Ebay Scam

ltd · 04-02-2008, 09:51 PM

Oh well, there is no way to deny this so I may as well come forward.
Whilst recently away for work my sister and brother in law decided to join the ford family. In doing this they both scoured the internet looking for a bargain on a territory, and came across an 04 Territory Ghia with 107K on the clock.
At this point I was intrigued and was about to tell them congratulations when they dropped the bomb; "It only cost $17500."
I asked where on earth a territory ghia could be that cheap and they replied; "England. The guy took it over and couldn't register it, but he's going to have it delivered to us on Tuesday to inspect through Lufthansa cargo".
Working in the industry I can tell you that a car sent on a cargo 747 from London would cost over 30 grand, not to mention the fact that these scumbags had a ghost side called "cargo lufthansa" with which you could put the shipping reference to track the consignment as supplied by these scumbags.
Gutted cannot describe how I felt when I had to tell them about Ebay scams and people taking photos off the net, undervaluing cars and claiming to sell them. Anyways, after a long haul flight I spent the next 5 hours finding more and more info on this scumbag who duped them, and at 2.30 am found out that this waste of space is selling a monaro for 10 grand with the same reason.
Long story short they are out 2 grand for using "moneygram".

Anyway, as most of the ebay scams here are about people finding stuff on the net to purchase and seeing they are a scam, I thought it prudent to advise everyone of someone elses perspective having been the victim of this outrageous con.
For some background they are a young family with a 3 year old and 6 month old boy. They feel incredibly stupid and are embarrassed tremendously.
Anyway, now not sure what to do regarding helping them out; suggestions?

XR6_661 · 04-02-2008, 09:52 PM

Ebay is a scam....Hate that damn website.

GRNKPR · 04-02-2008, 09:55 PM

Another hard lesson learnt !!!but come on if its to good to be true it aint !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ltd · 04-02-2008, 09:58 PM

Agreed, you only ever hear stories of cons and scams about ebay and no other auction sites. I can proudly say I've never bought anything from Escam err Ebay.

XR6_661 · 04-02-2008, 10:02 PM

Not only that, my mum practically lives on ebay and never has time for anyone.

It's me birthday this sunday, and I asked if she wanted to come to dinner thursday night, her reply was, 'Oh no sorry, I can't, I have an auction ending.'

Fair enough there may be some good things on ebay, but from what I've seen and heard about, I wouldn't put my wallet anywhere near the place.

Ebay? No thank you.

ltd · 04-02-2008, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GRNKPR

Another hard lesson learnt !!!but come on if its to good to be true it aint !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

True, but I think they were feeling encouraged by selling my sisters father in laws' 1959 buick electra on there for 15 grand.
Before anyone asks, it was a rusty chunk of garbage that would need over 40 grand spent on it to make it nice.

I live my life by the saying that "if its too good to be true its not true", so you've got no arguments from me mate.

Anyways, I have contacted Ebay on their behalf, asked a mate who's a barrister to look at their exclusion clauses on sites and potential libel issues, I've also sent correspondence to moneygram about their complicity in fraudulent practices and advised them of my notification to the ACCC which I have yet to lodge. Seriously, someone in general has to put their foot down and say enough is enough with this ebay rubbish; they conveniently pass the buck to moneygram who pass it to the seller who pass it back to ebay. Somehow I don't think anything will come of it though.

XRQTR · 04-02-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ltd

Agreed, you only ever hear stories of cons and scams about ebay and no other auction sites. I can proudly say I've never bought anything from Escam err Ebay.

Not true my friend, I recently reported a couple of scams on drive.com, I had seen one of the cars before many would recognize the orange XB coupe that was floating on ebay for some time selling for around 12,500. Well this was that as well as a green XB GT coupe, they had both listed phone numbers which I called both only to find that the owners of the numbers had no idea what I was talking about when I asked about the cars they were selling.

I promptly got onto drive.com and alerted them of what was going on to which they immediately removed the listings and sent me a thank you email in response.

So ebay is no longer the only place, these guys also asked for direct deposit rather than a COD which seemed strange seeing it was not an auction but a for sale ad.

Moral is as Greenkeeper said "if it's too good to be true then it probably isn't" always do your checks and ask for a contact number regardless of where it's selling through.

bdave351 · 04-02-2008, 10:09 PM

Report it for fraud to either state or federal police.
Report it also to ebay, they cant go and get your money back but are generally helpful and will give you more info / advice to pass onto the police.

Probably to late at this stage to hope for a really good result, but some of these scammers are not real smart so dont give up and make it easy for them.

ltd · 04-02-2008, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRQTR

Not true my friend, I recently reported a couple of scams on drive.com, I had seen one of the cars before many would recognize the orange XB coupe that was floating on ebay for some time selling for around 12,500. Well this was that as well as a green XB GT coupe, they had both listed phone numbers which I called both only to find that the owners of the numbers had no idea what I was talking about when I asked about the cars they were selling.

I promptly got onto drive.com and alerted them of what was going on to which they immediately removed the listings and sent me a thank you email in response.

So ebay is no longer the only place, these guys also asked for direct deposit rather than a COD which seemed strange seeing it was not an auction but a for sale ad.

Moral is as Greenkeeper said "if it's too good to be true then it probably isn't" always do your checks and ask for a contact number regardless of where it's selling through.

Mate, there was a post on here in the pub about a cop car BF XR6T for 22 grand with 73K. There was no evidence of cops so I wouldn't be surprised to see that as a scam too, especially when such cars are seeing 35K. We should really regulate though the placement of cars for sale on the net from foreign countries, as its seemingly always some south african living in london who cries when that wench from today tonight or ACA catches up to them.

fmc351 · 04-02-2008, 10:47 PM

Home owners have been scammed out of houses, worse still, home owners have had no role in it all (never met or agreed to anything themselves) and still lost the house.

They dont need ebay.

paul_r_d · 04-02-2008, 11:29 PM

About the only thing I buy on ebay is books. I always pay through pay pal which can refund me should I have any pobelms. These people who buy computers and expensive items are crazy.

ltd · 04-02-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul_r_d

About the only thing I buy on ebay is books. I always pay through pay pal which can refund me should I have any pobelms. These people who buy computers and expensive items are crazy.

Actually you reminded me of some guy who sold a laptop on ebay, claiming it was new etc and some woman bought it. When it arrived nothing worked and he refused to give her her money back so she cracked it open, found the hard drive and plugged it into her pc. She found all this sensitive information about this bloke including photos of himself in rather personal poses by himself, and uploaded it to a website dedicated to this loser. I suppose for small items you are covered, as I have discovered through my inquiries that paypal only covers up to $450.00.

paule11 · 04-02-2008, 11:53 PM

I have found that ebay scam a few times once with a convertible 69 camaro convertible mint condition same story fly it over in a cargo jet for $15000 total contacted ebay and they pulled the ad.

JC · 04-02-2008, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul_r_d

About the only thing I buy on ebay is books. I always pay through pay pal which can refund me should I have any pobelms. These people who buy computers and expensive items are crazy.

I am a moderate ebay user. In fact the PC I am using to access this site was purchased through ebay. The seller was very very helpful, and actually told me I wouldn't need as much RAM as I was asking for due to limitations with Windows XP.

But yes, I prefer to pay through paypal where I can (especially for larger items).

Ebay is like any open marketplace - it has it's good sellers, it's good buyers, and then scammers from both sides. The only difference is that because of the internet, we find out about things quicker than say 10 years ago. It's actually not a fault of eBay itself, but the fact that sellers and buyers tend to be human and the inherent dishonesty that seems to attract some people to the opportunity to rip others off.

ltd - sorry to hear the members of your family were victims. It always pay to physically see what you are buying if the purchase price is that large.

AusM · 05-02-2008, 12:12 AM

It also happens via trading post and unique cars ads. I reported a cheap XC Cobra recently... Moral of the story, don't pay for anything major, sight unseen.

Sorry to hear the story ltd, but if you have to find a positive, losing $2k now might have saved them losing $10k on another scam down the track - you can guarantee they'll be more wary of too-good-to-be-true sales from now on.

Maybe with the F6-X coming out shortly there will be some genuinely cheaper Terry's around!

gz1 · 05-02-2008, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmc351

Home owners have been scammed out of houses, worse still, home owners have had no role in it all (never met or agreed to anything themselves) and still lost the house.

They dont need ebay.

Do you have any pointers to that? I would love to see how anyone can scam someone out of their house if the owner has not agreed to anything.

XRTickfordNZ · 05-02-2008, 09:22 AM

We have had it on trademe in NZ as well. A mint XC Cobra for $8000. Yea right. Trademe were quick to remove it once I saw that and told them to remove it. The photos even had the ebay watermarks in the bottom corner. Went to my ebay watchlist and sure enough, the same cobra and pics for genuine sale for $70k or something. Stealing pictures and scamming in one hit! Scammer! We have also had gt falcons, monaros etc as scams. Once again trademe are very quick to remove and investigate. Websites like trademe, ebay etc should have the site set so pics can not be taken. They put watermarks on the bottom corners of the pics but still doesnt stop the cunning.

Cheers,

Brendon

Fordmuscle1965 · 05-02-2008, 09:49 AM

Well I must be one of the lucky ones.

: . I'm no P.R person for Ebay but I've been a member for 3 odd years and only once have I been scamed on Ebay. I've bought 3 cars off ebay sight unseen and ALL have been better than I imagined when I picked them up. I live in a country town and in regards to stuff that City folk have at their disposal around the corner or down the road, where I live we have F#$K all here. Ebay is a means to find stuff that would have normally never appeared on my radar, usually at a much reduced cost to what I would pay if I went down to the local shop.

I'm not saying it's the best thing since sliced bread but you price anything at all that your looking to buy and usually you'll find that its cheaper(including freight) on Ebay. Your not just opening up your buying options here in Australia, but all around the world. I've bought plenty of speed shop type parts from U.S.A., and NEVER had any problems with the sellers. Blind freddy should be able to tell a good deal from a scam. Once I almost bought a PS3 from china for $400, thought It seemed a bit suss, so I contacted Ebay online live, they checked out the seller and alerted me to a scam BEFORE I forked out any dough, so sometimes it pays to check and double check before you hand over any cash. Like a fella said before if the transaction involves PayPal your fully covered if anything goes upside down.

My 2c Worth......................................

:

Fev · 05-02-2008, 10:20 AM

my brother got ripped off from a guy in melb. paid $900 for a set of 18" 2006 wrx wheels for is 02 liberty.. never sent them, guy hasnt replied to emails etc.. but my bro has his address so he is going down there when he gets time off work lol

peachey80 · 05-02-2008, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fordmuscle1965

Well I must be one of the lucky ones.

: . I'm no P.R person for Ebay but I've been a member for 3 odd years and only once have I been scamed on Ebay. I've bought 3 cars off ebay sight unseen and ALL have been better than I imagined when I picked them up. I live in a country town and in regards to stuff that City folk have at their disposal around the corner or down the road, where I live we have F#$K all here. Ebay is a means to find stuff that would have normally never appeared on my radar, usually at a much reduced cost to what I would pay if I went down to the local shop.

I'm not saying it's the best thing since sliced bread but you price anything at all that your looking to buy and usually you'll find that its cheaper(including freight) on Ebay. Your not just opening up your buying options here in Australia, but all around the world. I've bought plenty of speed shop type parts from U.S.A., and NEVER had any problems with the sellers. Blind freddy should be able to tell a good deal from a scam. Once I almost bought a PS3 from china for $400, thought It seemed a bit suss, so I contacted Ebay online live, they checked out the seller and alerted me to a scam BEFORE I forked out any dough, so sometimes it pays to check and double check before you hand over any cash. Like a fella said before if the transaction involves PayPal your fully covered if anything goes upside down.

My 2c Worth......................................

:

I agree, theres nothing wrong with ebay. The site cannot be blammed for the handful of scumbags ( I could use other choice words ).
When restoring cars especially, it opens up a whole lot more opportunity to buy stuff i wounldn't normally find in the trading post or swap meets.

Although, I will say I think ebay is helping driving up prices for anything relating to muscle cars though, good for sellers, but bad for anyone in the market to buy one or parts to restore them, making it hard for the average earner to have a neat classic.

Don't blame the site for the occasionaly scammers, they're everywhere, not just ebay.

ronwest · 05-02-2008, 10:24 AM

I too am a moderate Ebay user. Never been dudded but I try to buy local and pay at pick up.
In any event I work on the principle that I won't spend more than I'm willing to lose.
So far, so good.

AusM · 05-02-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Like a fella said before if the transaction involves PayPal your fully covered if anything goes upside down.

There are lots of conditions to that 'protection' - it's like insurance - in most situations you're covered, but sometimes you really get screwed!

Casablanca · 05-02-2008, 10:29 AM

i've only ever used ebay three times as a last resort and have never been scammed, have heard of people who have and it's so stupid that people could honestly do this to another it's just pathetic.

TZENU · 05-02-2008, 10:34 AM

It's a shame becuase going back 10 years ago it was the way to go.. Secure, fast and cheap... Now it has become subject (like anything else) to those scammers who have nothing better to do then to prey on the hard working...

Personally i would love to catch one of these lowlifes..

the_scotsman · 05-02-2008, 12:24 PM

Maybe for complete eBay virgins, it's a bit of a risk, but if you know what to look for eBay is brilliant...I've bought so many things off eBay...

But as has been said...if it's too good to be true, it usually is.

Unco · 05-02-2008, 01:25 PM

first of all, i'm sorry to hear about this.

the world is a nasty place and ebay is no exception. newbies should really ask for help from someone who's been using ebay for a while before committing any cash into purchases where the goods can't be sighted.

there are ways to make sure you're getting your money's worth. i think most long time users would agree that one would never hand over thousands of dollars to just anyone in ebay, no matter how good it looks.

sure, more could be done to protect users. but it's also up to the individual to make sure one doesn't get ripped off... just because i get an email saying "update your account details, or face suspension" doesn't mean i'm going to click on the attachment it comes with...

fmc351 · 05-02-2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gz1

Do you have any pointers to that? I would love to see how anyone can scam someone out of their house if the owner has not agreed to anything.

http://www.jenman.com.au/news_item.php?id=380

The information is hard to find. There have been cases of the offspring of the home owner selling it out from under them, or usually mortgaging it yet having no title to it, and the actual owner being stuck with that. The costs to fight it are often out of their reach, and there are loopholes.

On a lighter side, there was a house actually physically stolen. Driven away on the back of a low loader.

Addz08 · 05-02-2008, 05:59 PM

Hey all,

Someone I work with almost fell for the same scam, the car was a XR6 Turbo, 70,000km, manual, the guy selling the car claims he was in the defence force, and shipped the car to England, but he said the car couldn,t be registered because it did not meet emissions over there.

This guy also said he has a young family, and was wanting to buy a house over there.
He told my work mate to send $5000 deposit, and he'll ship the car, gladly my work mate didn't go through with it, because he to could have been a victim of this mongrel...

V8falcons · 05-02-2008, 08:52 PM

Being an ebay user myself,I think I did see the territory in question,Gun metal grey or black ghia started/advertised at $14500----- :togo: :togo: I just thought no one take any notice of these

And again today theres was a XR6 turbo .99c start no reserve, complete spec list pulled striaght from one of the car review site,you can pick them a mile away zero feedback,sold nothing....................walk away,no RUN

I too looked into the XAGT coupe $10k or something mentioned in an ealier post for a laugh, the guy knows nothing about the car,and it was in germany "please pay me and I will ship it back to australia" and told me his make believe life story,but listed as being at katoomba NSW.

We really need to let people/familys know to be careful with these deals of the centuries.
Check the sellers history,feedback,have a look at what they have sold and If you cant afford to loose the amount your wiring/sending to the seller,dont bid/buy it.
Having said all that Im waitng for the guy I bought some wheels on ebay from last week that thought these wheels were for an AU III when they were e-series offset.......after the first wheels was fitted up I knew straight away what they were off, Id fitted new tyres anyway and drove the car home and contacted him and is happy to give me my money back.I got new wheels that needed tyres so thats worked out good but,You/I really should inspect before you buy,Ive learnt.............

Sorry to here they lost there $$$$$$$$$

ltd · 05-02-2008, 10:19 PM

Thanks everyone for your support and commiserations on the matter, it just strikes hard when someone you know is seemingly silly enough to fall for it. I guess to their credit they thought that 17-18k was reasonable for a 3.5 year old with 107k on the clock. Still in all, I have a friend who's selling his TX territory for around that sort of money, with a couple of cases thrown in so I might contribute a little to that for them.
But, if anyone has a ghia that they want to get rid of for the sub 20K mark then I'll happily arrange a deal. (Yes I'm joking).