As a newcomer to selling on ebay, I was totally unaware of the fraudulent bids and emails from certain unsavoury characters. I was selling my mobile phone and at the end of the bids I received an email from ebay: Congratulations, your item sold. Send invoice now: When I tried to do this I was informed not possible. I received another email shortly after from ebay, headed TKO: eBay Listing Removed, due to the bid having been placed without the account owners authorisation. Then another email arrived from davscbrokerage on behalf of ebay and PayPal team - or so he said - addressing me a Dear eBay Value Customer and urging me to complete the transaction so as to receive funds in my Pay Pal account.. Followed by another email from a Rose Jane telling me she had bought my phone for her son in West Africa on an exchange programme, she said she had sent payment via paypal and received confirmation as should I have by now and it included payment of the shipment. I should send the item via USPS Global Express Mail Service (EMS) to her son: Richard Ehinlaye, SW9/1010a No 8 Alade Street, Adeoyo Road, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria 23402. Then followed another email from davscbrokerage (blah blah blah) - pretending to be THE PAY PAL Confirming payment will be put into my pay pal account once I give them the tracking number/ shipment details. I duly took the parcel to my post office and sent it via Parcel Force Worldwide as I was asked, this cost £43.75 to send but as this was being paid by the buyer I thought nothing of it. Later that day I told a neighbour about my sale and he immediately enlightened me of the Nigerian Scams that are going on so we investigated on ebay and found to my HORROR that I had been HAD.... I immedately set about getting my parcel back which was a very elongated process, I contacted the police to report this transaction whereupon they gave me a crime reference number in order for Parcel Force to be able to stop the delivery. It took 5 days and numerous phonecalls (20 at least) plus several trips back to the P.Office and Sorting Office to track down my parcel. Thankfully, it was worth it as I am once again in possession of my mobile phone, and the fraudsters didn't win on this occasion... This whole scenario leaves a bad taste in the mouth. DONT LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU.