The majority of auction transactions are conducted by legitimate traders there are Fraudsters at work. Below are some things to be on the
lookout for

New Users

With a new user, (low single digit feedback with or without  shades), there is no history of successful transactions so caution
 is necessary.

False feedback profile

It is always worth looking at feedback profiles looking for lots of feedback from low feedback / new users
feedback from other users who are show as not registered Feedback which was given only a short while after the Auction
transaction closedlook at the actual items, do they look genuine
              .
Knowledgeable Newbies

Most new users
Know little or no HTML so will have plain text item descriptions
Will accept payment by Cash, cheque and maybe Postal Orders, they are unlikely to have heard of any other payment methods and
even more unlikely to only accept one of them
will have basic, simple or non existent terms and conditions of sale
All of the above tend to be gained only over time when using auctions. If in doubt think back to when you were a new user.
 
Expensive Items

With expensive (big ticket) items look for sellers who will accept Escrow services or Cash on Delivery/Collection, if the seller is
unwilling to accept these ask yourself why. (An Escrow service acts as a middle man between the buyer & Seller)

Broken in the Post

If a buyer claims the item you sent him was damaged in transit ask for proof before sending replacement, making claims from the
carrier etc. It can pay to mark items prior to shipping with a UV pen so you can check it is your item which is returned
 
Private Feedback

A feedback profile can be set to private so you cannot see the numbers and comments, one of the reasons why this might have been
done is to hide a negative feedback rating.
 
Ask Questions

If in doubt, ask the seller. Do not bid unless you get a satisfactory answer. Do not be afraid of losing the item if bidding is about to end
and you have not had an answer.
 
Shill Bidding

(Non Genuine Bidder) If you suspect another bidder on an auction is bidding strangely (to deliberately inflate the price), do an
advanced search by bidder, include completed items and look to see who's auctions the suspect has been bidding on. Also look to see 
if the bidder is winning or has won any auctions.
 
Multiple Identical Auctions

Be suspicious of multiple similar / identical items either currently on sale or ended. The same item might be being offered
over and over again.
 
Change of Selling Pattern

Look at the items the member has been selling, are they all in the same price bracket / area, has the seller been building up
feedback selling low price items prior to switching to high value items?
 
Misleading items

Look closely at the item descriptions. It is not unheard of to find auctions for empty boxes, i.e. "Wizzo Phone Box & Charger".
 
Occasional Fraud

I have seen a seller with a very respectable feedback who was selling an item with a misleading description, much like the one
above, one extra clue with the item in question was that the seller usually gave a long description of the item he was selling
with all the features etc, with the misleading item the description was little more then a statement saying "I am offering
a Wizzo Phone Box & Charger, payment by Cash, Cheque or Postal Order".
 
Professional pictures

Pictures of items which are taken from Catalogues or the Manufacturers web site while making it clearer what is being sold
do not prove that the seller actually has the item available to sell.
 
Make a Second Chance Offer

eBay has a selling option called the Second Chance Offer which allows the seller to offer the item to a losing bidder at their
offer price, there is no obligation to accept but if you do you are covered by eBay's fraud protection cover, the initial e-mail
making the offer will be from eBay. You need to ensure the item offered is actually listed on eBay as some spoof emails claim to
be second chance offers. If you are contacted by the seller making a direct offer it will not be covered by eBay if anything goes
wrong.

Too good to be true

Hard to obtain, latest must have, item at a bargain price are an area which attracts the fraudster, beware.
 
Not A Registered User

If someone you are trading with becomes 'not a registered user' stop the transaction immediately and only proceed with extreme
caution. The user might have asked to leave eBay or it is more likely that eBay have suspended the user due to fraud or fee
avoidance. eBay will not tell you the reason due to the Data Protection Regulations.
 
Contact Details

If you are in doubt about a trading partner you can get a copy of their registered Contact Details and check them out, you can check
the electoral register at 192.com. If you find that the contact details and or e-mail address are incorrect report the problem
.
Bouncing Cheques

Be wary of shipping goods before cheques have had a chance to clear. As a seller it is up to you to decide your own level of
 
Don't be rushed

As a seller be careful of buyers who want the winnings quickly, do not compromise any normal precautions you take in an effort to
please them.
 
Paying with cash

If you pay for something using cash you are not protected by eBay's fraud protection.
 
Western Union

The person receiving funds via Western Union can be anywhere in the world and only has to know you are sending them some money and be able to prove his ID to withdraw the payment.
 
ID Stealing

A common problem with a number of online services which require a user id & password is users being sent e-mails asking them to
confirm their details or re-enter them, once the sender of the e-mail has your details they can use your ID. On eBay they might
start selling things using your ID. If they get access to PayPal, NoChex or similar then they can draw money from your Bank or
Credit Card. Never tell anyone your user id and or password
 
Private Offers
 
While not strictly fraud, sellers are occasionally contacted and asked if they want to cancel the auction and sell for a fixed
price. The buyer might realise they can resell the item at a huge profit and want to stop the sale before their competition also
spots the item. This could also be seen as fee avoidance by eBay. In all cases I would advice the seller to tell the person making
the offer to join in the normal bidding process.
 
Auction Description / Picture

It is worth printing a copy of the Auction Description Page on the day the auction ends, including any pictures, this is especially
important if the image is not being hosted by eBay / ipix as the image can be removed at any time. The description & any pictures
are of vital importance if you suspect the item you have been sent is not the one that was offered.
 
Auction Stealing

When you receive the e-mail from the seller in an auction check that their e-mail address matches the address on the eBay winner
notification e-mail. If it does not match contact the seller using the e-mail address on the winner notification and query the
different e-mail address. (You are more likely to be targeted by this if you use your e-mail address as your eBay user id).
 
VAT Registration

It is ok to charge VAT on eBay sales, provided it is stated in the auction description and the seller is VAT registered. A invoice
giving the VAT number should be included with the goods. But if in doubt ask the seller for the VAT number and check it on the HM
Customs & Excise web site prior to bidding.
 
Indonesia / Romania

While it seems unfair to tarnish whole countries, Indonesia, Romania & some other ex-Soviet Republics appear to be a hot bed of
Credit Card fraud, so be very wary of Indonesian transactions by Credit Card, either directly or via PayPal, etc.
 
Fake Web Sites

Fraudsters are aware of the benefits of Escrow in transactions and there are frequent attempts to trick people by setting up fake
Escrow sites. A good source of information on fraudulent Escrow sites is the eBay Escrow Discussion Board if you cannot see the
Escrow site you are checking out post a new message about it.You should also be aware of fake shipping companies. If in doubt
about any web site ask on the Discussion Boards

Electronic Payments

Many fraudsters will only accept electronic payment methods. When they do this they do not need to give any contact details and can
even gain a degree of anonymity from their chosen service due to data protection regulations which stop the service giving out the
members contact details. If a seller is only offering Electronic Fund Transfer, NoChex, PayPal, Payhound etc as a method of payment
it is worth asking if they will take a cheque instead and asking for their address to send the cheque to (it is worth adding that
you have no objection to waiting while the cheque clears). If an address is provided this can be checked out at 192.com, directory
enquiries and compared to their registered details. If you do get defrauded via an electronic payment system you might be protected
by your credit card company or bank, but the level of protection can vary from company to company. As a seller PayPal & Billpoint
offer little, or no, protection if they are used by a fraudster to pay for goods.
 
Import Duties

Be aware of overseas sellers offering items with no import duty or VAT to pay. These claims are usually false and regardless of how
they might label the parcel Customs & Excise conduct spot checks on incoming packets and will not hesitate to charge you import
duty where it is due, which will also be accompanied by an extra
 
Forged Postal/Money Orders

We have had reports of bank staff being warned to look out for forged Postal & Money Orders. Apparently there are cases of people
paying in Postal/Money orders into thier accounts only to have the bank take the money back a few days later when they realise it is
a forgery.

Please let me know if you are aware of any other fraudulent practices so
they exposed on this page