Internet fraud is growing at an alarming rate each year, and the most common complaint by far is auction fraud. Protect yourself by following these steps:
Check out the auction site and the protection it offers
Understand as much as possible how the auction works and what your obligations are as a buyer and seller. Familiarize yourself with the fraud protection offered by the site. For a fee of $25, eBay provides protection for up to $200 for items never received or misrepresented. But that doesn't help people who buy more expensive or rare items. Amazon.com's auction site offers full fraud coverage for items not delivered or fraudulently represented - but only when you use their "Amazon Payments" feature and only up to $2,500.
Research the item
Auction sites aren't necessarily offering the best price or information. A little shopping around may prove the item auctioned as "rare" is available at the discount store down the street.
Be a cautious buyer
Ask lots of questions about the product, regardless of the item's description or photos. Be wary of items sold "as is," high shipping charges or significantly delayed shipping dates. Also, research the seller. Most sites provide a seller's rating and feedback history for each sale that a person has made. But even these can be manipulated by crooked hackers who will use someone else's feedback rating to sell you fraudulent items. In general, avoid sellers with several negatives and those with no feedback. Get the seller's phone number and physical address, then verify the number by calling. And remember that if a seller is located outside the United States, laws may be different when it comes to resolving disputes. There should be no reason to give out your social security number or driver's license number to the seller. If a seller asks for this information, report him or her to the site's fraud program and to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center.
Be a cautious seller
Verify the physical address of the buyer before you ship an item. Phony buyers have been known to give bad credit card numbers and then have the merchandise sent to a different address than the one on the credit card. Or they have it sent outside the United States and the seller never gets his money. In your seller description, make it known that you don't take credit card transactions if the addresses don't match.
Decide on your offer in advance
After you've done your homework, decide how high you're willing to bid for the item and stick to it. This prevents heat-of-the-moment decisions especially in highly competitive bidding. If you win the bid, print out the photos, descriptions and e-mails exchanged with the seller. Insure the item and pay promptly. Keep all records until the item is received and verified.
Special credit card warning
Using a credit card online is usually a smart move, but it can get dicey in the online auction business. If you use an online payment service like PayPal (owned by eBay), you waive all of your chargeback rights. Essentially, you are no longer dealing directly with the merchant when you use this intermediary service. So if the seller fails to send the merchandise, or if the seller is a liar a chear or a thief, you are out of luck.
Consider using an escrow service
Using a reputable escrow service could prevent you from getting taken when bidding online, especially if you're buying something that costs more than $200 (eBay's limit for fraud protection). Escrow services hold your money for a fee, and only when you receive the merchandise is the money released to the seller. But first check out sos4auctions.com for a list of the fraudulent escrow services. There are plenty out there. And remember not to deal with sellers who demand cash or third-party wire transfers. These are not traceable types of payment and offer no protection.
When something goes wrong
If there are problems, first try to work it out with the seller. If a dispute can't be resolved, contact the credit card company and the auction site. If that doesn't work, a report should be made to the Federal Trade Commission and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center.
*Sources: Bankrate.com, Internet Fraud Complaint Center, Fortune Magazine
Jul 16, 2008 -- eBay facing $61 million judgment over bogus goods
eBay is currently facing lawsuits all over the globe for their role as an enabler for people selling counterfeit goods. Clark has long believed that eBay has a responsibility to guarantee that the merchandise on their site is the real deal. The company has seen a decline in growth, and Clark believes the question of their credibility may be part of the slowdown.
A French court now has hit eBay with a $61 million judgment. The court believes that bogus merchandise on the site -- much of it purporting to be from high-fashion labels -- affects the reputation of companies like Fendi, Louis Vuitton and others.
Meanwhile, Clark has a marketplace solution that he's long believed in. He feels eBay should require sellers to say "famous brand" instead of listing the actual brand name, or require sellers to have their wares independently verified as real before putting them up for sale. Legit sellers could then command higher prices.
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Jun 02, 2008 -- eBay's new buyer protection plan hits Down Under
eBay has been a source of arguments between Clark and Christa for years. Clark has long felt that eBay should offer protection to buyers who get ripped off by sellers. Christa, meanwhile, has taken a more libertarian view. She believes they could offer protection if they wish, but it shouldn't be required.
They've both agreed that it would be great for sellers to have the option to get bonded by eBay after successfully completing a certain number of transactions. Buyers could then have confidence that they won't be ripped off with counterfeit goods.
Of course, there are crooked buyers out there too, but that's another story.
In response to softening transactions, eBay now is experimenting with a new policy in Australia that could eventually go worldwide. They'll back every transaction up to nearly $20K. eBay is basing its math on the belief that only a small fraction of transactions are crooked.
In the past, eBay had pseudo-protection through PayPal and through itself for fraud. But that was more of a marketing ploy than anything else. This, however, is apparently the real deal.
Sellers are already making a big fuss Down Under because the only method of payment allowed under this new plan is PayPal, which is owned by eBay. So is this move just intended to boost PayPal's business, or is it a real effort to boost the confidence of buyers?
There's no doubt that eBay is going through a rough adolescence with all the counterfeit goods and accompanying lawsuits. Regardless of the legal outcome, eBay has already lost buyer confidence. What people are willing to pay for branded goods has gone down dramatically as a result. Buyers automatically assume they're going to get a counterfeit. So the marketplace, in its own way, is already at work here.
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May 22, 2008 -- Microsoft pays you to use their search engine!
Microsoft has long trailed Google in the search market, which explains why they've been trying to buy Yahoo. By the numbers, Microsoft controls about 9% of the market, Yahoo controls around 20% and Google has 55%-60%.
In order to gain more market share, Microsoft will actually pay you to use them for search! Customers who make an online purchase after using their search engine become eligible for a cash back rebate from Microsoft. Clark has no idea how well this idea will pan out.
In related news, Google offers its own suite of free office software. Those same programs are also available in a free web-based version as well. Clark likes to see what Google has available from time to time on their site.
Finally, did you know that Microsoft Office is available outside the United States in select countries for only $3?! That's a huge difference from the $150-$500 we pay!
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Nov 14, 2007 -- New e-mail scam alert, PayPal offers $5 security key
Clark wants to warn you about a new e-mail scam making the rounds. Criminals have been gaining access to e-mail contact lists and sweeping out all the addresses. They then send out a very distressed note in your name to every contact on your list. The e-mail will claim that you're in financial, legal or medical trouble and that you desperately need money right away. The criminals hope that even one or two of your closest friends will respond with an offer of funds. Public e-mail services such as Yahoo! have been hit by this scam, according to The New York Times. Sometimes the criminals will even change your password while they're in your account. At that point, it can be very difficult to reclaim your e-mail address. So if you get a suspicious e-mail from a relative or friend, call them first and find out what's going on before you give them your money. On a related note, there's now a $5 security key that really helps secure your PayPal account. The key generates a random code every 30 seconds that you must use to access your account. Even if a thief has your e-mail address and password, they still won't be able to get in without the code. These kinds of security keys have become so inexpensive yet so invaluable. Clark hopes that brokerage houses and banks will soon be offering these devices to customers.
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