy for the clerk.

Be polite. She can give or refuse the refund.

BUT

Was this a digital item?

EBay offers no protection on those because of the impossibilty of proving claims (seller or buyer).

Then go directly to your credit card as above, but crossing all your fingers and toes because card policies vary.

AND

If you don't already have a PP account, open one and back it with a credit card.

This will give you three levels of Buyer Protection.

You just have to know the rules and play by them.

[reallynicestamps]

If you didn't pay, don't.

Scammers are unlikely to open Unpaid Item Disputes against their marks, because it puts them on eBay's radar.

If he does, still ignore it.

You will get an Unpaid Item Strike, which can be serious, but you do get a once in a lifetime removal of a Strike, as a Learning Experience.

Most sellers have automatic Blocks against deadbeats with Unpaid Item Strikes, so don't try this again.

If you want to describe the scam and how you spotted it, there may be other advice available.

[mcrlmn]

... and in future only purchase electronics from certified distributors.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

As far as a gaming PC goes, you might even consider picking up the various hardware as each goes on sale; then assembling it yourself. You don't need to be a genius to do it.

[esclyons]

how do you know it was a scam. and if it was you are protected, don't panic.. we need more details to help you out.

[lady.stark]

I also would like to know how you discovered it was a scam? And within 2 hours? Seems strange... need more details in order to understand the situation and give appropriate advice.

[donalngind0]

I discovered it was a scam after they deleted the account, and I paid 70 bucks paypal

[donalngind0]

So, the PC apparently was a stolen image, searched from other guides... The seller has deleted their account and I have proof of the purchase as well...

[momcqueen]

If you paid via Paypal, go to the transaction on Paypal and open an Item Not Received case citing the seller was removed from ebay.

[lady.stark]

Although there may be a number of reasons why the seller is now NARU (it's not automatically a scam), I would do as 'mj' wrote. And if the item arrive later, I would pay back the seller. Because it's the right thing to do. Good luck!