Why can't eBay identify fraudulent listings?

[stuffimadeinmyshed]

Spoiler

It's common practice by fraudsters to list high value items at lower than market value, and to include two images. One of the item for sale, and the other is a black and white image with a message to contact them at an email address.

It would be trivial for eBay to run an algorithm against upload images, to identify these.

If someone's selling a motor vehicle and one of the images is 75% white and 25% black, it's a fraudulent listing.

It's not difficult.

If you look at high value motor vehicles, you see them all of the time.

I know the fraudsters would then adapt to this; but it takes low effort on eBay's part and they ought to want to stop fraud, surely?

[john1297576]

Easily said harder to do. Ebay's Robots can do only so much, they don't seem to have real people who can filter out the frauds.

If the Robots were let loose on all listings the results would be laughable, on several occasions I have had trouble listing an RAC Badge, I have to put the name in full because the Robots think the RAC is Racist. A badge with Crossed Swords is a lethal weapon as well.

Only humans can apply rules sensibly.

Of course most of these scams are obvious if buyers were not so gullible then there would be no risk to losing money. If they see instructions on a picture surely it should ring warning bells.

[red_magpie]

It would be trivial for eBay to run an algorithm against upload images, to identify these.

Correct. This is the company that can scan every message between its millions of members to detect suspected fee evasion.

It doesn't even need a fancy algorithm. EBay could detect many of these scams by simple keyword or keyphrase scanning. Especially in the high risk categories, like eBay motors.

You would have to ask eBay why they don't do this. From what I've seen of eBay over more than 20 years, I've can't see any other conclusion except that eBay cares more about itself than its members.

[plpmr]

How?

Well there's one listing that has been reported numerous times and its still live - it even requires all contact via  WhatsApp.

[tobiasd4]

Ebay don't check listings, they rely on us reporting them.

These scammers are adept at putting up 1000's of scam listings.

I am sure ebay could do a lot more to detect it though.