New 'Report this Item' feature
On a positive step, eBay has implemented a feature that should have been there long time ago.
At the very bottom of every listing there's now a "Report this Item" link. If you see a fradulent listing or any other potential policy violation you can click on it, and choose the appropiate reason for reporting the item. You no longer need to copy the item number and navigate through the Help or Contact sections of the site to report under the appropiate category.
If you see a listing that looks fraudulent, click on the link and choose Step 1: Fradulent Listings --> Step 2: You suspect that a listing is fraudulent...
Of course if the same seller has a lost of fraudulent listings, it probably is a stolen account.
Report Someone's else account as Stolen by following this link:
Less Than a 100th of 1 Percent!
That's how many of eBays transactions end in a confirmed case of fraud. eBay reported 1.9 billion listings in 2005, that translates into 190,000 confirmed frauds in one year. When it does happen, there's little eBay can do, eBay's Catherine England said. " The amount of categories and areas of our site can be quite overwhelming," "We have 78 million items listed on our site at any given time. we can't be experts on all things, so we rely heavily on our community. " That community can include sellers with counterfeit goods, so the company works with law enforcement officials to target the sources and sellers of illegal merchandise, England said. Buyers on eBay can protect themselves by following a few steps, before bidding analyze the sellers feedback and ask a lot of questions. "Any legitimate seller should be able, and happy to, answer any questions you might have. Most importantly don't rely on photos. "some sellers post photos of the real item and then ship off fake merchandise," England said, adding that eBay and paypal work with buyers to get refunds wherever possible.This article was taken from Red Eye an edition of the chicago tribune.
'I just scammed you...and it pays well'
Here is a article on a woman who got scammed on eBay and is out $2,400 to an eBay scammer. She dreamed of getting married in a Monique Lhuillier wedding gown-the kind she loved when she saw them on celebrities like pink in people magazine but she got scammed for $2,400 dollars and is now thinking maybe she should get married in a courthouse. According to ebay she made atleast two textbook mistakes en route to being scammed. What may make her case most remarkable, though, is how it ended-in a bizarre e-mail exchange with her anonymous scammer. It came after she had paid her money and received nothing back. She e-mailed "kate," the supposed seller, told of a coworker's eBay horror story, and outlined why she was growing suspicious. " I am sorry to be this way, but in today's world, it is not totally off base to be wary," she said. To which "Kate" (The scammer) replied: " That's true indeed. I just scammed you, sorry for that, it's nothing personal...It's what i do, and it pays well." She was the top bidder for the gown, which sold new for $5,500. But she fell short of the reserve, the seller's hidden minimum price. She couldn't tell how short. Neither, presumably, could the scammer. But the fake "Kate" knew when to pounce. Soon after the auction closed, the buyer got a message via her ebay account. The seller had deciced to accept her final bid, it said, and directed her to reply to an outside e-mail address. Looking back the buyer realizes that was a red flag-one that was even warned against in a " Marketplace safety tip"on the same screen: " If you receive a responce inviting you to transact outside of eBay, you should decline-such transactions may be unsafe and are against ebay policy." Another red flag was the wire transfer "Kate" requested, saying her account on Paypal, ebay's own payment system, had been frozen because of -What else?-a scammer's intrusion. But the buyer, new to eBay didn't notice either warning until the deed was done. After a brief e-mail exchange with "Kate," she sent her money more than $2,400, including fees to a western union office in Mt. Clemens, Mich. There are broader lessons in this buyers story for anyone new to eBay. One is that eBay says it can only warn against scams, not prevent them. " Ultimately this is between the buyer and seller. This is just a venue," spokesman for eBay said. The truth is, eBay can be a risky place. Consider how "Kate" put it when The philadelphia Inquirer e-mailed her at the address the scammer gave the buyer" " It's like the food chain, you know-I was the predator, she was the prey."
This article was taken from Red Eye an edition of the chicago tribune.
They want your email!!
As you may know, on most bogus listings the "seller" want you to email him directly to the address listed. The scammer acomplish this by saying:
-You got to email him before you bid.
-He has a Buy It Now price.
-He would answer any question within minutes!
-Asking you not to use eBay messaging system.
For the last one they will have an excuse. For example: "if you have any questions. I don't often check the e-mail provided for eBay registration, so do not use the "ask seller a question" option because probably I will not answer you. I now use mobile internet and I can easily answer, in a couple of minutes only if you contact me at..."
However, today I noticed another scammer doing something else. Inserting an email-form directly on the auction. Like this:
Scam Finders Team
Pay a visit to the eBay Scams & Scammers website
http://www.freespaces.com/scamfinders/ebayscammers.htm
Apart from a huge email list to cross-search, you will find some names and addresses that the scammers have sent to "buyers".
Updates
There has not been any new post in a while. But the email addresses list its being kept up to date. Thanks too all those who have submitted their comments by email, or have reported some scammers.
If you got anything to say, send it to: ebayfraudsters@gmail.com
Actual email from an eBay scammer
Some of you might of received emails similar to this one and if you haven't, here you have an actual email written from a scammer to an eBay user who was interested in his fraudulent listing.
Conecyt wrote:
I want a quick deal and i guess you want that too because this is the only way you will have it home before christmas. Anyway, payment will be made through wire transfer. After i receive the payment proof i will ship it. My paypal account is now blocked because another buyer paid with a stolen paypal account. The BIN price is $1000 shipping and insurance included. The computer is new and it has the manufacturers warranty. If you agree please reply with full name and address and i will send you payment info (bank account, etc.) I'm looking forward to your reply.
Thanks.
Our thanks to eBay user Lucassacul for sharing this email with us so it can be posted to help others understand and get an idea of what a scammer will say and request.
BBC News: EBay blames users for fraud
"The online auctioneer eBay has admitted that personal accounts are being hijacked by fraudsters, but claim it is the responsibility of eBay users themselves to prevent this."
Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4533154.stm
Thanks to Aviv for sending me this one.
Back again! Fraudsters Favorite Items
Our many thanks to Bigglezworth for emailing us the long list of these fraudsters favorite items.
We recommend you use your browser built-in search or the "Search this Blog" features to find a particular item or email address.
Update: The list of items was removed from the main blog page for a better loading. You still can access it under the comments of this post.
