Monday, September 11, 2006

Local Woman Falls for eBay Scam

WKRC 12 Cincinnati - Local Woman Falls for eBay Scam

We've said it before and we'll say it again. It's never a good idea to complete an eBay transaction off eBay, no matter how good the deal promised may be. In fact, the better the deal promised, the more it should be greeted with suspicion.

In this case, a woman was presented with a second chance offer, but was instructed to complete the transaction off eBay using a Money Order. Adding to the potential risk was the fact that the seller was located outside the US. Needless to say, she sent the money but never received the goods and because the transaction was completed off eBay, she has no recourse through eBay.

Don't let this happen to you. It's easy to get excited by an apparent deal, but don't forget some of these basic rules of thumb when buying something off eBay:

1. Never complete an eBay transaction off eBay
2. Never pay by personal check or money order, always pay with a credit card through PayPal
3. Avoid transactions outside your native country unless you know exactly who you are dealing with.

and most importantly...

4. Use gumshoo! :)

When you search for and view eBay auctions with gumshoo, you get a second pair of eyes that are scanning auctions for a variety of warning signs. Risks like foreign sellers, suspicious descriptions, excessive shipping charges, seller reputation and much more are brought to your attention faster than you can say "Buy it now!"

gumshoo is also a great way to learn eBay shopping best practices that can keep you out of trouble. Our alerts offer specific warnings and specific advice to help make you a smarter eBay shopper.

We hear about stories like these nearly every day. They're unfortunate, but they reinforce our belief that there is a real need for our service. If you use and enjoy gumshoo, we encourage you to let your friends, co-workers and family know about us. If you've never used gumshoo, we encourage you to give it a try today.

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