Ebay and Court TV

[Darren870]

So everyday I watch peoples court, judge mathis, and judge alex. There has been a big rise in ebay related cases on these shows. Stuff like people not paying, items not as described, not giving refunds etc. Even Shakespeares, the video game shop in Trumbull CT, has been on peoples court.

Today on peoples court they have one of those African scams. Where someone from England pays a lot of money for an item and has you send it to Nigeria. They give you $XXX.XX Then you keep half and wire the other half of money to a separate account for shipping. Then the check bounces and you winded up wiring your own money.

They didn't go into all the details but basically we all know the scam. Judge is flipping out on them how dumb they are. How it is the biggest scam because its untraceable.

My point is i guess, is ebay just becoming to much or a problem now? Seems like people are getting ripped of way to much.

[Darren870]

here is what really happens:

According to investigators, the con artists target individuals selling merchandise over the Internet, specifically large-ticket items such as collector cars, motorcycles and boats. The buyer, who is from Africa, emails the seller to express an interest in the item and states that the method of payment will be a U.S. bank cashier's check.

At the last minute, the buyer makes an excuse for sending a cashier's check that is several thousand dollars more than the price of the item being purchased. The buyer asks the consumer to wire back the difference between the check and the purchase price after the check clears. Once the consumer's bank cashes the check, the consumer then wires the balance to the buyer in Africa. Typically within seven to 21 days, the consumer learns from his or her bank that the check was counterfeit and that they must return the full amount to the bank.

[ryborg]

My point is i guess, is ebay just becoming to much or a problem now? Seems like people are getting ripped of way to much.

It's becoming too much of a problem for dumbasses who fall head-first into these scams. You can set up all the protection and helpful information you want, but there will still be scammers and people dumb enough to fall for whatever the scam is.

I've been a serious buyer and seller since '98, and I've only been scammed twice, and that was on the selling end. You have no one to blame but yourself when you get taken as a buyer. You will never get scammed if you use a credit card with good fraud protection and if you avoid those sellers selling ultra-rare games/consoles for 1/10th of the actual value from Singapore with zero feedback.
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[Darren870]

Well in this case the guy was the seller.

I know its mostly idiots that get taken, but like you I have been around a long time and you have to admit its gotten worse

[ryborg]

I know its mostly idiots that get taken, but like you I have been around a long time and you have to admit its gotten worse

Well, kind of. As time progresses and computers/internet get more and more cheaper and easier to use, more and more new and naive users start messing around on ebay, which to the scam artist, is fresh meat.

Remember, scams have ALWAYS been around on ebay. It's only recently that they are getting news attention because ebay has turned into a commonly accepted lifestyle.

I remember before emulation became mainstream ('99-ish), people would set up auctions like "WOW! 550+ NES games on your computer! FREE SHIPPING!" They'd end up selling for a ton to some confused buyer, and they would simply receive a burned cd with ROM images on it.
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[kevin_psx]

Stuff like people not paying, items not as described, not giving refunds etc.

Not a bad idea. May have to try that next time someone buys a $100 item & then refuses to pay.