English: Fraud: Do not let online auction scams happen to you:

 

Computers, sports memorabilia, rare coins, designer fashions, electronics, computer software, books,  cars, boats, airplanes, helicopters, and even, dogs, cats, birds, and every conceivable animal one can think of. These are just a few of the items offered for sale every day on legitimate online auction sites. 

And when copied to a scammers web site it is just a small sample of the items used to lure unsuspecting victims into online auction fraud schemes. Most of the one million-plus transactions that take place each day on these web sites are legitimate; just a few actually result in fraud.  Those few ads up-about one in every four-involved online auction’s are a scams.  And there is a variety of auction frauds and scams, 

Some of the more common ones to watch out for:

Overpayment fraud targets the seller. A seller advertises a high-value item-like a car or a computer-on the Internet. A scammer contacts the seller to purchase the item, then sends the seller a counterfeit check or money order for an amount greater than the price of the item. The purchaser asks the seller to deposit the payment, deduct the actual sale price, and then return the difference to the purchaser.

Wire transfer schemes start with fraudulent and misleading ads for the sale of high-value items being posted on well-known online auction sites. When buyers take the bait, they are directed to wire money to the crooks using a money transfer company. Once the money changes hands, the buyer never hears from them again.

Second-chance schemes involve scammers who offer losing bidders of legitimate auctions the opportunity to buy the item(s) they wanted at reduced prices. They usually require that victims send payment through money transfer companies, but then don’t follow through on delivery.

And one last thought here, after everything is said and done, the customer gets nothing. Thus in all of these schemes customers never get what they pay for.

Who is behind the scams. Well: criminal enterprises from West Africa overuse the overpayment scams, while in Rumanian they overuse the second-chance schemes, the lonely heart scams, work at home scams, and the dying prince that left everything to you and just need to pay a  payment for postage scams.

So if you have been ‘got’ or been victimized, by one of these scams, 

go to the Internet Crime Complaint Center or the US Federal Trade Commission web sites and submit a complaint and call your local police.  

A few tips so you can avoid these scams:

Ask the seller for a phone number and verify it, by calling the number and talking to the person who answered.

Be skeptical if the price sounds too low.

Beware of buyers who insist on wire transfers as the only form of payment being accepted.

Don’t ever give out your social security or driver’s license number-a legitimate seller wouldn’t ask.

Don’t ever go to a meeting to retrieve an item, alone. Always, have another person with ou at these types of meetings.

If you receive an overpayment as a seller, don't cash it but instead ask for the exact purchase price.

For big-ticket items, use a legal and trusted escrow service that will hold the payment until you receive what was ordered.

As always, be informed, and stay safe!

bird