Several scams can occur when buying or selling items on eBay. As a buyer, you may be offered an item at a significantly lower price than its actual value, only to have the seller back out of the deal once you’ve paid. As a seller, you may be asked to ship an item before payment has been made, only to have the buyer disappear once the item has been sent.
To avoid being scammed on eBay, it’s essential to be aware of the most common scams and how to avoid them. If you’re a buyer, only purchase items from sellers who have a good reputation and who offer buyer protection.
In case you’re a seller, only ship items after payment has been made, and be sure to use a shipping method that offers tracking. If you suspect you’ve been scammed, contact eBay immediately so they can investigate and take appropriate action.
Unfortunately, the number of things that can go wrong while selling or buying something online cannot be covered in a couple of paragraphs. To help you recognize the latest trends and the ways employed by the scammers to confuse the other party, we have gathered the following information.
Go through them to have a clear idea about the dangers present and the kind of steps you can take to avoid the hassles. In case you need to kickstart the recovery process, fill out the form below, and our team will get in touch with you shortly.
eBay Scams in a Nutshell
There are a few different types of eBay Scams. However, if you look under the skin, the narratives employed by the crooks are easy to see through. All we have to do to enhance the safety factor is use common sense and have an open mind. In other words, do not let any deals or offers entice you; instead, be analytical and logical.
If you’re buying on eBay, it’s essential to be aware of a few things. Always check the seller’s feedback before buying anything, and be sure to use a reputable escrow service if you’re paying for an expensive item.
Remember, it is our duty as customers to safeguard our interests, and thankfully, in most cases, all we have to do is use the internet appropriately to do a pretty decent background check, which helps us make better decisions.
Variations
Below, we have covered a few common eBay scams that you need to look out for. Keep in mind that the scammers will change their approach from time to time. Nonetheless, the underlying gimmicks and logic will be the same.
Counterfeit Goods
There has been a recent spate of scams involving counterfeit goods being sold on eBay. These scams typically involve the seller offering counterfeit goods at a deeply discounted price. The goods are usually designer items, such as purses, clothing, or jewelry. The seller often uses stolen photos and counterfeit packaging to make the goods appear genuine.
Get in touch with our affiliated Cryptocurrency Forensic Specialists at CNC Intelligence for free by filling out the form below.
Buyers should be aware of these scams and exercise caution when considering any purchase from a new or unknown seller. If the price of the item seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always request additional photos of the article, and if possible, ask the seller to provide a Certificate of Authentication from the brand. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of an item, it is best to err on the side of caution and not make the purchase.
Product not received
If you’re a victim of an eBay scam in which you never received the product you purchased, there are a few things you can do. First, try to contact the seller directly to see if they can resolve the issue. If that doesn’t work, you can open a case with eBay’s Resolution Center.
You’ll need to provide some information about what happened and what you’ve done to try to resolve the issue. eBay will then investigate and take appropriate action. If you’re still not satisfied, you can contact your credit card company to dispute the charges.
Fake Customer Service
There are a few different types of fake customer service eBay scams that you should be aware of. The first is when someone contacts you posing as eBay customer service, and tries to get you to give them personal information or login credentials. They may say there is a problem with your account or that they need to verify your identity. This is a scam – do not give them any information! Hang up or ignore the message.
Another type of scam is when someone contacts you pretending to be from a company that you have done business with, like your credit card company or PayPal. They may say there is a problem with a recent transaction or that you need to update your account information. Again, please do not give them any information for any reason.
Any person who asks for your personal information or bank details is not your friend. So, exercise caution and never proceed impulsively.
Payments made outside the App
According to a recent report by the Better Business Bureau, there has been a significant increase in the number of scams involving payments made outside of the eBay app. In many cases, scammers will contact victims through the eBay app and request that they make a payment using a specific method that is not covered by eBay’s buyer protection policies. This often includes requests for payments made through Western Union or MoneyGram or for the purchase of gift cards.
Victims of this scam often end up losing a significant amount of money, as they have no recourse if the item is not received or is not as described. We strongly advise anyone who is contacted by a stranger requesting a payment outside of the eBay app to exercise caution and to report any suspicious activity to eBay immediately.
Questionable Chargebacks
There are a few different types of scams that sellers on eBay need to be aware of, one of which is the fake chargeback scam. This is where a buyer will claim that they never received an item that they purchased and then request a chargeback from their bank or credit card company. The seller will then be out the money for the item, as well as any shipping costs.
To avoid this type of scam, it is essential to keep good records of all of your transactions. This means keeping track of when an item is shipped and to whom it is sent.
If you are using a shipping service that provides tracking information, be sure to keep this information handy in case you need to provide it to your bank or credit card company. It would be best if you also took care to ship items to confirmed addresses and to require a signature upon delivery. By taking these precautions, you can help ensure you are not the victim of a fake chargeback scam.
Feedback Loop
There has been an increase in the number of feedback extortion eBay scams in recent months. In this type of scam, the seller will contact the buyer after the purchase is made and demand payment in exchange for positive feedback. If the buyer refuses to pay, the seller will leave negative feedback on their account.
These types of scams are becoming increasingly common, and they can be challenging to deal with. Remember, the plot explained above can happen in reverse as well. Either way, if you are blackmailed, then collect evidence and contact the support team.
Feedback extortion scams are a severe problem on eBay, and both buyers and sellers need to be aware of them.
How to avoid eBay Scams?
eBay is an excellent platform for buying and selling, but like any online marketplace, there are always scammers looking to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers and sellers. Here are some tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of an eBay scam:
Only buy from sellers with a good reputation. Check their feedback score and look for any negative comments.
- Be cautious of sellers who are new to eBay or have very few feedback ratings.
- Never pay for an item using Western Union or gift cards. These are not safe methods of payment, and you will have no protection if something goes wrong.
- Be wary of sellers who ask for too much personal information. They may be trying to scam you by collecting your data for identity theft.
- Never click on links in emails from sellers. Always go to the eBay website directly to view their listings.
- If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be cautious of sellers who are offering items at significantly below market value.
By following these simple tips, you can help protect yourself from becoming a victim of an eBay scam.
Complaints We Received
On September 11, 2023, one of our partners received the following complaint:
One month ago in Fiji, a lot of people started investing their money in this company called “Ebay Shop,” which used USD. Now, when it’s time to withdraw our funds, the company’s app can’t be opened. Many people have lost a significant amount of money. We were given this contact number: +447355721277, but now there’s no answer from it.
The complainer provided the following domain names associated with this scam:
- https://ebayshop.cloud/#/pages/login/register?recomno=7679138
- https://ebayshop.work/app
- https://es-eefz.vip/app
Ebayshop.cloud
On June 1, 2023, ebayshop.cloud was registered through ALIBABA.COM SINGAPORE E-COMMERCE PRIVATE LIMITED for one year. Cloudflare protects it. The registrant contact is Organization: QGgroup. State: Kowloon. Country: HK.
The domain has a 2% Authority, according to SEMrush, and it has managed to accrue a couple of backlinks.
The search results indicate that the website ebayshop.cloud is highly suspicious and possibly a scam. Websites like Scam Detector and Reddit’s r/scammers forum have identified it as potentially fraudulent, warning that it has one of the lowest ratings on scam-detection charts and that genuine reviews are hard to come by. While one URL checker marks it as “LEGITIMATE,” another labels it as “PHISHING,” adding to the conflicting information. Overall, the evidence strongly suggests that caution should be exercised when dealing with ebayshop.cloud.
The Reddit post in the subreddit r/scammers discusses concerns about a potential scam involving a website called ebayshop.cloud. The website offers a third-party online shopping job where users pay between $100 to $1000 to register. Users are promised “commissions” for “connecting” sales transactions. The post points out several red flags regarding the website, such as its poor design, lack of an “About Us” page, absence of contact information, and missing “Terms and Conditions” page. The original poster is concerned because many people close to them are joining the site in hopes of earning extra money and requesting more information to ascertain whether the site is fraudulent. No comments have been posted in response to the concerns at the time of the post.
Ebayshop.work
On June 1, 2023, ebayshop.work was registered through ALIBABA.COM SINGAPORE E-COMMERCE PRIVATE LIMITED for one year. Cloudflare protects it. The registrant contact is Organization: QGgroup. State: Kowloon. Country: HK.
ebayshop.work is ranked at 6,892,477 globally, according to SimilarWeb, and 2502 in Fiji.
The search results for “ebayshop.work” indicate that the site has a low trust score of 20%, according to Scamdoc.com. There is also some activity on social media platforms like TikTok and Telegram relating to this website. Videos related to ebayshop.work are discoverable on TikTok, and there’s an official channel on Telegram where the latest information about Ebayshop is posted. Some Facebook posts mention the website as well, but no additional information about its legitimacy or nature is provided. Overall, the low trust score and lack of verified information suggest that caution should be exercised when interacting with ebayshop.work.
Es-eefz.vip
On July 5, 2023, es-eefz.vip was registered through ALIBABA.COM SINGAPORE E-COMMERCE PRIVATE LIMITED for one year. Cloudflare protects it. The registrant contact is Organization: QGgroup. State: Kowloon. Country: HK.
es-eefz.vip is ranked at 6,397,895 globally, according to SimilarWeb, and 2133 in Fiji.
The search results for “es-eefz.vip” suggest that the website is highly suspicious. Web Paranoid states that the site hides content and was created less than half a year ago, features often associated with scam websites. EmailVeritas lists the website as “LEGITIMATE,” but this stands in contrast to the warning from Web Paranoid. Trusted Reviews also labels the site as a scam with a rating of 0.0. Given the conflicting information and general lack of verified details, caution is advised when interacting with es-eefz.vip.
eBay Scams Conclusion
eBay Scams are affecting thousands of people, and there is no way to make the online marketplace completely safe yet. Many flaws will be present at least till the near future, and the best way to handle the issue is by educating the audience.
After all, if enough people are aware of the exact things to look out for, scammers would find it extremely hard to peddle their narrative, right?
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