Money fraud
Ebay classifieds: These four rip-off stitches, you should be aware of
© Schoening/ / Picture Alliance
Ebay classifieds is extremely popular – not only with bargain hunters, but also for fraudsters. Consumer advocates warn of four meshes, with which Criminals hit their victims over the ear.
Ebay classifieds is one of the most popular platforms in Germany. Here you can find everything, from too narrow a made jumper on the old Router to the new cars. However, not only with bargain hunters, the Portal is popular, but also Criminal. Consumer advocates warn again and again against fraudulent Tricks. This popular stitches you should know:
1. Beware of Paypal payments
One of the most common meshes of the fraud with Paypal payments. It works like this: usually, the fraudsters put popular products such as branded sneakers or high-quality kitchen machines at a reasonable, but not frivolous-seeming price. Users believe, to make a bargain and contact the seller. Requires payment via Paypal, the customer should select the payment option “friends and family”, because then no additional fees apply.
The only acts like a small Detail, but in the case of fraud, with serious consequences: In the case of Online stores, the PayPal buyer protection, on the a lot of users to leave only the item “Goods and services”. If you select the “friends and family” to an Ebay handle classifieds business, in the case of fraud, bad cards. They were suspicious and they won’t go for that.
2. The mesh with Western Union
Almost everyone who has looked for an apartment in a foreign city, is likely already to be with this mesh, in contact: To find a promising listing, write to the owner, but this is currently unfortunately traveling for work. Therefore, he could send the keys to the apartment only as a pledge, he calls for a Deposit of several Hundred euros, payable via Western Union. Caution: Pay in any case.
Why Criminals use is always Western Union? “The advantage for the rogue traders: The customer pays the money at a sales location of Western Union, there is, for example, in the case of many savings banks and the Postbank,” says the consumer Hamburg. The recipient will receive within a few minutes, get the money and then dive in. “The chances of his money to get back, are bad, because the scammers from abroad to act and for the collection of money in General, unsuspecting straw men.”
3. The Trick with the check
This mesh is used, if you are the seller. So the Criminals do it: they sell about a current iPhone and charge 800 Euro. The fraudster logs on to your ad and sends a cheque for 1500 euros. “The seller is asked to cash the cheque and transfer the difference between the purchase price and issuing amount of the supposed buyer,” says the consumer Hamburg. To redeem the cheque, will remit the difference amount in the amount of 700 euros, but a few weeks later, the check bounces. The buyer is no longer accessible. That’s how you stay on a damage of 700 euros and the product is also.
4. The Triangle Of Fraud
This Scam hits you, without Western Union or cheques are used. The Criminals use a third Person for Bank transfers. “A consumer told us, that in the case of a sales portal on the Internet deposited to the seller’s account has been tampered with, and they are no longer findable, therefore, the purchase price to the seller, but a third has transferred”, write the experts. Apparently, the procedure is not uncommon: In a second case example, the consumer reported of a young man who sold a valuable coin in the Internet. He received the money to his account and sent the coin to the buyer’s request to a pack station. “A few days later, he learned that the money has been transferred from the hacked account of a third party. The money he had to give to the account holder, his coin, he saw not again.”
You, be suspicious!
All of these stitches have in common that the scammers take advantage of either the credulity of their victims or the finer points of payment services. Therefore, you should go in the case of transactions with Strangers, never in advance payment, no checks to accept (this could later burst), and, if possible, on a personal Delivery there. You are in case of doubt, more suspicious than necessary: If a seller says he is based in Hamburg, is a Spanish Bank account, should shrill alarm bells.
Source: VZHH
Read more about Ebay classifieds:
– “What is last price?”: The crazy world of Ebay classifieds
– Fetishes and insults: Ebay classifieds: star readers share their most curious experience
– Obscene messages and fetishists: the dark side of The Ebay classifieds
– “There you are, really, the Dirty-socks-fetish” More curious Ebay experiences, the star-readers
– “In you ALL the screws are loose”: more funny Ebay experiences, the star-readers
