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HomeBlogJuly, 2005

eBay Auction Fraud - Learn How to Spot It

Do you buy a lot of stuff on internet auctions like eBay? I've bought a few inexpensive things, but I wouldn't consider buying an expensive item from someone I've never seen before.

Auction fraud does occur on eBay and Yahoo Auctions, just ask Darren Barringer. Darren paid for a laptop on eBay in June 2002, but received a Montreal phone book in his FedEx package instead. That made him upset and curious. So he decided to look through other auctions to see if he could pick out the fraudulent ones. Here's what he found as possible signs of a fraudulent listing:

* Low priced high-ticket items, like high-definition TVs, laptops, or jewelry — especially if there are multiple items for sale.
* Brand-new sellers with no sales history.
* Sellers requesting wire transfers for payment, or payment in foreign currencies.
* Auctions that begin and end over a weekend, since eBay customer support is light during those days.
* Seller telephone numbers or addresses that can't be verified.

I'll be creating some additional information about internet fraud, and auction fraud specifically in the coming weeks. Until then, please be careful when clicking the "Buy" button.

July 29, 2005
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5 Comments

MR. Bill

Posted 6/27/2007

To: Upset Customer
May 30 @ 8:16 PM

I just purchased over 150.00 worth of coins from numismaticbureau and I must refute your claim about it being fraud. I am not a novice coin collector so I like to think I know the difference between a good coin and a bad one. The only thing I noticed was that I recieved a 1962 P Franklin in a 1961 P holder But the site said I would recieve one between 1958 and 1964. They probably didn't even notice the holder date. P.s. I spent over 800.00 on coins last 30 days! How many did you buy?

upset custermer

Posted 5/30/2007

I have a ebay scam there is some one on ebay selling over priced coins there screen name is numismaticbreau. they have inb CERTIFIED on there coins and also over charge peolpe for shipping and over grade every coin they sell too

Craig

Posted 1/14/2006

Dave,

Gumshoo will trigger alerts when you actually click on the item to view it. At that point it scans for trouble and any of four icons will light up to let you know if there are potential risks with the seller, description ot shipping and handling charges.

Take a look at the second screenshot on this page for an example:
http://www.gumshoo.com/Help/02-search-results-html

Or just try it yourself! :)
http://www.gumshoo.com

Dave

Posted 12/27/2005

Craig, thanks for posting the link.

I tried out the service but didn't see any flagged auctions (I searched for iPod Nano 4 gig units). Could you show us an example of a flagged auction using Gumshoe?

Craig

Posted 12/20/2005

Thought your readers would like to know about a free eBay search tool with auction fraud scanning. The service is completely free and it looks for dozens of different potential risks. It wil also tell you how ot proceed if you want to bid. Definitely worth a look if you want to avoid online auction fraud on eBay.

www.gumshoo.com