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11/27/2005 04:32:15 PM · #1 |
I recently bid on a Nikon D2X camera on Ebay, Ebay Item
I didn't win, (my max bid $1800), but after the auction finished I got an email saying that the item did not sell, and it is now up for a "Second Chance Offer".
To keep it brief, the Seller requested my address details and offered to do a deal if I pay through Western Union. This was followed by an email, allegedly from Ebay Customer Support saying it was ok to pay this guy through Western Union. There was a letter head and everything looked official. The name of the contact was, 'Ciara Jones'. I was suspicious, and dug a little further to find the return address was to a Yahoo email. (NEVER pay through Western Union, unless you are very certain the deal is genuine)
Another Email followed that looked really genuine. It had all the ebay letter head and official "Security and Resolution Centre" header. It was instructing me on how to pay the Seller, (Western Union), and gave his physical address. (See below). The other email from Ciara Jones said that the trader was residing in the UK, but the item was located in Australia where his Wife would complete the transaction.
I sent a message to all the people that had bid on this item to warn them. One person was very thankful, as they were prepared to part with AU$3000!!!
If the Second Chance Offer is genuine, it will come up in "My Messages". This is NOT 100% Guaranteed, but a lot safer. The trader, mozzarooni, did contact me to through "My Messages" to say the deal was legit, and he can accept through Paypal, but by this stage, I had established that he was a Bottom Dwelling Fraudster.
I have also reported it to ebay and forwarded all correspondence.
Anyway heres a list of the email addresses and usernames to be aware of...
mozzarooni (ebay username)
saintie00@sfant-au.org (From "AD")
ebaysafecenter@yahoo.com
Alex Dam
112 Edith Road
London,W14 9AP
United Kingdom
Safe trading everybody ...
The Bandit!
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11/27/2005 04:37:16 PM · #2 |
Interesting ! The London address is a real place in W14 and this is in an area where there are a lot of Australians living - not far from Olympia and Earls Court.
P
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11/27/2005 04:38:26 PM · #3 |
Spot on bandit! Let's get rid of these crooks. Ebay is great, if you are aware and careful. This tale of yours is the latest scam.
Don't bother with ebay messages in your mail/or Paypal. Look in your ebay messages. Any problems or doubts, contact ebay or paypal before shipping dollars. Never, ever pay with western union.
Steve |
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11/27/2005 04:40:08 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by Riponlady:
Interesting ! The London address is a real place in W14 and this is in an area where there are a lot of Australians living - not far from Olympia and Earls Court.
P |
Its probably a legit address, but I doubt you will find Mr Alex Dam there. |
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11/27/2005 04:44:30 PM · #5 |
| Nice job Bandit. My advice would be to NEVER use WU to pay. |
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11/27/2005 04:52:06 PM · #6 |
i bid on a canon 1D mark II auction a few days ago and the auction looked a little fishy.. then looked fishier and fisher... and reported it to ebay.. a few hours later, it was taken offline :)
I think with high end cameras there is a lot of fraud going on,...
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11/27/2005 04:54:24 PM · #7 |
with so much publicity about the W.Union frauds I wonder how people still get caught out!!
Message edited by author 2005-11-27 16:54:43. |
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11/27/2005 04:59:16 PM · #8 |
Anybody asking for WU or money order only is most likely a fraud.
Other warning signs are anybody that previously has only sold small cheap items and is suddenly selling many high end electronics.
Also any seller from China is probably a fraud as well. |
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11/27/2005 05:00:50 PM · #9 |
| Additionally as a warning, there is a fake Paypal account verification email, that claims that there's been unauthorized acsess. It looks official but doesn't link to paypal's site but a fake site that looks like Paypal's. It asks you to enter your information in. |
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11/27/2005 05:02:33 PM · #10 |
only way I'd bid on ebay is if it's something cheap so i can just paypal someone like 5 bucks, or if it's something I can personally drive to and see the merchandise and the seller at their home...then if something happens, and he rips me off, at least I know where he lives.
Now on the other hand, I've sold stuff on ebay to people really far away...heck I once sold my motorcycle for like 5k on there and everyone seemed really trusting.
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11/27/2005 05:18:30 PM · #11 |
| You never know who is gonna scam you. |
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11/27/2005 05:21:13 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by leaf:
i bid on a canon 1D mark II auction a few days ago and the auction looked a little fishy.. then looked fishier and fisher... and reported it to ebay.. a few hours later, it was taken offline :)
I think with high end cameras there is a lot of fraud going on,... |
Yep, high end cameras are definitely something to be very wary of.
Message edited by author 2005-11-27 17:28:23. |
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11/27/2005 05:28:44 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by traser:
Additionally as a warning, there is a fake Paypal account verification email, that claims that there's been unauthorized acsess. It looks official but doesn't link to paypal's site but a fake site that looks like Paypal's. It asks you to enter your information in. |
If you receive something from Paypal, always go to the Paypal site, and never click on the link that is provided in the possible bogus Paypal email you received. You will find there will be anomalies in the address bar. An example here that has been done in New Zealand with a bank. eg, www.bankdirect ... www.bankdlrect ... (The "i" has been replaced with an "l") People have been logging on through the link provided and unwittingly passing on their bank log on details. |
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11/27/2005 05:54:55 PM · #14 |
The worst part is the people most likely to fall for these schemes will probably never see warnings like this.
Not much you can do. :( |
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11/27/2005 06:05:36 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by jadin:
The worst part is the people most likely to fall for these schemes will probably never see warnings like this.
Not much you can do. :( |
I hope that someone will see this forum and save themselves a lot of heartache!
Message edited by author 2005-11-27 18:05:56. |
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11/27/2005 06:07:33 PM · #16 |
Come on - It's a USD$5,000 camera and the winner bids less than half the retail price => What do they honestly think is happening - really?
Best case it's hot, worse case it's a scam - It's not taking advantage of somebody that does not know the price, not on ebay.
Sorry if I don't find much sympathy for people losing money this way on an item like this. Most pensioners are not going to buy a camera like this :-)
Edit: Hit the button too soon... added last parra.....
Message edited by author 2005-11-27 18:11:16. |
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11/27/2005 06:26:55 PM · #17 |
| If something looks to good to be true, it probably is. |
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11/27/2005 06:46:14 PM · #18 |
Just checked out this "Alex Dam" in the telephone book and of course he is not down at that address.
Just having fun playing detective!
P
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11/27/2005 08:47:49 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by Riponlady:
Just checked out this "Alex Dam" in the telephone book and of course he is not down at that address.
Just having fun playing detective!
P |
Yep, been down that line of enquiry to.
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11/27/2005 08:52:20 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by Riponlady:
Just checked out this "Alex Dam" in the telephone book and of course he is not down at that address.
Just having fun playing detective!
P |
In traditional detective mode you should be looking for "Adam Lex" or maybe "Lex Adam" ..... I know, I watch too many movies. |
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11/27/2005 08:54:29 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by robs:
Come on - It's a USD$5,000 camera and the winner bids less than half the retail price => What do they honestly think is happening - really?
Best case it's hot, worse case it's a scam - It's not taking advantage of somebody that does not know the price, not on ebay.
Sorry if I don't find much sympathy for people losing money this way on an item like this. Most pensioners are not going to buy a camera like this :-)
Edit: Hit the button too soon... added last parra..... |
The thing with this auction is, theres not much on there to indicate that its a fraud. As far as the winner of the auction was concerned, everything looked above board. The Seller had 100% feedback, and it was unusual that the bids, (20 of them), didn't exceed $5000.
The Seller would claim the winning bid through Paypal, then, as a bonus, also get the proceeds of the "Second Chance Offer" from a buyer that was less then careful.
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11/27/2005 09:09:05 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by gibun:
If something looks to good to be true, it probably is. |
Good rule of thumb! |
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11/27/2005 09:23:47 PM · #23 |
I've bought and sold a bunch of stuff on EBay and only had 1 problem. Chances are, if it sounds fishy....it usually is.
I follow these rules for myself:
1. Read the aucion and look at the pictures carefully. Usually someone listing what they don't know about, make some kind of mistake.
2. I never take advantage of a 'second chance' offering. Hey, if I didn't win with what I bid, then good luck to the winner. There will always be another item.
3. Don't just look at the sellers feedback. Lokk at the people leaving him/her the feedback. Sometimes you'll catch a pattern.
4. I ALWAYS factor in the shipping cost in what my final price would be. Sure, sometimes they overcharge for shipping. But, if you can 'win' the item for low enough, then it's not a big deal.
5. No check or money order, pay only through PayPal.
Plain and simple.........use common sense.
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11/27/2005 09:31:38 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by MrEd:
I've bought and sold a bunch of stuff on EBay and only had 1 problem. Chances are, if it sounds fishy....it usually is.
I follow these rules for myself:
1. Read the aucion and look at the pictures carefully. Usually someone listing what they don't know about, make some kind of mistake.
2. I never take advantage of a 'second chance' offering. Hey, if I didn't win with what I bid, then good luck to the winner. There will always be another item.
3. Don't just look at the sellers feedback. Lokk at the people leaving him/her the feedback. Sometimes you'll catch a pattern.
4. I ALWAYS factor in the shipping cost in what my final price would be. Sure, sometimes they overcharge for shipping. But, if you can 'win' the item for low enough, then it's not a big deal.
5. No check or money order, pay only through PayPal.
Plain and simple.........use common sense. |
Its a shame that we have to take these measures because of some low life scum bags, but thats life I guess. |
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11/27/2005 09:33:43 PM · #25 |
| Hey MrEd ... when you gonna enter some challenges?! You have some great shots in your portfolio! |
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