How do these scams work? Seller accepts return, not selling a picture, item not in special services
I want to sell my used graphics card thus I researched on its market price by going into sold listings on eBay. Then I was surprised by the high amount of scam listings. You can easily tell by the new seller account, stock photo, stolen pictures, too good to be true price, and obviously fake handwritten note.
But scam listings usually have these traits: seller do not accept return, selling a picture instead of the actual item, listing item in “special services” category, etc. Even if they successfully scam someone, they will have to refund the money once the buyer eventually finds out.
10 comments
valueaddedresource
·4 months agoOne possibility is that these listings could be part of a triangulation fraud scam.
Triangulation fraud works basically like your standard drop shipping scenario - a fraudulent seller lists an item they don't actually have in their possession and when someone buys it, they order it from a different legitimate seller and/or website to ship to their eBay buyer, but they use a stolen credit card for that purchase.
Usually the item has shipped by the time the actual credit card holder notices the unauthorized purchase and does a chargeback, so the legitimate seller ends up being out both the item and the money.
In these scenarios, the eBay buyer often has no idea there was fraud involved and gets the item they purchased at a price that is literally a steal, so not only do they often not file a claim or return request, they'll usually leave positive feedback too.
I've personally experienced this kind of fraud using stolen credit cards as the legitimate seller in the triangle and since then I've seen several variations on the theme. Sometimes they'll use gift cards, sometimes if the legit seller is on Amazon the fraudsters will take advantage of their very buyer-friendly policies to file false not received claims to get a refund, etc. - but the end results is the same.
eBay is very aware that this kind of scam has been rampant on their site for well over a decade, in fact, this image was created by eBay and posted on an eBay Enterprise page warning about this kind of fraud back in 2015.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/11/how-carders-can-use-ebay-as-a-virtual-atm/
https://mashable.com/article/nespresso-money-mules-ebay-credit-card-fraud-def-con
They turn a blind eye and do very little to stop it because they know they can't be held liable for it and they benefit financially from turning a blind eye.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Warning-Retail-Arbitrage-Credit-Card-Fraud/td-p/30822324
imac7065
·4 months agousing a stock photo isn't a scam... if you see them listed insanely cheap and shipping from china... then yes.. that's most likely a scam.
In my genre (sports cards and action figures) there are insane scams and obvious knock offs... I've reported them constantly and ebay barely ever does anything....
Example? There's an infamous baseball card worth about 10 cents (if that) .. it gets listed and "sold" for more than $10,000 all the time. It's very obviously a credit card scam (IE a thief cashing out a stolen credit card) but it happens again, and again, and again
cheech2021
·4 months agoI think thats more of a pump and dump.
If I can make others think it worth a heck of a lot more by pass sales ( me buying from my friend(s)
Maybe you will buy it, for a few dollars less, thinking your getting a deal from those past sales
But those past sales were transitions with-in the group of scammers pumping the price up to make it look like others are buying for this price, so it must be that value.
Five sales of $1000.00 and now this one is for sale for $650.00, WOW what a deal, I'll buy it and maybe re-sell it, and make a buck.
Its worth $100 tops maybe.
eburtonlab
·4 months agoBut scam listings usually have these traits: seller do not accept return, selling a picture instead of the actual item, listing item in “special services” category, etc. Even if they successfully scam someone, they will have to refund the money once the buyer eventually finds out.
There are many different types of scams; some are easier to spot than others; some are more effective than others. Some buyers are better at getting refunds than other buyers.
A scam does not have to work 100% of the time for the scammer to make a profit. And experienced scammers may know much more about how eBay works than many legitimate buyers.
Listing in a services category or a heavy industrial category can prevent the buyer from filing a traditional money back guarantee claim, and industrial BEPP claims only work for items valued over $1000 and that are sold in the US. Buyers of items listed in inappropriate categories can contact eBay customer service to have a money back guarantee case opened manually over the phone, but not everyone knows to try that.
If a buyer receives a photo of an item instead of an item, the buyer can file a "not as described" return, but the sort of buyers that fall for those listings may not always know that, either.
If the seller ships a trinket to a nearby business location, the seller can win an "item not received" claim since the seller has tracking that appears to show delivery in the buyer's zip code. Not every buyer knows how to deal with "false tracking".
Buyers should avoid deals that are obviously too good to be true, or items offered by new or inexperienced sellers if the alternative of buying from more experienced sellers is available.
tobaccocardyahoo
·4 months agoIf these graphics cards are used in crypto mining, there is no price which is too high or too low. They often reflect the current value of crypto and vary widely based on when they are listed.
When price swings occur, some of these sellers will cancel orders, and some buyers will return their purchases.
Anyone who buys or sells such products online need a lot of intestinal fortitude, and maybe a little or a lot of larceny.
onefootflipper
·4 months agoStupid young men like to try to run scams on items that attract other stupid young men. They probably don't understand the whole system and don't realize that it will be near impossible for them to walk away with that money as a brand new seller.
inhawaii
·4 months agoThese scams?
What scams?
The things you mentioned don't make it a scam.
kayneth0093
OP4 months agoAwesome, go catch these amazing deals and enrich yourself. Once in a lifetime opportunity.
christworks
·4 months agoYou are naming sellers who cannot defend themselves. That's a violation of board policies.
inhawaii
·4 months agoThanks for the tip. I appreciate it.
I will make sure not to buy anything...
*From a seller with a new account
*From a listing with a stock photo
*From a listing with a stolen picture
*From a listing with a low price.
*From a listing with a hand-written note
Wait! Doesn't ebay offer buyers a MBG (money back guarantee)?