[Spridgets] E-bay Scam

[Michael Rowe]

I nearly got scammed out of $2000 this week in a e-bay transaction that I didn't figure out until the scammer asked for a MoneyGram.  E-bay reported this morning that the scam came from an "unauthorized account take-over" = hack.  This is doubly dangerous, as the initial correspondence was "official", including my e-bay ID and all graphics and formatting (with instructions not to send a MoneyGram).  

The auction closed without meeting the seller's reserve.  I then got a Second Chance notice saying the seller had reduced his Buy-it-now price to $2000 - a bargain "too good to be true".  This notice included my e-bay ID and in all respects looked official - same pictures, same text, logo, everything.  Somewhere around then I also got another copy in which my e-bay ID was replaced with "buyer".  I might have noticed the logo at that time, as Vista usually blocks them.  But I did not, so I accepted.  Then I got a direct message from the scammer, bypassing e-bay.  We had several back and forths, before he asked for a MoneyGram.  

I had one real response from the seller that included his name.  So I found him on WhitePages.com and called.  He had been getting all manner of messages about cars that were not his, and two hours before had contacted e-bay, erased his account, and established a new ID.

So, the lesson is that you may not be able to recognize a scam until they ask for a direct payment of some kind outside of e-bay and PayPal.

Michael Rowe
Still searching for a car
Long Island,  NY