IS IT MY IMAGINATION OR IS EBAY FAST BECOMING A CENTRE FOR CROOKS AND CONMEN!!!

A VERY COMMON SCAM ON EBAY

DONT GET CAUGHT OUT

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE USING EBAY TO DECIEVE BUYERS INTO THINKING THEY ARE BUYING A REAL BARGAIN, NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH

THEY USUALLY ADVERTISE PRESTIGE OR SPORTS CARS WORTH IN EXCESS OF £10.000 AT A VERY LOW"BUY IT NOW" PRICE.

THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THEIR AD'S

IN THE AD THE SELLER WILL STATE THAT THEIR EBAY EMAIL BOX IS FULL AND AN ALTERNATIVE EMAIL ADDRESS IS GIVEN TO THE BUYER AS ANOTHER MEANS OF CONTACT. THIS IS PROBABLY ACCESSED AT AN INTERNET CAFE BY THE SELLER

THE SELLER WILL ALWAYS LIST A PRE APPROVAL BIDDING SYSTEM

THE ITEM LOCATION WILL LIST THE UK HOWEVER THIS IS NOT THE CASE. THE "CAR?" WILL ALWAYS BE LOCATED ABROAD

I HAVE HAD FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE WITH THIS TYPE OF CON

I WILL TRY AND EXPLAIN AS BRIEFLY AS POSSIBLE

I SAW AN AD ON EBAY FOR AN AUDI TT QUATTRO SO OUT OF INTEREST I CONTACTED THE SELLER TO FIND OUT WHY HE WAS SELLING A £13.000 PLUS CAR FOR ONLY £4500.00. HIS REPLY CAME BACK VERY QUICKLY AND HE STATED THAT HE WAS IN THE ARMY AND LIVING IN FRANCE, HAD JUST GOT MARRIED AND NEEDED THE MONEY TO PURCHASE A HOUSE. SEEMS RESONABLE ENOUGH YOU MIGHT THINK. THIS IS THE LIE I WAS TOLD. HOWEVER THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY DIFFERENT REASONS THE SELLER WILL GIVE THE POTENTIAL BUYER TO TRY AND JUSTIFY THEIR REASON FOR SELLING THE VEHICLE SO CHEAP!!

SO I STARTED TO ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

1. WHERE IS THE CAR LOCATED

2. DO YOU HAVE THE LOGBOOK AND IS IT IN YOUR NAME

3. CAN YOU TELL THE NAME OF THE AND ADDRESS OF THE PREVIOUS KEEPER

4. CAN I COME AND VIEW THE CAR IN PERSON

5. CAN I COLLECT THE CAR FROM FRANCE

HE ONLY REPLIED TO MY FIRST QUESTION STATING THE CAR WAS IN FRANCE AND THE PURCHASE PRICE INCLUDED SHIPPING TO MY HOME ADDRESS IN THE UK.

I ASKED HIM ASKED HIM AGAIN QUESTIONS 2 TO 5 AND AGAIN I GOT NO RESPONSE. INSTEAD HE SENT ME A EMAIL CONTAINING A FORGED AND FAKE SQUARE TRADE INVOICE. IN THE FAKE INVOICE FROM SQUARE TRADE IT STATED THAT THE SELLER HAD BEEN REGISTERED WITH THEM FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND THEY HELD $25.000 OF HIS MONEY IN THEIR ACCOUNT. ALL OF THIS IS TOTALLY UNTRUE

WHEN I CLICKED ON THE LINKS ON THE EMAIL HE HAD SENT ME, I GOT REDIRECTED TO SOME YAHOO EMAIL PAGE

I CHECKED WITH SQUARE TRADE AND THEY HAD NO RECORD OF THE SELLER OR ITEM AND CONFIRMED THEY HAD NOT SENT THE INVOICE

HE ALSO SUGGESTED IN A FURTHER EMAIL THAT I SEND THE MONEY THROUGH WESTERN UNION, NO MENTION OF PAYPAL OR SQUARE TRADE. FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNAWARE SQUARE TRADE, FOR A FEE, ACTS AS A 3RD PARTY BETWEEN BUYER AND SELLER. A VERY SAFE WAY OF BUYING AND SELING WHEN DEALING WITH INTERNATIONAL EBAYERS OR HIGH VALUE ITEMS. 

WHEN I REPORTED HIM TO EBAY AND SQUARE TRADE THEY CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS A CON AND NOT TO GET INVOLVED AND THEY WOULD INVESTIGATE THE MATTER

ALTHOUGH I HAD NO INTENTION OF EVER PURCHASING THE CAR I WAS CURIOUS TO SEE HOW THEY INTENDED TO GET MONEY OUT OF ME

I AM DISSAPOINTED TO SEE THAT THESE CONMEN ARE STILL FREELY ADVERTISING ON EBAY, SURELY EBAY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO STOP THESE PEOPLE FROM USING THE SITE TO DEFRAUD INNOCENT BUYERS

IF YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU

PLS DONT GET CAUGHT OUT

REMEMBER IF SOMETHING SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN IT ALWAYS IS!!