Is this a scam?

[LittleEntrepeneur]

In the run up to Christmas, I ordered a few presents online for DD. As they arrived, we hid them away and unboxed and wrapped them when we got the opportunity then discreetly disposed of the boxes. DH and I didn’t buy presents for each other or DS online so all were DD’s.

On Christmas morning, DD opened all her gifts that we had bought her. However, one of the gifts clearly wasn’t for her. It was a very expensive item for an adult. To begin with, I thought DH had bought it for me, but he just looked blankly at me and said he hadn’t bought it. He did remember wrapping it, however. It is not clear from the box what was inside so that kind of makes sense.

I Googled said item and it was worth more money than DH would ever pay. It was a truly luxury item.

I put in a cupboard and forgot about it. Then last week when we were out, a woman knocked at our door saying that the parcel was hers. DS didn’t let her in but did take her number.

I called her when I got home and asked her which address it should have been sent to. Her address is miles away from us! How could this happen? Could it be a scam? How did they even get our address?

I’m happy to hand over the parcel but I am feeling very uneasy about it.

“Credit score is not based on addresses but on people. Your address will not have a black Mark, there is also no way of checking a credit rating on a property as this does not exist.”

Credit scores aren’t. But there is a huge tracking system used by a lot of stores and delivery companies that tracks delivery problems (Returns, damaged packages, deliveries that haven’t turned up, etc.) and that does use addresses. I don’t know if it’s used for anything else yet but being blacklisted can mean companies refuse to deliver or insist on a signature. (One item won’t get you blacklisted, though.).

Good grief. Send it back recorded (no idea why you haven't already tbh). Tell her it's been sent back and to re order with the correct address and check your credit score.

The end.

I know everyone is a bit bored in lockdown and every little thing is exciting. Just let it go.

@LittleEntrepeneur

Please elaborate

Did you receive all of the items you ordered for your DD?
Were all the things you ordered for DD delivered as expected?
After this time, I suspect she has already had a replacement or a refund - what is the date on the order she has shown you, could it be for the replacement?
Why on earth have you given her your phone number or email address?
What is it? Why the secrecy?
Why can't you say what it is?
Why did you just put it in the cupboard?
Did you have the delivery note this afternoon when you first posted?

@Lalliella

However on the other hand, while my parents were out one day their neighbours took in some beds that were delivered for them. Only they weren’t their beds! They belonged to a woman 100s of miles away with a similar name, the same house number and an identical postcode except it started with an F not an S! So it can happen. They returned to sender too though.

How big was the neighbours house that they could take in multiple beds [shocked]

Clearly they weren't members of the MN-anti-taking-in-parcels brigade

Did she have an explanation as why the order had the incorrect address?

Ordered before Christmas and it’s now mid February. Whether it’s a scam or not ignore her. Her contract is with the company not you.

If you have a screenshot of the order then it surely has the sellers details? Yet you repeatedly keep saying you don’t know where it came from?
Delivering items to a wrong address with a stolen credit card then opening a none receipt claim is extremely common. As soon as they receive the refund they attempt to retrieve the item.
Contact the seller as per the screen shot of the order confirmation you have and advise them the item is not yours.
If you hand the item to her, you are, albeit unwittingly, aiding the fraudster.

It's a scam - I've had this happen with a luxury handbag (£2,000) delivered from a high end retailer. Some time later had a cab firm arrive to collect it - "delivered to the wrong address" - should have been the opposite side of the city! I refused to hand it over, called the police and sent the cab away.
Subsequently spoke to the company and they came and collected it.

What is this ruddy luxury item? Why the secrecy?

Used to work in criminal law, sounds like some sort of fraud, either cloned or stolen credit cards or postal fraud, where false names are used but an address used in a good post code to get hire purchase agreements for cars and luxury goods. We had a case which utilised techniques such as these for three quarters of a million pounds worth of fraud for high end cars purchased this was on hire purchase agreements.

@gamerchick

Good grief. Send it back recorded (no idea why you haven't already tbh). Tell her it's been sent back and to re order with the correct address and check your credit score.

The end.

I know everyone is a bit bored in lockdown and every little thing is exciting. Just let it go.

Read the thread (no idea why you haven't already tbh).

I haven't read all the responses but I have had 'sorry you were out' cards dropped in with the address of who signed for it, though they are usually a house or two away.

@Pipandmum

I haven't read all the responses but I have had 'sorry you were out' cards dropped in with the address of who signed for it, though they are usually a house or two away.

You need at least read the original post before commenting!

You said that lots of places sell this brand but that Argos doesn’t - do any of the places that you ordered DD’s presents from sell it? And does that match up with the receipt the woman sent you?

@PattyPan No, this is a luxury brand. I only ordered from Argos. A few different orders but all from Argos.

My daughter received an electronic item before Christmas which she had not ordered. She had not opened it at first as working for tech com,pany so thought they might send everyone some tech item at Christmas as it was her first year so unsure. She accepted package at door fro DPD.

Then opened it and found an iphone of £1k+ !! She then found DPD men at the door later who asked for the package wrongly delivered so handed it over. Later she felt very stupid as it was a known scam. Luckily she alerted her bank etc etc and did ot lose the money but essentially men dressed up in DPD uniforms were the people taking it away from her that same day pretending to be real delivery men and took it to the fraudster.

We are all nosey bitches and need to know what the item is!

surely if you were scamming, you'd try and pick an address that was sort of near to you, to make to easier to go and collect. Not many miles away

all odd!

But you can contact the company now you know which company sold it and return to them.

This happened to my cousin.
Scammers used a stolen card and then used my cousin's address for the items to be delivered to.

Based on your updates it sounds like credit card fraud to me. They have a card in your address and accidentally used the billing address as the same as the shipping address. I would definitely not be handing it over when it is all so suspect.

Definitely a scam, probably credit card fraud of some description, have you checked all your credit to make sure it's not yours that has been used.

Does the receipt not say where it comes from?

OP, you should check your credit file to see if anyone's taking credit out in your name. It happened to me, I have no idea how they got my details.

You can check your credit file with companies like this:

www.experian.co.uk

and

www.equifax.co.uk

Thanks everyone. It’s definitely her name on the Order Confirmation, but my address. Interestingly, I Googled her name and NOTHING comes up. Normally you’d get a few Facebook profiles and other people, but literally nothing. I don’t know if it’s relevant, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Does the delivery note/order have the name of the company it's being sent from with a reference number?
Pretty easy to call them up and ask them to check the order reference