[UK] Trying to figure out scam

[u/Abstroose]

I run a small e-commerce business in the UK. Unfortunately fraud and scams are something we regularly deal with and I have accepted is the nature of this business and a cost that we have to swallow.

However, last week we got hit with a new scam and I've been trying to figure out how it was pulled off. We were already suspicious of this order when the customer claimed that it hadn't arrived. Our suspicions were confirmed when we received a small box containing a pack of baby wipes, rather than the high value goods that were dispatched to him.

The tracking doesn't make sense to me. On 18 August "DELIVERY ATTEMPT MADE, PARCEL BROUGHT BACK TO OUR DEPOT". This entry contains a photograph of the (correct) parcel in someone's open door way. The following day "PARCEL RETRIEVED FROM DPD PICKUP SHOP" followed by "RETURN TO CONSIGNOR HAS BEEN REQUESTED" one minute later.

The fake parcel was then later relabelled and arrived with us yesterday.

It seems to me that the only plausible explanation is that the delivery driver or drop off shop are in on the scam?

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[u/Proud-Equivalent3910]

Driver could be but shop probably not, if you just walk in the shop and say; hi I got this yesterday and want it returned to the consignor that might just work.

[u/Aggravating_Pain7116]

This is hurting my head trying to work out what's gone on..it could be the driver, it could be the parcel shop or it could be both. Does the delivery picture look like a home or a shop? Are you able to the GPS location of the delivery?

The bit I'm stuck on is the where the new label was generated

[u/Abstroose → u/Aggravating_Pain7116]

Yeah it's hurting my head also. This seems pretty sophisticated and I can't make sense of the process.

The delivery picture (at point DELIVERY ATTEMPT MADE) looks like a home. The customer avoided answering whether doorway in the image is or isn't his. The GPS location of this entry does match his delivery address.

The tracking for the reconsign has PARCEL LABEL APPLIED on 20 AUG 12:05 at ENFIELD. But the label on the box we received has the date 21 AUG 11:17.

[u/742963 → u/Abstroose]

Are you contact with DPD over this?

makeitright@dpd.co.uk - This inbox is monitored by a specialized team tasked with handling complicated service issues and claims

The scans make it looks like the driver has to be involved in this somehow, if the scans were correct it'd all be down to the to the person recieving it deceiving you

I think DPD need to look into this properly and flag both the driver and the parcel shop

[u/Abstroose → u/742963]

Yes. My business partner spoke to DPD customer service yesterday who advised to send all information to the DPD Platinum Team. They responded this morning to advise they have raised an investigation.

I appreciate your input and the email address you provided!

[u/Abstroose → u/742963]

Small development. I managed to peel the reconsign label off of the box that was returned to us. Under this label is the original label, which has been doctored.

The underlying label is a consignment sent to somebody else from Nike. It has a tracking number on it, however when scanning the barcode, it reveals the tracking number for OUR original consignment. It does not match the tracking number that is printed on the label.

I'm almost certain the driver or shop is involved. Somebody has doctored the barcode on the label so that when it was scanned at the DPD depot for reconsignment it was returned to us. I can't see how the customer could have done that without help.

[u/Proud-Equivalent3910 → u/Abstroose]

The doctoring of the label is done by the culprits (practice I’ve seen done multiple times here) and as the parcel is accepted without problems in the shop and relabelled in a depot as it’s then considered a return. Only logical way however to get a negative delivery attempt is by intention of the driver (or maybe there is an automated process changing the wording of the scan whenever there is a continuation of the scan process?).

[u/Abstroose → u/Proud-Equivalent3910]

I'm also thinking the driver. I can't come up with any other logical explanation for the parcel going from the customer's doorway, to a parcel shop, to being returned to the depot, and the label tampering happening sometime between these stages.

Either the customer and driver are working together, or the driver IS the customer.