eBay Scam Warning
eBay Scam
A while ago I saw this ad on DealFish where somebody advertised a Toyota Run X for R56,000. The reason I reported it to DealFish was because the person wanted you to pay via eBay and pretend to be from Cape Town. The advertiser’s name is “Karl Kixmiller” but I bet you that it is not his real name.
Today I received an email from a regular reader asking me if I would buy a car via eBay and he told me about this Run X bargain.
Luckily he has not paid the deposit yet, so I stopped him.
Now there is a couple of things to look out here and if you just use your head you can prevent being caught in this scam:
- If it sounds to good to be true it normally is. Think for yourself, if a Toyota Run X normally sells for more than R100,000 why would somebody wanna sell it for half the price.
- Why would somebody in who stays in Cape Town request you to pay the deposit using eBay and not directly to a South African bank account
- Why would you wanna pay a deposit on a car you never saw before?
What this person does is to take your deposit and then disappear.
I also so a simular ad for a Mazda 4×4 double cab which was advertised for R70,000 while its retail value was R200,000 and also they asked that you pay the deposit totheir eBay account so that they keep the vehicle for you.
On Free Classifieds sites you will frequently encounter scams like these. Other popular products the scamsters sell by taking your deposit and nether deliver the goods are:
- African Grey Parrots
- Monkeys
- Digital Cameras
- Cell Phones
Be aware, these are just the most popular but there are many others they “sell” that way.
The four sites mostly plagued with these scams are Gumtree, Junk Mail, Vottle and DealFish
eBay Scam
Hi I had a similar experience. My husband saw an ad on gumtree for a 2006 Golf tdi on sale for R36000. On further enquiries a person by the name of Stephen Marshall replied by email that he wanted to do the deal through ebay only. He did not want to give us any contact details as he advises that he had a throat infection and could not speak. We realises this was a scam. I then sent a mail regarding purchase of the vehicle and he said same vehicle was still available. Same details regarding ebay was given.after we told him that this was a scam and that he will be reported to the police he did not reply.
Hey Bronwyn,last i saw an ad on gumtree,hyundai i20 for R60 000,i sent an email to the person regarding the car,and guess what his/her reply was? The person said they are now located in UK and the car is being held with ebay South Africa,and all he requires is my name,street addess and phone number…
Hi I am looking to buy a car and I came across 3 great Deals A Honda Jazz for R30 000.00 very low milage. So I sent the seller an email. Toyota Yaris R24 000.00 also sent seller an email and a Toyota Runx R24 000.00 again sent email. All 3 emails were sent to different email addresses but same reply came back for all.this person said he is in UK and has just got divorced and is selling car for so cheap cause it here in South Africa also goes on to say that EBAY will contact me and make all arrangements I must just supply my full names and address. This had flags going up in my head as I think its a scam how can all 3 cars have the same story. I smell a rat.
Great post.
Perhaps I can just add to this that the best way to guard against being ripped off by online sales or auctions of any kind, Craigslist and eBay included—and whether seller or buyer—is to use a *bona fide* online escrow company. Especially for pricier items like antiques, jewelry and autos. Although it does add some cost, it takes the uncertainty out of the transaction, and that’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.
For my money, the best bona fide online escrow (and there seems to be ten fraudulent escrow sites for every bona fide one) is probably Escrow.com (http://escrow.com). In fact, it’s the only one that eBay recommends, and is the only online escrow company that is licensed to provide escrow services all across the United States.
Take care,
Ulf Wolf