eBay bait emails...

[lcummins]

I know eBay will sometime use fake accounts to try to catch people doing off site sales and avoiding fees, but this is just odd...

Here is the message from an eBay user about one of my auctions. The account was created just days ago and the user has 0 feedback. And of course, I was suspicious from the first moment...

I want to buy your item on behalf of my client.I will pay you any amount you which to sale it as buy it now.my client will send you M/O as a mode of payment.the item is going to my client manager in africa.the shipping will be make by my client once you receieve the M/O.if u agree to sale the item for me.kindly send your address,phone#.just email me with address and name asap today.so that the M/O can be send on tomorrow.make sure you tell me the price you want to sale your item in your reply and email me with ur address asap today.

Here was my response (I checked the box to hide my email address by the way)...

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand you. The item is available with a Buy It Now price, so if your client wants it, he or you could purchase it now. I will not enter into any sale off eBay, especially with someone with no feedback. I hope you understand. If you want the item, please bid.

Now here is where it gets funny; just 30 minutes after I sent my response, I received this email from eBay (yes it was really from eBay and had my full name in the email as well)...

Dear <removed>:

Our records indicate that you recently sent an email to or received an email from hutseco0 through the eBay email system (for example, you may have sent an email to this member through Ask Seller a Question or received an email from this member through Contact eBay Member).

Sometimes eBay accounts are used to send email solicitations for transactions outside of eBay, or to send unrelated questions in hopes that you will respond so that the other party can obtain your email address. We wanted you to be aware of the potential fraud risk these solicitations pose and encourage you to be cautious about the email you received from this member.

Please keep in mind, sales that take place outside of eBay are not eligible for any eBay or PayPal protective services and you run the risk of losing your money or your item if you complete these transactions. We would encourage you to review the eBay pages related to Fraud Protection at the address provided below for information on steps you can take to ensure that your transactions are successful:

https://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/isgw-buyer-protection-steps.html

If you have already sent the item or sent payment for the item, please reply to this email and we will send you additional information about how to protect yourself.

Regards,

eBay Trust & Safety

So, was this a fake eBay account from eBay themselves? And if so, did they even bother to read my response? Something smells here...

 

[King Darkness]

Wow....I have never seen anything like this...very strange...keep us informed..

 

[creecher]

It doesnt smell. It stinks.

I am particularly wary of the African connection. I have recently received a number of email scams generating mainly out of Nigeria. All wanting to deal with money orders and, apparently, launder money. One even wanted US$750 from me so that they could access some kind of inheretence worth millions. Yeah right. Anyway Lonnie you did the right thing and are missing out on a lovely propensity to have been scammed, as far as I can see.

Their persistence knows no bounds. First emails, then operating through dating sites and now ebay.

 

[lcummins]

Oh I knew it was a scam email the instant I saw it. What is curious to me is how fast eBay sent the follow up email "warning" me of this suspicious account and activity...

 

[Xeno]

My guess is that scammer send a lot of mails to a lot of Ebayers. Probably a few of them complained about this to Ebay and so Ebay knew of this scammer and somehow they have this system on alert and when someone else is in contact with this person, you automatically get that warning mail from Ebay. I think it is something like that.

I get a lot of spam lately on my mailadres I use for Ebay. I guess that's because I often contact members directly through emailadresses instead of via Ebay. I think I 'm gonna block these adresses and make a new alias for Ebay-mail and from now on only contact Ebay-members through Ebay.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

i hate this stuff, what happened when ebay was somewhat honest?? im not blaming ebay, but whenever i get emails with ebay anywhere in the title i delete them right away. if you really got an email from ebay there will be a copy of it in your message box in your ebay account so i just check that everyday. other than that i want to fry everyone else that sends me mail from ebay. :emperor

 

[noelleon69]

no that isn't from ebay. they meant that others register on ebay to use their account for solicitations for transactions and fraud.

the fact that ebay sends you an email so soon means they are doing a good job at clamping these things down. kudos!

just like the point that Xeno has raised, this member prob is doing just that, using their ebay account for these purposes and it's only sooner or later that ebay finds out. you probably are one of the last people who got their email and by that time ebay has already got ready to step in.

 

[Jesseawilson]

I have actually recieved this a few times, it's either to get free product by sending you a fake money order or to obtain personal information about you.



Jesse

 

[pixletwin]

As general rule, if I get any email which involved the continent of Africa in any way it goes to the garbage. I seem to get alot of email from Mr. Edward Eugimbwe (or somesuch) who is handling the estate of (insert name here) and wants to transfer $1,000,000 to my account etc....

 

[lcummins]

...the fact that ebay sends you an email so soon means they are doing a good job at clamping these things down. kudos!...

I never considered that they were actually trying to do good; what with their track record and all!!!

 

[KAOSINLA]

Just a rehash of the old nigerian scam on ebay. I played along with one of these people once. I got all the way to the point that they sent the fake money order and then I revealed them as a scammer. Even though the money order was fake, it still cost them money to send it (around $20 or $30 bucks). Needless to say, the person wasn't too happy.

 

[noelleon69]

I never considered that they were actually trying to do good; what with their track record and all!!!

yeh i know... that's why i pointed that out.

KAOSINLA, i did thought of that before, but just can't be bothered to spare my time to do it. it's just so much easier to hit the delete button after getting the email. but that's a good one... tricking them instead, giving them a taste of their own medicine.

 

[Bannister]

Just a rehash of the old nigerian scam on ebay. I played along with one of these people once. I got all the way to the point that they sent the fake money order and then I revealed them as a scammer. Even though the money order was fake, it still cost them money to send it (around $20 or $30 bucks). Needless to say, the person wasn't too happy.

I remember reading on another forum of a guy doing this once. He made the scammer do all sorts of things to prove he was honest like taking pictures of himself holding up signs that the guy told him to make with various phrases and things like that. The whole thing was hilarious.

 

[DannieDarKo]

Bannister you have to show me that forum sometime.

 

[Bannister]

I think I read about it on dvdtalk a couple of years ago. I doubt I could find it but I will give it a try. If I don't I will try to tell you what I remember from it sometime.

 

[LordAzrael]

Try here - its not the same but similar

https://www.whatsthebloodypoint.com

I think the one you are referring to is Scam 1.

 

[KAOSINLA]

Here's a hillarious site

https://bustedupcowgirl.com/scampage.html

read the "have faith" story