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eBay WATE Scam......


thighslapper

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Hi folks.

 

There is an as new WATE 16-18-21 on ebay at present

 

The listing advises you can contact the seller and 'buy it now' for $2600

 

Seller arranges payment via Western Union..... for payment to an address in Italy despite the lens being in the USA. The resulting 'transaction' email looks very convincing.... but...

 

THIS IS A SCAM !!!!!........ as usual if the price is too good to be true... it usually is !!!!

 

I smelled a rat and did some digging ..... it's a common and very plausible scam and once the money is sent you have no comeback at all...... be warned.....;)

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Hi folks.

 

There is an as new WATE 16-18-21 on ebay at present

 

The listing advises you can contact the seller and 'buy it now' for $2600

 

Seller arranges payment via Western Union..... for payment to an address in Italy despite the lens being in the USA. The resulting 'transaction' email looks very convincing.... but...

 

THIS IS A SCAM !!!!!........ as usual if the price is too good to be true... it usually is !!!!

 

I smelled a rat and did some digging ..... it's a common and very plausible scam and once the money is sent you have no comeback at all...... be warned.....;)

 

How did you find this out, and what made you suspicious?

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How did you find this out, and what made you suspicious?

 

I was suspicious, too. It's an obvious fraud.

 

  • The auction is a copy of another from May, 2010 marked SOLD for $3,400 and found at this link (scroll down) to "Serial number: 4008180" (Quoted from his auction). See it here.
  • Using a picture instead of text to display his exceptional requisite and email address (which is not his ebay address) is intended to keep eBay from automatic scans for suspicious auctions.
  • All items are offered for the same, stupidly low amount.
  • demands that the buyer contact or he will cancel the bid.
  • His shipping fee is only $2.84, and is the same for his other two auctions which would never ship for that amount.
  • Finally, if you look at the revisions for his auctions, they are all the same.

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I was suspicious, too. It's an obvious fraud.

 

  • The auction is a copy of another from May, 2010 marked SOLD for $3,400 and found at this link (scroll down) to "Serial number: 4008180". See it here.
  • Using a picture instead of text to display his exceptional requisite and email address (which is not his ebay address) is intended to keep eBay from automatic scans for suspicious auctions.
  • All items are offered for the same, stupidly low amount.
  • demands that the buyer contact or he will cancel the bid.
  • His shipping fee is only $2.84, and is the same for his other two auctions which would never ship for that amount.
  • Finally, if you look at the revisions for his auctions, they are all the same.

 

ok, thanks for the info.

 

the ebay scammer just used pics from some other auction altogether by the looks of it. as the getDPI link did not post images of the WATE. actually the scammer didn't even need to post the S/N, unless he wanted it too come across as legit in terms of S/N range

 

has the scammer hijacked an innocent ebay account?

 

yes, the one thing that did make me suspicious is the image of the BIN and email posted

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It's a hijacked account that has low activity so that you can't view previously sold items - except for this one: "Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick RD304 Sweet Pea" which apart from anything else should ring all the alarm bells.

 

Bob.

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It's a hijacked account that has low activity so that you can't view previously sold items - except for this one: "Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick RD304 Sweet Pea" which apart from anything else should ring all the alarm bells.

 

Bob.

Nothing to wear with that colour, Bob?:D

 

Pete.

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I reported it to ebay and it's now gone......

 

I use a seperate (very old) email address for ebay so all their stuff comes to a seperate email account......

 

The sellers 'emails from ebay' came to the email address I used to contact him and not the one ebay has listed against my username.

 

Otherwise it was all very plausible........

 

The previous feedback which a seemed to have resurrected itself after years of silence (and involves mostly cosmetics) was also an alarm bell ringer.... and the use of a gif with the contact details which bypasses eBays auto sifting of listings to find dodgy activity.... if fact all the classic hallmarks of a scam are there if you look and ignore the shouts of 'BARGAIN BARGAIN! going on in your head.......

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Nothing to wear with that colour, Bob?:D

 

Pete.

No, colour was fine. It was the taste and smell I couldn't tolerate :rolleyes:.

 

I did in fact report all 3 auctions (Leica, Hasselblad and electronic components) to eBay Trust & Safety. They were removed within 3 hours.

 

Bob.

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