Ebay Fraud auctions

[zukracer]

I finally got frustrated with all the fraud auctions on the motorcycle section of Ebay and reported some of them.

Here is what I said to them


Original Message Follows:
-------------------------

Form Message %32300% 021800
Subject: FR%C00202 The problem you're having with fraud isn't listed
[2490254360 #US $MO !44400! 030203 ?01-01]

User Feedback: 22
User State: ?01

Browser Info: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0)

Report problems with other eBay members > Fraud concerns for buyers >
The problem you're having with fraud isn't listed

Member or Item being reported: 2490254360 $MO CA !44400! 030203

Message: 2490254360 is one, however the motorcycle section is littered
with fraudulent auctions. You'd see those things *fly* out of here at
$5000, the bike is worth 13-17k all day long.

You guys really should police this stuff better or add a link for folks
to report suspicious auctions on every auction. 14 of the first page of category Motorcycles for example are fraudulent (~28%). :-(


Here is what they sent me back

Hello,

Thank you for writing to eBay to notify us of this situation.

I understand your concern about these listings. Please be aware that
the motorcycle auctions you mentioned have been ended early and all bids have been cancelled, as it appears that the sellers' accounts have been
compromised and used by an unauthorized third party. The sellers'
privileges to trade on eBay may be temporarily suspended while we
investigate this matter further.

We emphasize that there is no definitive information regarding the
seller or their items at this time, and our difficulties in confirming
information about the seller may be the result of a mistake or
misunderstanding.

Please click on the link below to learn more about how you are protected while making purchases on the Internet:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/isgw-fraud-buyer-tips.html

I would like to assure you that eBay does have tools in place to detect
these types of listings. However, we also welcome reports from our
members as this helps us to update these tools.

With that in mind, if you find auctions that you believe to be
fraudulent, please send the item numbers to eBay through the webform
below:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_inline/index.html

Choose the following subject to ensure that this information is sent to
the appropriate department:

Report problems with other eBay members > Fraud concerns for buyers >
Report a listing you think is fraudulent (you didn't bid)

Thank you for helping to keep eBay a fun and safe place to trade.

Regards,

Lilith
eBay Motors
Trust and Safety Department


Important: eBay will not ask you for sensitive personal information
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*******************************************
56836355
9/20/04

So they say they are aware of these issues but yet it seems they have no way to fix them

sorry for the rant but shopping for a bike on ebay sux these days.

 

[drlucian]

Despite what they say Ebay hasn't done much to stop this.
Scammers latch onto a name (like Hayabusa) that's very well known and run these buy-it-now ads with prices too good to be true.
Two years ago I saw dozens of similar listings for top-end digital cameras and plasma tvs; that was about the time that eBay changed all user ids that were email addresses.

Some eBay vigilantes have opened accounts with names like "fraud-alert" or "do not bid-fraud" to help stop this. I myself, get several phishing emails a day and once almost responded to one.

Buying a moto on eBay is a frustrating experience even when there's no scam; too many times I've followed an auction only to have it ended early because the seller sold the bike early. IMO when the used price is within a couple of grand of new; it makes more sense to just buy new.

 

[Turbo-Torch]

I can't blame eBay for what's going on. I believe they are getting bombarded with those motorcycle scams at every given moment. For the most part they seem to be taken down within a matter of hours. Also consider that the Busa isn't the only scam item up for bids, it crosses to all large high dollar items from cars to video arcade games.

The blame should be placed on the idiots who reply to the scam emails and give out all their personal information. They are the one's allowing their accounts with good feedback to get hijacked and used. They're also giving out their credit card info which would be funny as hell if they were held responsible for being so gullible...odds are though it's the credit card companies that are probably taking the hit for all the bogus charges.

One way to cut down on the fraud would be to block access from all 3rd world IP addresses.
A big ass warning on their front page would also help to pound it into the heads of gullible idiots to not to give out their personal info.

 

[dezzy7]

I'ld never buy a bike off ebay unless I was selling it

 

[zukracer]

yeah its all weird with Ebay. I've got some smokin great deals off there but big ticket items are a different story. I was recently tracking a few older bikes, looking mainly for something to find to teach the girlfriend how to ride on. I wouldnt ever pay for a bike (or other large unit) until I was on site, bike/title in hand first though.

 

[phatjoe]

phuck ebay