How did this happen? Strange product order...
April 21, 2013 8:59 AM Subscribe
Someone ordered a product online using my email address and an old address of mine. They did not use my credit card. I'm pretty sure this wasn't a gift. What happened?
I recently received an email confirmation for a product ordered online - it came to my current email address, but used a mailing address I haven't lived at for three years. The credit card used was not mine. I confirmed with the company that this was a legitimate order. The product is unusual enough that it seems highly unlikely it was a gift - even a gag gift. Plus anyone giving me a gift would know I don't live at that address anymore.
I've reached out to the company, but they haven't been forthcoming on details about how this might have happened. It's not exactly a scam, since the purchase on the credit card was legit. I thought maybe somebody used a computer I was logged into with autofill, but that seems a stretch too, since it would have to be an autofill from a few years ago. I haven't sold any computers lately or anything.
Any ideas??
I recently received an email confirmation for a product ordered online - it came to my current email address, but used a mailing address I haven't lived at for three years. The credit card used was not mine. I confirmed with the company that this was a legitimate order. The product is unusual enough that it seems highly unlikely it was a gift - even a gag gift. Plus anyone giving me a gift would know I don't live at that address anymore.
I've reached out to the company, but they haven't been forthcoming on details about how this might have happened. It's not exactly a scam, since the purchase on the credit card was legit. I thought maybe somebody used a computer I was logged into with autofill, but that seems a stretch too, since it would have to be an autofill from a few years ago. I haven't sold any computers lately or anything.
Any ideas??
Response by poster: I definitely have not ordered from this company before.
posted by Ms. Toad at 9:08 AM on April 21, 2013
posted by Ms. Toad at 9:08 AM on April 21, 2013
Same thing happened to me recently. I got the shipping confirmation from fedex; the package went to an old address. I ordered something from them once, about ten years ago. I have no idea what happened; no response from the vendor.
Was the product coffee from Washington state?
posted by Wet Spot at 9:11 AM on April 21, 2013
Was the product coffee from Washington state?
posted by Wet Spot at 9:11 AM on April 21, 2013
Is it possible the company is using a third party service for confirmations which might have your old address and email?
Someone new orders from the company entering their current address (your old address), the third party associates this physical address with an email they have on file (from an order you might have placed with another company using the same service in the past) and sends the confirmation to you.
So it's possible you never ordered from this company, but that another company which you did order from in the past used the same third party service for confirmations (or more likely shipping...).
posted by NoDef at 9:18 AM on April 21, 2013
Someone new orders from the company entering their current address (your old address), the third party associates this physical address with an email they have on file (from an order you might have placed with another company using the same service in the past) and sends the confirmation to you.
So it's possible you never ordered from this company, but that another company which you did order from in the past used the same third party service for confirmations (or more likely shipping...).
posted by NoDef at 9:18 AM on April 21, 2013
I confirmed with the company that this was a legitimate order.
I definitely have not ordered from this company before.
These two statements don't make sense to me. Did you actually receive a package? Could it be the scam where someone orders a product with a stolen credit card and then steals the package if it's left on a porch or other publicly-accessible area?
This happened to me once. My credit card wasn't used, but someone picked my house to have the ill-gotten goods delivered. This was before e-mail would have been common, and the only way I found out about it was when an LAPD detective called me. Maybe some scammer bought old information.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:36 AM on April 21, 2013
I definitely have not ordered from this company before.
These two statements don't make sense to me. Did you actually receive a package? Could it be the scam where someone orders a product with a stolen credit card and then steals the package if it's left on a porch or other publicly-accessible area?
This happened to me once. My credit card wasn't used, but someone picked my house to have the ill-gotten goods delivered. This was before e-mail would have been common, and the only way I found out about it was when an LAPD detective called me. Maybe some scammer bought old information.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:36 AM on April 21, 2013
Response by poster: NoDef, that's an interesting theory - maybe? Though it seems like there would be a lot of errors with that system as people change addresses.
Room 641-A, I have not received a package because it would have gone to my old address, but I confirmed with the company that this wasn't just some email scam, but that a valid credit card was actually used to purchase the product. I suppose it could be a scam as you mention, but then it seems strange that the scammer had BOTH my mailing address AND my email address.
UPDATE: I just checked the FedEx tracking on the package, and it looks like it was intercepted and returned to the shipper before it reached the final address (my old address). So I suppose it could have been a FedEx mistake, but the originating company already had my email & mailing address before they sent the shipping confirmation, so I don't know.
I just want to know how MY info got used in this order so I can prevent it from happening again...
posted by Ms. Toad at 10:24 AM on April 21, 2013
Room 641-A, I have not received a package because it would have gone to my old address, but I confirmed with the company that this wasn't just some email scam, but that a valid credit card was actually used to purchase the product. I suppose it could be a scam as you mention, but then it seems strange that the scammer had BOTH my mailing address AND my email address.
UPDATE: I just checked the FedEx tracking on the package, and it looks like it was intercepted and returned to the shipper before it reached the final address (my old address). So I suppose it could have been a FedEx mistake, but the originating company already had my email & mailing address before they sent the shipping confirmation, so I don't know.
I just want to know how MY info got used in this order so I can prevent it from happening again...
posted by Ms. Toad at 10:24 AM on April 21, 2013
My guess is that someone is using a stolen credit card to order stuff, with your old address as a pickup site. They chose your old address and email from some shady trove of random people's personal information, and probably didn't target you for any specific reason other than the address being convenient. Using your email address with your old address makes the order look legitimate, although I'm not sure why they wouldn't just create a fake email address that looks like your name.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 11:00 AM on April 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 11:00 AM on April 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
qxntpqbbbqxl did a much better job of describing what I meant, and after seeing your update it still seems plausible. The package could be intercepted if the CC holder reported it stolen after the order was placed but before it was delivered.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:22 AM on April 21, 2013
posted by Room 641-A at 11:22 AM on April 21, 2013
I'd check your credit report to make sure you aren't a victim of some kind of slightly outdated identity theft -- you may not think the credit card is yours, but does the credit card company think it is?
posted by jacquilynne at 3:21 PM on April 21, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 3:21 PM on April 21, 2013 [6 favorites]
Remember, you can get one free report a year via annualcreditreport.com. If you didn't already this might be a good time to do that.
The innocuous explanation could be that somebody at/using the new address got your e-mail confirmation associated with the order accidentally, but it's worth using caution.
I just want to know how MY info got used in this order
Well, assuming innocence again, it's just possible someone got a popup saying something like "do you still want confirmations sent to Ms@Toad.com?" and somebody either not caring or not paying attention clicked "yes", but usually e-commerce shouldn't work like that.
posted by dhartung at 6:02 PM on April 21, 2013
The innocuous explanation could be that somebody at/using the new address got your e-mail confirmation associated with the order accidentally, but it's worth using caution.
I just want to know how MY info got used in this order
Well, assuming innocence again, it's just possible someone got a popup saying something like "do you still want confirmations sent to Ms@Toad.com?" and somebody either not caring or not paying attention clicked "yes", but usually e-commerce shouldn't work like that.
posted by dhartung at 6:02 PM on April 21, 2013
Have you contacted the people currently living at your old address to see if they ordered the item? Buggy third-party identity tracking software used by the seller might have mistakenly associated your email with the order due to the address.
posted by alms at 6:41 PM on April 21, 2013
posted by alms at 6:41 PM on April 21, 2013
When I use amazon (which is infrequently because I live in Australia and their shipping charges are ridiculous), it presents me with about 10 different address/email combos that I have used in the past to ship to. Most of them are not mine, as I mainly use amazon to buy gifts for other people. The first/default one on the list is a friend's.
If I were ordering something for me and only half awake, I can imagine it would be quite easy to not select my own address from the list, but instead to leave it on the default, or to click someone else's instead. Then it would play out as you describe: I'd enter my credit card details (or use the one on file if still valid, which would be my own card from last time I bought that person a gift), and click submit, and not realise that I had shipped to someone else.
So unless you know for sure that the credit card holder is not someone you know, I'd assume this is what happened - they meant to order for themselves but clicked on your name/address which was on file for when they bought you a gift in the past.
Even if it's not Amazon, I bet plenty of retailers have systems that could result in the same problem.
posted by lollusc at 2:17 AM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
If I were ordering something for me and only half awake, I can imagine it would be quite easy to not select my own address from the list, but instead to leave it on the default, or to click someone else's instead. Then it would play out as you describe: I'd enter my credit card details (or use the one on file if still valid, which would be my own card from last time I bought that person a gift), and click submit, and not realise that I had shipped to someone else.
So unless you know for sure that the credit card holder is not someone you know, I'd assume this is what happened - they meant to order for themselves but clicked on your name/address which was on file for when they bought you a gift in the past.
Even if it's not Amazon, I bet plenty of retailers have systems that could result in the same problem.
posted by lollusc at 2:17 AM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
One last idea: could it have been autofill on a public computer?
posted by FirstMateKate at 5:26 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by FirstMateKate at 5:26 PM on April 22, 2013
Response by poster: A final update: I finally spoke to the company and they verified that it was some kind of fraudulent order. They had no idea how my information came to be used, however. Thanks for all the feedback - I will indeed check my credit report to be safe.
posted by Ms. Toad at 7:29 AM on April 23, 2013
posted by Ms. Toad at 7:29 AM on April 23, 2013
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posted by Glinn at 9:02 AM on April 21, 2013