Wed 24 Jun 2009
Beware of Scams and Fraud on eBay
Posted by Syd Tash under Security
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A security expert recently tried to sell his used laptop on eBay, and appeared to be quickly successful. However, eBay cancelled the sale, advising that the winning bid originated with a hacked account.
The next attempt to sell the Sony Vaio laptop also appeared to be successful. The buyer paid with PayPal, and requested shipping with FedEx. But she then disputed the payment with PayPal, and cancelled it, hoping that the computer would be shipped by then.
But PayPal beat the buyer to the punch. It advised the seller, our security expert, that the payment might be unauthorized, and to hold off shipping the item pending an investigation.
The seller still wants to sell this laptop, but is feeling understandably frustrated. On the one hand, it is reassuring to know eBay is monitoring and checking sales on the huge auction site. On the other hand, this is scary. If you buy or sell on eBay, be careful, use common sense, and use all the security tools available to you.
