eBay listing details posted on web site with Russian domain

[saturdaystoys]

I learned this evening that one of my former listings has been captured with the complete description, listing details, and all pictures... and placed on what appears to be a Russian web domain.

I'm not sure where to turn in reporting this.  I tried to contact eBay Help and Support... and the boiler room that I connected with couldn't understand me so I gave up on that.  Any suggestions as to how to report something like this once it's been lifted from the eBay platform and placed on a different company's web site?  The other site is completely fraudulent... as I use no sales platform other than eBay.  I'll appreciate your thoughts...

[saturdaystoys]

Now I'm discovering that the same thing is happening with domains from Argentina, Italy, Peru, Ireland, Ecuador, Portugal, Brazil, etc.  While it hasn't impacted me, nor any other seller that I know, it's clear that bad actors are setting up their scam using the listing descriptions and images from legitimate eBay sellers... and looking like they're associated with eBay... but are not connected to eBay in any way.  They are offering the merchandise at 50% discount... and linking only to their own private check-out system.  One can only wonder how bad this is going to get...

[saturdaystoys]

Further research indicates that the web sites associated with this domain name are fraudulent attempts to scam potential buyers:  2024shopping.ur  (aka "Christmas Discount Shop")

[house*of*paws]

Hi @saturdaystoys 

Both eBay and non-eBay sellers have copied descriptions and photos from eBay listings.  Unfortunately, eBay can't stop people from using public information on their website for their own benefit.

Is your name connected to the Russian listing?  I understand that it must be disconcerting to discover the listing ... but there shouldn't be any way that YOU will be connected to any fraud.  [It's also possible that the seller might have a similar item to sell and is being lazy, rather than fraudulent.]

[saturdaystoys]

To be clear... the fraudulent sellers (all of them are non-eBay sellers) are creating an image of our actual eBay description (including our eBay Store name and other text that clearly identifies our long-standing connection with eBay... and then they make identical copies of each photograph... and then post all of the above in new listings on a .ru web site ("store") at a 50% discount from our eBay pricing.  They are careful not to provide any links back to the eBay site for completing a purchase at check-out... nor to our original eBay images.   While that leaves a measure of safety for us, still, it leaves their unsuspecting shopper waiting for an item that will never arrive.  In essence, they are just being scammed.  These foreign sites provide a 100% fraudulent "check-out" system that simply steals payments from the buyer or sends them a counterfeit item that has nothing to do with the listings that we originally posted on eBay.

eBay makes it very clear that once we post images and/or text  with our listings... that those posts are then considered to be eBay property.  At that point... the fraud is being committed against eBay.  Some may feel that there is no way to moderate such activity... but it's reasonable to say that if it is allowed to take root throughout the world... it could destroy internet sales activity as we know it.  I wouldn't be surprised to discover that to be the actual intent.

Fair warning.  This is real... and it's becoming more widespread.  Others have confirmed the scam led by China and Russia in this regard... and that also involve domain names from a dozen other countries that we've confirmed to date.  

So far, we have found it to be effective to simply end our valid US / eBay listings that have been compromised on these international domain sites... and then use the "Sell Similar" update to change our eBay item, titles, description and photos so as to differentiate from the corrupted overseas listings.   Out of approximately 20 fraudulent listings that we found last week (all originally posted in our US / eBay account)... today there are less than 10.  For now...

Just this week... the Google Chrome browser appears to be blocking access to some of these foreign sites, but not all of them.  They indicate that the links are not secure and therefore they don't permit access.  That's a step in the right direction...