RE: eBay fraud contact number ??

["Kevin Hawkins" <lists@xxxxxxx>]

I don=E2=80=99t want to disclose the auction just in case I=E2=80=99ve got
=
this wrong & I misrepresent a genuine seller =E2=80=93 plus it is hard
to p=
ick the genuine and bogus items/individuals apart but it went like this. I
=
think at least one person my be genuine here =E2=80=93 just finding out
who=
!

=20

Saw a new auction for high value (RRP =C2=A35K+) item that I was
interested=
in with no bids and only 4 views to date. Commercial seller with excellent=
feedback rating. Buy it now price was =C2=A31000 =E2=80=93 wanted it but a=
uction required =E2=80=98pre registration=E2=80=99 - basically you email
th=
e seller who gives you permission to participate =E2=80=93 I think he
enter=
s a list of allowed bidding ID=E2=80=99s on eBAY. Didn=E2=80=99t hear for
1=
2 hours and was anxious to not miss the buy it now so emailed again saying
=
I would pay the buy it now price. No reply. Auction was removed from eBay.
=
emailed again in vain hope that buyer had accepted my buy it now offer and
=
ceased auction. This time I got a reply from someone who explained that it
=
was not his auction and that his account had been hijacked and false
auctio=
ns created =E2=80=93 plus his email had been re-routed =E2=80=93 he
enclose=
d an email from eBay that supported this. He had not received my previous
e=
mails.

Next event was an email (from a new person) saying that my buy it now
offer=
was acceptable and how would I like to pay ? I said that I would pay cash =
on collection as the unit was located near to me =E2=80=93 Leeds =E2=80=93
=
got email saying shipping was direct from factory and I couldn=E2=80=99t
co=
llect, also now said that another higher offer had been received =E2=80=93
=
would I raise my offer =E2=80=93 I was very wary already of course =E2=80=
=93 I had always intended to collect.

Next thing another email (from yet another person) saying that as the
selle=
r of an auction I was bidding in he would be prepared to sell =E2=80=98out
=
of auction=E2=80=99 to finish the sale early =E2=80=93 the link given
revea=
led the same auction as before but with a new seller (and you guessed it
no=
t the guy who was contacting me). And lo behold in that auction I am
showin=
g as a bidder ! (along with many others). I never actually placed a bid
thr=
ough eBay. So I have emailed the listed seller (who has excellent
feedback)=
, but appears to be in Germany =E2=80=93 his other auctions are all Euros
(=
and text in German) but this is =C2=A3 based =E2=80=93 he replied from yet
=
another email address saying that he is UK based and has the goods in the
U=
K =E2=80=93 I am not sure if this reply is from the genuine seller though
(=
or if it is being intercepted again). Now if I look up on eBay the
auctions=
for the seller who contacted me directly by email with the offer to sell o=
ut of auction he is UK based and only seems to sell very small items
(games=
software).=20

The alarming thing here =E2=80=93 and I think this is your conc=
ern too Marc =E2=80=93 is that peoples accounts seem to be able to be
bypas=
sed/intercepted =E2=80=93 plus in my case someone has been able to place a
=
bid under my name in an auction that I did not participate in.

=20

Kevin

=20

-----Original Message-----
From: mrf@xxxxxxx [mailto:mrf@xxxxxxx]=20
Sent: 03 July 2003 16:13
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] eBay fraud contact number ??

=20

Hi There,

Don't suppose you could give us a little more info on the fraud ? I do a
lo=
t
of buying/selling on ebay, and don't want to get caught up in this stuff.
I=
f
you would feel more comfortable, please email me off list at
mrf@xxxxxxx.

Cheers

Marc
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Hawkins [mailto:lists@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 03 July 2003 13:24
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] eBay fraud contact number ??


I am aware of a 'fraud in progress' on eBay for several =C2=A3'000s - doe=
s
anyone
have a contact number for eBay (pref UK) where I can report this ? - I
have
used their online reporting yesterday but of course have heard nothing !

Kevin