Bought a Monitor from eBay - Keep Getting Scam Texts and Emails

TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 12:34
Last edited 06/08/2025 - 12:42 by 1 other user

Bought a Dell P3421W listed as "brand new" on eBay for about 400 bucks. The seller has 100% feedback from 1k+ reviews so I thought sure, why not.

What happened next is just messing with me and makes no sense at all.

  1. As soon as I bought it, I started getting emails that appeared to be eBay messages but actually wasn't upon checking eBay itself, and it said things like "Sign up to Fast Courier"… "Track your package… manage booking"… and they had some butchered AusPost logos at the bottom to show that they are linked with AP somehow. These emails were all clearly scams and I didn't click anything. On eBay itself, it says the package was being shipped by Couriers Please (legit, just a bad courier imo).

  2. When I bought the monitor it said "1 sold, only 1 left in stock" which is the one I bought. Immediately after I bought it, the seller listed another 2 of these for a few more dollars than what I paid… suspicious again.

  3. I notify eBay that this seller is most likely a scammer, due to these scammy emails that pretend to be eBay messages. eBay tells me to wait until the shipping date then they'll deal with it. Fine.

  4. I actually received the monitor, packaging and Dell Service Tag all legit, and working totally fine. Yay…

  5. As soon as I received it, I get a scam text with a dodgy URL and it says something like "AusPost - we tried to deliver your package but couldn't reach you and this requires signature upon delivery"… What?? The monitor was just dropped at my doorstep with no signature required… I didn't even need to receive it from the courier…

  6. Keep getting more silly texts like "Australia Post - Delivery Notice: Your parcel is on hold due to an invalid postal code, to prevent return or disposal please verify your address within 24hr [link]". Again clearly dodgy, and I already got the monitor.

  7. On eBay the item had a legit Couriers Please tracking number where it currently says "Delivered - Signature Delivery"… yeah it was delivered but I didn't need to sign anything, I wasn't even there when it was left at my door. Also the Couriers Please tracking (linked to the eBay purchase) shows it started in Amaroo NSW… now it only says NSW to [my state], but on the box it has someone's address from Amaroo ACT lol… I know Amaroo in Canberra, but there is no Amaroo in NSW… Well there is, but it's legit empty middle of nowhere, just a road it seems.

  8. This is all very very confusing and I still am scared that my data has been leaked to someone… How on earth did I receive a functioning monitor but throughout the process I received numerous fraudulent emails and texts? Those "Fast Courier" emails were rubbish and I never clicked them, and through eBay I saw the "supposedly real" tracking number from Couriers Please, but once again it says it was meant to be signature upon delivery but it wasn't. I've received it and am using it but still getting these texts and emails…

  9. Bonus question - This is a 4 year old model and Dell indicates that warranty is over - fair enough. But given I bought a "brand new" monitor from eBay do I still get some kind of warranty? or if this screen fails in a month I'm totally screwed?

  10. This is a lesson for me to stick to Amazon, this random crap only happens on eBay. Yes I've bought and sold many things on eBay since the 2000s - not new to it at all. Even in 2018 I tried to buy a Pixel 2 and was given a dummy shipping reference which didn't deliver to me and had to painfully sit through eBay chats and calls to get my $700 back.

Can someone explain what on earth is going on?

Computing 34inch Computer Peripheral Dell LCD Monitor

Related Stores

eBay Australia
eBay Australia
Marketplace

Comments

  • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 12:40
    +1

    Looked more into the eBay seller's feedback. Looks like they frequently sell Dell USB-C monitors that are a couple of years old… typically for 300-500 bucks.
    However I saw one feedback that said someone in the last year bought the P3421W for $1528….? Yeah right, rubbish.

    Anyway I hope my monitor goes alright, just want these annoying scam emails and texts to go away…

  • Danstar on 06/08/2025 - 12:51
    -1

    Ahh…..no.

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 06/08/2025 - 12:55
    +18

    Spam texts might be coincidental with purchase.
    I get them frequently and sometimes coincide with an online purchase.
    Report as spam, block and move on. Easy to detect if you look at the sender address in emails.

  • mskeggs on 06/08/2025 - 13:01
    +19

    TL:DR
    Successfully bought an item from eBay, but nervous about spam texts said to be from auspost and couriers.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 13:02
      -8

      Exactly the right TL:DR. Just wanted to give full context.

      Spam texts can be seen as "coincidental" but today's texts are suuuper coincidental as you can see in my post.

      Also the spam emails came directly upon purchasing from eBay, and pretending to a message from the seller's eBay account to mine. But when I go to eBay messages those emails/content aren't there.

      Just very weird…

      • MrFrugalSpend on 07/08/2025 - 20:28

        most likely they've hacked into the seller's or your ebay account, or email account, and log-in in occasionally trying to be opportunistic to scam someone with a more realistic message as you actually bought something. Change your email and ebay passwords and advise the seller to do the same. Check your credentials against scam advisory services to say if your details have appeared in a breach on the dark web. Enable two factor authentication. Get internet security software such as Bitdefender - pay for full license on all your devices and follow recommendations.

  • Axelstrife on 06/08/2025 - 13:09
    +13

    Sellers do not have access to your email address or phone number, so unless you sent that to them they are not to blame.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 13:10
      -7

      This is what I was thinking too. So how is it possible that as soon as I bought the item, I started receiving spam emails about "Fast Courier" and pretending to be the eBay seller with their seller ID in the subject title?

      • Axelstrife on 06/08/2025 - 13:19
        +1

        Honestly no idea, ive recieved similar spam text messages without buying anything before. Perhaps it was coincidence and the spammers got your number and email from a leak from some website you use that got hacked at some point.

        Also couriers please is a pretty crappy courier who would of signed for it themselves just to get the delivery over with.

      • Danstar on 06/08/2025 - 13:20
        +7

        Did you eat breakfast that same morning? Could've been from that?

        • 7ekn00 on 06/08/2025 - 16:00

          Hehe, did you poop the same morning too? could have been from that :P

          ie complete coincidence, given I get the delivery not delivered one every week ;)

      • Protractor on 06/08/2025 - 17:48
        +4

        Sometimes (not always) the ebay item rocks up with the addressees phone number, so it must be via the data ebay has, and it gets printed onto the address.So I call BS on personal details not being exploited by sellers or passed along to third parties. As well as every person in the freight industry, who wanted to from the sending to the receiving. We have more scammers & spammers after any ebay purchases, almost the day after and then they thin out.
        If the address label has a phone number or eml address on it, of course the seller has access to your details.

        • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 07/08/2025 - 20:38

          I had a eBay seller here on ozb tell me they can see almost everything on paypal.

          surprised me because I thought that was the whole paypal business model, keep your payment details private which was the whole benefit. well tbf I think they still do, but I also didn't expect them to leak the rest of my details to every seller.

    • Guybrush57 on 06/08/2025 - 16:52
      +9

      Pretty sure eBay sellers do get your phone number.

      • Forfiet on 07/08/2025 - 01:33
        +4

        Yeah, I just got a package with my number written on it…..

      • wetsandwich on 07/08/2025 - 10:56

        Yes, they 101% do. It's essentially part of your 'address' to go on the package so couriers can call you if they need to.

    • Postal Dude on 06/08/2025 - 17:02
      +1

      Yes they do, for 2 weeks they have access to an eBay email that forwards it to their real email address. They also do have their phone number.

      • Axelstrife on 06/08/2025 - 19:56

        "eBay email that forwards it to their real email address"

        Or as i said they dont have your phone number or email.

        • Postal Dude on 06/08/2025 - 20:11

          Are you a seller? you are completely wrong.

          • Axelstrife on 06/08/2025 - 20:39

            @Postal Dude: Yes I am since 2020

            • Postal Dude on 06/08/2025 - 20:42
              +5

              @Axelstrife: I am literally looking at my orders right now, and each have a phone number and email, but you do you.

            • wetsandwich on 07/08/2025 - 10:56
              +1

              @Axelstrife: Have a look at the postage labels you're printing out then… the mobile number goes on there.

    • mapax on 06/08/2025 - 19:32
      +1

      Yes they do. I purchased an item from outbax camping on eBay and within days I started receiving emails from them.

      • bamzero on 07/08/2025 - 13:02
        +1

        I think in the past sellers used to get the email address but now they just get a forwarding address.

        Still must get phone number though, it's on the Auspost shipping label.

        (Ok, just saw the post below mine afterwards stating this)

        • mapax on 07/08/2025 - 13:32

          That makes sense, it was a couple of years ago when this happened to me.

    • Cluster on 07/08/2025 - 10:47
      +4

      I sell on eBay and I get the mobile number of all customers. It's put onto the shipping label by Australia Post.

      There is also an email address but it's a custom eBay address that funnels all emails through their Messaging system.

  • onceupon8 on 06/08/2025 - 13:18
    +7

    Most likely reason: You are being paranoid that scam emails/sms's that you are receiving are related to the purchase you made on eBay. There are millions of such emails and SMS's being sent everyday.

    2nd most likely reason: Your computer has malware and it's targeting you about personalising it based on your purchase. As Axelstrife mentioned, eBay sellers don't get access to buyer email addresses anymore so if you are getting scam emails to your email address, they aren't from the seller.

    PS. I see this a lot at a company I work for. People buy something online, and then later that day (for example) they get a scam Auspost message etc and think it's related to their purchase.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 13:19
      +3

      The texts could be coincidence. But what about the emails with the eBay seller's ID in the subject of the email, telling me to click on links for "Fast Courier" and these emails only came RIGHT after I purchased it from eBay…

      Computer is a MacBook from 2020.. not sure if this can be hacked that easily?

      • onceupon8 on 06/08/2025 - 13:26
        +5

        Are you sure the emails aren't legitimate but just look bad or have bad grammer etc? ie. Sellers can setup automatic emails to be sent to you after purchase, after dispatch etc. They could have links to the wrong courier company etc if they haven't updated them properly. From memory (which could be wrong) if they don't go through eBay messaging, they will be addressed to an email address like
        [email protected] which gets forwarded to you.

        • Randolph Duke on 07/08/2025 - 11:50
          +1

          100% - just sounds like poorly written emails from the seller or courier. Screenshots would help.

      • 7ekn00 on 06/08/2025 - 16:05
        -1

        not sure if this can be hacked that easily?

        ROFL, oh the naivety :/

        https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/2024-macos-malware-review-i…
        https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/can-iphone…

        It's also easy to monitor your email if it's gmail.yahoo,live, etc

      • smartazz104 on 07/08/2025 - 07:10

        Maybe eBay is the one scamming you…

    • psdillon on 07/08/2025 - 12:22
      +2

      I second onceupon8's theory that your computer has malware, or alternatively your email account has been hacked. The spam is too targeted and specific.

      Whatever you do:

      • Don't do a bank transfer using account number that has been emailed to you, ever.
      • Don't click on any links, no matter how genuine the email seems, until you've resolved this.

      EDIT: on second thought, it could also be that scammers have access to the seller's email account/computer.

  • Porker on 06/08/2025 - 13:34
    +2

    I wouldn't at all be surprised if scammers or hackers in general were monitoring us and waiting for the right time to pounce. There's a few stories of, for example, home buyers who have had their emails intercepted with scammers then pretending to be the conveyancor to receive the house deposit.

    From my experience, I've never before used docu-sign but upon signing a few legitimate documents, I started to receive a few scammer ones (literally the day after) where I had never ever received any spam/scam of that type.

    Could be entirely coincidental, could be dodgy seller, could be elaborate scammers.. lots of could be options… (sadly)

  • plmko on 06/08/2025 - 13:53

    Ebay sellers can send you newsletters or updates. It's an old Ebay function. But anyway these don't show up in messages because they are marketing.

  • mskeggs on 06/08/2025 - 15:28

    I would say some of the things you think are suss aren't.
    It is entirely reasonable and routine for a seller to sell a certain number of items for $x then list further quantities for $y.
    If anything, you took advantage of the last of the cheaper ones.
    And the auspost logo in a listing doesn't indicate a link with auspost, just that they ship things Auspost, although apparently also Couriers Please.
    And a superseded model of a monitor for a cheap price is hardly scammy. If it was a business selling it, they should advise the warranty/service options as they are covered by the ACL. If it was an individual, then you probably don't have a warranty. If I bought a monitor, kept it as an unopened spare, then sold it 4 years later, I would definitely describe it as brand new, but you wouldn't have any warranty.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 15:52

      How about emails appearing to be from the eBay seller ID in the subject, sending links regarding tracking shipping from a supposedly fake courier called Fast Courier with suspicious links? When the actual package was sent by Couriers Please?

      • mskeggs on 06/08/2025 - 16:29

        Sorry, you didn't say the scam messages quoted the seller's eBay ID, just that they appeared to be from eBay.
        Is the seller's id something unique? Or something generic like "IT sales"?

        • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 16:37

          Unique - like name_number

          • mskeggs on 06/08/2025 - 18:57

            @TwentyTwoCarats: Right, yes I agree that is concerning and I would be looking into how that happened too.

    • Speckled Jim on 07/08/2025 - 09:34

      If it's an ABN registered business, selling an item as "new", I'd expect a statutory ACL warranty at the very least.

      The only Amaroo I know in NSW was a NW Sydney racetrack:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaroo_Park

  • arkie0 on 06/08/2025 - 15:29
    +1

    Ebay seller or subcontractor for courier is a front for a scam company, or they are on selling your details for profit again part of the same "scam"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f8ohjxHVmw

  • lint on 06/08/2025 - 15:44
    -1

    You've presented no evidence that you ordering the monitor and you receiving scam texts are linked events. The seller might be listing a small quantity of the item at a time in order to give an artificial impression of scarcity. Your correlation is very flimsy at best.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 15:51

      How about emails appearing to be from the eBay seller ID in the subject, sending links regarding tracking shipping from a supposedly fake courier called Fast Courier with suspicious links? When the actual package was sent by Couriers Please?

      • lint on 06/08/2025 - 16:05

        So you're saying the scam emails have the ebay seller's ID in it, but they're not sent via ebay?

        • TwentyTwoCarats on 06/08/2025 - 16:20

          Correct. And these emails point to Fast Courier with shady links. Fast Courier was never used. It was Couriers Please.

          This is the thing everyone is glossing over here and saying this is just paranoia from typical texts happening to come at the same time as the delivery.

          • DoctorCalculon on 07/08/2025 - 08:29

            @TwentyTwoCarats: Only eBay has access to your real email address (tied to your account), which wouldn't be shared with any third party sellers.

            If the seller needs to contact you they can only access a relayed email address (which has ebay.com domain suffix at the end).

            Check those spam emails, and let us know if it is an eBay relayed email address or your direct email address.

  • Protractor on 06/08/2025 - 15:57
    -1

    If ebay or APost / courier has your phone number for delivery purposes, expect scam calls, from all sorts of places.Not necessarily the ebay seller.That's our experience. Ditto if you do business with any company who has offshore call centres /support.

  • n3ck3ntry8bort0rgasm on 06/08/2025 - 17:03

    happens to me all the time. but there is no way of knowing for sure where you got leaked from so I just forget about it.
    could be that random australian store you bought from months ago, just had no security and details get leaked.

    usually calms down after awhile. but then yeah happens again evventually. 💁‍♀️

  • notaccel on 06/08/2025 - 17:15

    Good chance your number went through whatever freight management system they use and there's a leak there.

  • McMaferMur on 06/08/2025 - 17:20

    So, that $400 monitor is that a bargain?

  • Malik Nasser on 06/08/2025 - 18:42

    Im surprised this is the first time you have come across this. This has been happening for ages.
    I would suggest setting up multiple emails for each place you purchase online, have a few phone numbers, and aliases.
    These are easy enough to setup, and keep them stored in your password manager for ease of use.
    At least when you start getting messages to those specific email addresses, you know which one is the leak.
    You have to be vigilant to keep them all segregated.

  • djones145 on 06/08/2025 - 19:36

    omg i read this post and started to get scam emails and sms and phone calls

    my theory is that you are the scammer and by us reading and responding we have been suckered in and are starting to get scammed

  • Protractor on 06/08/2025 - 21:01
    -5

    Here we go again

    He's back

    Protractor on 06/08/2025 - 21:01 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • michaelTito on 07/08/2025 - 02:51

      guess whos back?

      • Protractor on 07/08/2025 - 10:55
        -2

        Did you see what the mods did?

  • igeekyayush on 07/08/2025 - 08:35
    +1

    The scam messages are totally linked to your purchase. The seller might not be behind the plan but the chain which followes after you make a purchase and the shipping process, the data has been captured by third party who are trying their best to get hold of someone. Since it triggered just around when you make a purchase, many people would think it's legitimate and fall for the trap.

    I would definitely report it to the seller and ebay just to make sure they are aware of the data leak.

  • jasiano on 07/08/2025 - 10:36
    -2

    lol worried about data leakage after making a purchase on eBay where the seller doesn't have access to your mobile etc.

    BUT….. guess what - you probably put your mobile number in when signing up to all sorts of websites incl eBay, Facebook, Insta, TikTok…. the list goes on and on… and they will all happily sell your data to 'legitimate' marketing/corporate partners… who in then will leak/get hacked etc….

    It just seems like it's because of your purchase because of the 'AusPost' reference, but the scammers can tell you are in Australia and likely have made some sort of online purchase at some point in time…. just like you will get 'ATO' text messages saying you have outstanding tax bill that needs paying off etc..

    TL, DR - you are on the public internet. Your details are already exposed.

    • wetsandwich on 07/08/2025 - 11:18

      "eBay where the seller doesn't have access to your mobile etc."

      Yes they do.. it goes on the shipping label at a minimum.

  • wetsandwich on 07/08/2025 - 11:04
    +2

    I actually lean towards agreeing with you - a lot of ebay sellers are extremely unethical/dodgy as it's the one place that no larger seller can ever get banned because ebay loves them, and hates all small sellers. Many of them do bad things like misrepresenting their location (China > dodgy shipping that changes labels when it gets to Australia, you know it's not actually in the country when the delivery takes 3 weeks), refusing/delaying refunds against consumer law, etc.

    Still, there isn't much you can actually do about it.

    If you really wanted to test your theory - make a new ebay account, from a new email address, with a new phone number from a $2 sim, and put something identifying in your address, like if you're at number 200 john street sydney 2050, put the postcode 1 digit wrong so you now live at 200 john street sydney 2051. Then buy something small from them, and see if all your freshly made accounts and phone number start getting spammed with the same rubbish 1 day after being created.

    But it's simpler just to accept that the average mindless consumer and most of our politicians dont care about data/privacy at all and if anything want us to think it shouldn't exist.

  • altomic on 07/08/2025 - 13:27

    Just be thankful you didn’t buy a bicycle from eBay

  • lostinsydney on 07/08/2025 - 18:22
    +1

    I believe eBay sells your data to Rokt, and you can look them up.

  • drfuzzy on 07/08/2025 - 18:41
    +4

    OP is experiencing the same thing everyone else does but seems to be freaking out about it and blaming an innocent eBay seller.

  • CalmLemons on 07/08/2025 - 23:59

    omg ffs, this is the very reason why people get scammed in the first place. and I'm bored so:

    What happened next is just messing with me and makes no sense at all
    —>because it's called coincidence

    As soon as I bought it, I started getting emails that appeared to be eBay messages but actually wasn't upon checking eBay itself, and it said things like "Sign up to Fast Courier"… "Track your package… manage booking"… and they had some butchered AusPost logos at the bottom to show that they are linked with AP somehow. These emails were all clearly scams and I didn't click anything. On eBay itself, it says the package was being shipped by Couriers Please (legit, just a bad courier imo).
    —>these are common spam emails.

    When I bought the monitor it said "1 sold, only 1 left in stock" which is the one I bought. Immediately after I bought it, the seller listed another 2 of these for a few more dollars than what I paid… suspicious again.
    —>This is an auto system that does this. 1 sells and the software the seller uses adds 2 more, it's a tactic to convince you to buy using the scarcity cognitive bias.

    I notify eBay that this seller is most likely a scammer, due to these scammy emails that pretend to be eBay messages. eBay tells me to wait until the shipping date then they'll deal with it. Fine.
    —>seller has nothing to do with it, bro, sellers don't sell you something dodgy then send you spam.

    I actually received the monitor, packaging and Dell Service Tag all legit, and working totally fine. Yay…

    As soon as I received it, I get a scam text with a dodgy URL and it says something like "AusPost - we tried to deliver your package but couldn't reach you and this requires signature upon delivery"… What?? The monitor was just dropped at my doorstep with no signature required… I didn't even need to receive it from the courier…
    —>are you OK? I get messages like this daily, the whole country does.

    Keep getting more silly texts like "Australia Post - Delivery Notice: Your parcel is on hold due to an invalid postal code, to prevent return or disposal please verify your address within 24hr [link]". Again clearly dodgy, and I already got the monitor.
    —>as above, in the past week, there has been an influx of the australia post messages.

    On eBay the item had a legit Couriers Please tracking number where it currently says "Delivered - Signature Delivery"… yeah it was delivered but I didn't need to sign anything, I wasn't even there when it was left at my door. Also the Couriers Please tracking (linked to the eBay purchase) shows it started in Amaroo NSW… now it only says NSW to [my state], but on the box it has someone's address from Amaroo ACT lol… I know Amaroo in Canberra, but there is no Amaroo in NSW… Well there is, but it's legit empty middle of nowhere, just a road it seems.
    —>The ebay, courier and 3rd party systems often don't sync. Often the delivery method doesn't get reported correctly.
    YOU ARE OVER THINKING IT.

    This is all very very confusing and I still am scared that my data has been leaked to someone… How on earth did I receive a functioning monitor but throughout the process I received numerous fraudulent emails and texts? Those "Fast Courier" emails were rubbish and I never clicked them, and through eBay I saw the "supposedly real" tracking number from Couriers Please, but once again it says it was meant to be signature upon delivery but it wasn't. I've received it and am using it but still getting these texts and emails…
    —>Your personal data has been leaked over and over again already many times. I need not explain.

    Bonus question - This is a 4 year old model and Dell indicates that warranty is over - fair enough. But given I bought a "brand new" monitor from eBay do I still get some kind of warranty? or if this screen fails in a month I'm totally screwed?

    This is a lesson for me to stick to Amazon, this random crap only happens on eBay. Yes I've bought and sold many things on eBay since the 2000s - not new to it at all. Even in 2018 I tried to buy a Pixel 2 and was given a dummy shipping reference which didn't deliver to me and had to painfully sit through eBay chats and calls to get my $700 back.
    —> Is this a troll post?

    Can someone explain what on earth is going on?
    —>Refer to the black van outside your house.

  • Metre on 08/08/2025 - 10:18

    Probably goes way deeper than on the facade. But who knows until proven. We get business deliveries all the time, and always have had spam texts to the business number when a delivery is on the way.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join