Scams this week on E-Bay
 

Kudos to plomoh for suggesting this idea.

As we all know, scams abound on ebay for HTs. This thread is to keep them all in one place, and to also provide newbies with a quick referral list to their most recent "quest" -

note: if the ebay listing isn't here, that doesn't mean it's not a scam, it just might mean that the thread hasn't been found it yet. Please don't hesitate to check by asking a question here in this forum, and one or more of us will go over to ebay and look at it.

Plomoh adds:
"To best (and most quickly) determine if an Ebay auction for a Segway is legit, take these three steps in this order:
1) Ask the seller for the serial number of the Segway (don't let them tell you that this information must remain a secret since a serial number by itself cannot be used in any nefarious way)
2) Offer to have a friend nearby the seller come by and pay in cash in person and pick up the Segway (most sellers would appreciate this since it avoids shipping hassles)
3) Call Segway INC and verify that the segway with the serial number you were given is owned by someone who lives in the same state or country as indicated in the Ebay auction (though please only do this if you absolutely have to since Segway INC can't really afford to field numerous calls from lots of Ebay bidders every day)

NOTE: As a disclaimer, taking these steps does NOT guarantee that the Ebay auction and seller are legit. Even if you do all this, you may still be scammed. You are advised to take whatever additional steps you deem necessary to avoid fraud...and heck, post those additional steps in this thread so others Ebay bidders who come here can benefit."

Pam

Scam 1 - June 20, 2006
 

Message from eBay Member buyit-now


Dear desert_seg ,
You expressed interest in an item titled " used Segway Scooter HT i-167 No Reserve " Item number: 7250028438 by bidding , the seller has issued this Second Chance Offer because either the winning bidder was unable to complete the transaction or the seller has duplicate items for sale.In compliance with eBay policy, the seller is making this Second Chance Offer to you at your bid price of US $1,500.00.
If you accept this offer, you will be able to exchange Feedback with the seller and will be eligible for eBay services associated with a transaction,such as fraud protection.
To purchase this item, contact the seller at this e-mail: [email protected] or push the reply button.
To learn more about Second Chance Offer go to: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/personal_offer.html .
Copyright ? 1995-2006 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved.


================================================== =

This request is related to item # 9725271144.

http://www.ebay.ph/viItem?ItemId=9725271144

================================================== =


Marketplace Safety Tips

Never respond to an unsolicited email that includes incentives to buy or sell an item off the eBay Marketplace. If you get such an email, please report it to eBay at http://www.ebay.ph/helpTSForm.

Never pay for your eBay item through instant cash transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram - such services offer Internet shoppers no protection against fraud.


================================================== =


Note: Immediately contact Rules & Safety http://www.ebay.ph/help?page=helpPolicies if one of eBay's rules were violated, such as:

- Your contact information was used for purposes unrelated to eBay business, published online or offline, or was used for the purposes of harassment.

- You received contact information that you believe to be erroneous.

Thank you for using eBay!

http://www.ebay.ph/

Ummmm.....that is interesting. That is my auction, but i never issued a second chance buy it now price to you or anyone else. Anyone have any insite into how someone is doing this and using my auction info for it? How could I issue a 2nd chance on an auction that is still going?


edit: and that is not my email in the second chance offer you recieved.

gneedel, Have you gone onto ebay lately to be sure your login and password still work? If so, I'd contact ebay's fraud unit and let them know. You can live chat them (I did it just last week) - access through the ebay site, of course.

Pam

Don't take the bait
 

scammer looks for high price item.
builds a fake second chance letter.
sends the email with a direct contact name (red flag)
reply to can be manipulated. it's either fake or from a hijacked account.

If anyone replies... I'll bet money they open up the usual 'western union' communication.

all you can do is report it.

You may want to edit your sale, to alert people that there are fraudsters trying to sell your item.... you may want to refer them to segwaychat too.

Oh, you mean I don't get a second chance? Dang, and here I was ready to bid exactly $1,500 for this second chance unit.

Drats, foiled again!

Steven

Ebay Item 170000759414 and 250000771495
 

The scammers are getting smarter...they cancel any bids that don't contact them by email first.

Has anyone else noticed a decrease in these fake segway auctions on ebay? For the first time in months I'd say there were more legit auctions!

Just let it "age" for a day
 

Re: eBay items in the previous post.

eBay is getting rather good at spotting these scams. The two account offerings that were there yesterday, are gone in less than 24 hours.

Item #220001468716
 

Buy it now for $600????????

They moved on to the new Flat Panel TVs I noticed.


I bought 3 Segways on ebay.
Zero problems.
Had the deal personally checked out by local friends of course.