Fraud it's Rife on Ebay

[tomlad73]

A guy came back to me on ebay messanger. Said the winning bidder was a time waster and that the item was still available. To contact him through his email DIRECT to still buy the item.

Not knowing all about ebay scammers and Fraudsters I went along with him. Cost me 50% deposit  which was several thousand pounds and of course, I lost the lot.

Ebay just say, well you should have gone through Paypal. But as the message comes through ebay messanger you tend to think it's genuine with the Item Number and all.

As just ordinary users of ebay we just don't realise that ebay is full of scammers and people trying to defraud you.

Ebay being the wonderful kind hearted warm company that it is, just tells you to go to your bank and the police. No help at all.

Of course they could solve the problem easily. Just don't give your details out to every seller when you make a bid.

I shall give ebay a little time to see if they are going to help me and if this is a problem they can overcome. If not then of course I shall have to plaster it all over Social Media about how dangerous it is to use EBAY and how unhelpful they are . "CARING" not ebay!!!

[*vyolla*]

If you plaster this over any social media sites you'll just look daft. Don't blame anyone else for this, it's totally your own fault,

You decided to do an 'off eBay' deal and got caught out by a scammer. Had you used the correct process and bought your item via eBay and paid with PayPal at eBay checkout, as you're supposed to do, you wouldn't have got scammed.

[tomlad73]

Thanks for that. I was just a keen buyer and have since learnt the error of my ways. I will never be a willing purchaser of anything on eBay ever again

[tomlad73]

Okay!!! You learn by your mistakes. So I was a stupid, ignorant, naive buyer. It will only be for the one time though, especially as I now know what sort of people I’m liable to come up against!!

[*vyolla*]

@**bleep**son3873

If you'd have bought it 'on eBay' instead of 'off eBay' you wouldn't have been in this position in the first place.

Sorry you've lost out here, and even sorrier that some scammer (who's probably got a nice little sideline in people trafficking going) has profited from your loss, but before you pay money to a complete stranger online or in real life you should always take a moment first to ask yourself what can go wrong and how your money will be protected if it does.

[arkwebus]

@*vyolla* - apropos of nothing I suppose but have you seen what the eBot has done to your "@" - I think I've seen it all now!

[tomlad73]

Yeah I’m so naive that I don’t hide behind some kudo name. I’m stupid and ignorant enough to come straight out with it. Obviously need to hide behind a name now like “bindunonebay”

[*vyolla*]

No eBayers use their real names. Everyone has an eBay ID.

[plpmr]

First and foremost, you could only have buyer protection by buying through the listing and buying through messages is an off eBay deal.

The proper way is via a second chance offer.

You say you paid a deposit - payments must be in one go to have any possibility of buyer protection and what were you buying that required a deposit?

You ask - "One question?? Why was the seller able to contact me through eBay when I was only a bidder??"

Members can contact each other via eBay messages - but you say you were the only bidder but originally you say others bidders as well as you.

If you paid your deposit via PayPal and that was backed up by a credit card, your card provider might be able to help to get that money back - but since you have been victim of fraud, report it to the police and make sure you have all the relevant facts straight.

[arkwebus]

Please believe us when we say that not one of us is employed by eBay!  Not one.

We do get a small Christmas present; this year it was some white gloves with an eBay logo. Last year a few chocolates.

From my point of view [and others I suspect] I feel that eBay is an excellent way to buy and sell and that there are safeguards.  Many buyers and sellers simply do not know how to avoid and sort out problems and while I/we may not get the answers right 100% of the time we have some idea of what to do and to advise others who may be floundering.

[red_magpie]

You are correct that there are numerous fraudsters on eBay searching for naive buyers who can be conned into paying money to total strangers without any security or chance of getting it back. "Multiple hundreds" of false identities set up solely for the purpose of online fraud, as one senior police office recently put it.

It happens with sad regularity. Members can protect themselves against these scams by reading eBay's guidance, learning what their money back guarantee covers and doesn't cover, following their procedures and above all by not breaking eBay's prohibition on entering into private arrangements to buy or sell.

I'm very sorry to learn that you've been defrauded. However I'm afraid that by failing to follow the rules of this site or the advice on keeping yourself secure online you have left yourself with no claim against eBay.

[tomlad73]

So where does it say vehicles are exempt??
Seems to me that everything is exempt except what suits ebay. Sorry my family never taught me how to deal with criminals!!!!

[tomlad73]

Yes I’ve got the message now!! I was very naive and probably stupid!! However I wasn’t up to speed on scammers and fraudsters. I’ve now learnt the hard way!!

[tomlad73]

Sorry!! Now see that I’m both ignorant and stupid!!! Well I certainly wasn’t worldly wise. Now I’ve been bitten things will be different!!

[arkwebus]

EBay is not "full of scammers" - nearly all sellers are 100% genuine.  EBay has a very forceful "money back guarantee" which protects buyers ["against" sellers many might say].

EBay will not - as you imply - help you as sadly you [seemingly] did an "off-eBay" deal and did not use Paypal.   The original sale was presumably genuine as there was an item number.

I do not wish to seem unsympathetic but if you had followed eBay's procedures you would have probably been protected.

[corred]

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@tomlad73 wrote:

A guy came back to me on ebay messanger. Said the winning bidder was a time waster and that the item was still available. To contact him through his email DIRECT to still buy the item.

Not knowing all about ebay scammers and Fraudsters I went along with him. Cost me 50% deposit  which was several thousand pounds and of course, I lost the lot.

Ebay just say, well you should have gone through Paypal. But as the message comes through ebay messanger you tend to think it's genuine with the Item Number and all.

As just ordinary users of ebay we just don't realise that ebay is full of scammers and people trying to defraud you.

Ebay being the wonderful kind hearted warm company that it is, just tells you to go to your bank and the police. No help at all.

Of course they could solve the problem easily. Just don't give your details out to every seller when you make a bid.

I shall give ebay a little time to see if they are going to help me and if this is a problem they can overcome. If not then of course I shall have to plaster it all over Social Media about how dangerous it is to use EBAY and how unhelpful they are . "CARING" not ebay!!!

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Sorry but your own ignorance is not eBay or Paypal's fault....in a court of law ignorance of the law is no defence if being prosecuted for breaking it.....ignorance of eBay rules, policies & procedures is the same

What you did was entirely outside eBay....so eBay cannot offer protection

You cannot expect protection from Paypal if you did not use their services as a goods or services payment & even if you did purchased an item exempt from their protection scheme....

The simplest solution is only to purchase an item by using the auction oir buy now facility within eBay & read the policies about how to pay....which will say that deposits are not allowed on eBay anyway....even if the purchase had been legitimate.

It is also wortth noting that certain categories are not covered by eBay protection anyway....one of the key ones is vehicles....which are Caveat Emptor in the eyes of both eBay & Paypal ....so even a legitimate looking sale on eBAy is not protected

I really do not know what you think eBay or Paypal should do in this case.....after all what you did was already violating eBay policy

[tomlad73]

Some of these answers obviously come from salaried ebay employees and are so smug and righteous they make you want to vomit!!!

[tomlad73]

Sort themselves out and refund me for starters!!

[*vyolla*]

eBay don't have your money.

[tomlad73]

One question?? Why was the seller able to contact me through eBay when I was only a bidder??

[*vyolla*]

Anyone can message anyone on eBay. Sellers can contact their bidders, but anyone can go to another eBayer's feedback profile page and message them via the Contact member text link located top right of that page.

[tomlad73]

I don’t expect people who are right up themselves calling me ignorant. One doesn’t go around reading trading terms and conditions before making a purchase. I expect ebay to run a tight business and to look after would be purchasers!!!

[tomlad73]

Not being a hardened criminal. When someone contacts you through eBay to contact them direct. You assume its to save time not violate any rules or be scammed courtesy of ebay !!!

[tomlad73]

I think ebay should repay me and assist the police in catching the scammers

[tomlad73]

I now know what to do to ensure a safe purchase on eBay. Simply carry out all the safeguards that ebay don’t bother with to protect your money!!!

[papso22]

"One doesn’t go around reading trading terms and conditions before making a purchase".

Perhaps one should. I certainly do, and it becomes more important the bigger the amount involved.