et's call my friend Sam. used an escrow service that
required payment in Western
In June 2005 Sam was Union. I told Sam that Western
looking into buying a fast car. Union is the service of choice
Usually we buy cars from the used by auction fraudsters since
Orlando car auction, but Sam you CANNOT get your money back.
decided to try eBay incase there Sam didn't believe me and was
were some lower prices. It was pissed at me for trying to ruin a
there that he found a 1998 good thing for him. Boy, was he
Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-X for in for a surprise.
$3500. Sam is not as internet
savvy as me, and I was not with Sam was very disapointed and
him at the time that he ended the really wanted the car. I looked
Buy It Now auction, so he thought over the auction just incase and
that this was an excellent deal! everything looked OK, and I
(As would any other normal started to even think that maybe
computer user.) the auction was legit - UNTIL I
READ THE E-MAILS.
The next day Sam called me on the
phone and told me about the I had my friend forward me every
incredible deal that he had e-mail that he received from
gotten on eBay for a 1998 eBay, the seller, and the escrow
Mitsubishi Eclipse for $3500 with company. The eBay e-mails turned
FREE shipping. When I heard about out to be a spoof sent from the
the price of the car I was seller's AOL account. In the
already skeptical, but when I headers I found this:
heard the free shipping I knew it
had to be a scam. I asked Sam how X-Apparently-From:
he was sending the money and he EBAYUSER@aol.com
told me that him and the seller
Also, in the e-mail from eBay it down to report it to the
requested Sam to send the payment authorities later on. I also
of $3500 to the escrow company called another household and the
using Western Union. Now why lady said, "You just called me
would eBay tell someone to pay asking for him." I told her that
with Western Union when they I didn't and apparently someone
state on their website NEVER to else was looking for him too. I
use it? Apparently the eBay guess he was about to rip someone
fraudster used someone else's else off as well.
eBay account to put up the
auction for the Eclipse. The It was then that I had a good
actual fraudster was the one idea to try and catch the eBay
posing as the escrow agent living fraudster. I called up Western
4 states away from the actual Union and told them that someone
eBay account holder. was trying to rip me off on eBay
with their service. The lady on
I went through WhitePages.com to the phone told me that she didn't
try and find out some more care and that I couldn't do
information on the fraudster and anything. I asked her if I could
got a lot of phone numbers from send a $30 payment through
the area with the last name that Western Union with a note that
he asked to receive the Western said "Call the Cops - eBay
Union with. I called about 50 Fraudster" or something to that
numbers asking for the man's extent. She told me that she
first name. One person said "Yes, didn't even think that the
he is here. Hold on one second." Western Union agent would do
I waited and they came back and anything and that it wasn't worth
said, "Oh, no sorry, you have the trying.
wrong number." This was
suspicious so I wrote this number I sent the money anyway even
though Western Union wouldn't caught. Maybe I helped some other
help me and notified the seller people out that would eventually
of the Western Union MTCN number get ripped off by him. Maybe if
that is required (supposedly) to Western Union would use some
pickup a payment. I sent my note ACTUAL fraud protection they
with the payment and I never would have a lot better service
heard anything since. I lost and a lot of new eBayers would be
about $50 ($30 + Western Union's saved.
Fees) but atleast it wasn't $3500
and maybe the seller actually got
About the Author:
Joseph Tierney is the owner of Auction Fraud Protection - http://www.stopauctionfraud.com A user-generated database of auction fraudsters. He is 2005 high school graduate and is currently studying for a computer science degree in college.
Read more articles by:
Joseph Tierney
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
