Fraud on Ebay Classifieds is not uncommon. But false advertisements and supposed sellers cannot be recognized at first glance. The triangle scam in particular is considered a popular trick. TECHBOOK explains how you can protect yourself.
Ebay classifieds is the most popular portal when it comes to online trading of second-hand goods. From toys to furniture to cars to real estate, there’s an ad for everything. But beware: not every ad is genuine. It may be an attempt at fraud. The triangle fraud is considered a particularly perfidious scam. There are a few pointers you can use to spot Ebay Classifieds scams and protect yourself as a buyer or seller.
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How does the triangle scam work?
In order to spot the Ebay Classifieds scam, you need to understand how it works. As the name suggests, triangular fraud involves three people: the seller, the fraudster and the buyer.
The scam could work as follows. Imagine a seller listing a MacBook on Ebay Classifieds. The scammer becomes aware of this ad and now creates an identical ad for the same MacBook with the same sales conditions. Meanwhile he contacts the actual seller of the MacBook and tells him that he is interested in buying it and asks for his payment details. Up to this point it is actually a completely normal buying process on eBay classifieds.
The actual scam begins the moment a prospect responds to the scammer’s fake ad and wants to buy the MacBook from the scammer. The interested party also asks for the payment details, but the fraudster does not transmit his own payment details, but rather the payment details of the original seller on Ebay classifieds.
The unsuspecting prospect pays the amount and informs the scammer, who forwards the information to the actual seller. The seller does not suspect anything and sends the MacBook to the address provided by the scammer. After a while, the unsuspecting buyer calls and asks about the shipping status of the MacBook. But the scammer has since gone into hiding with this one.
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What can you do if you have been caught in a scam on Ebay Classifieds?
Have you paid for an item on eBay classifieds that hasn’t arrived and the seller seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth? Then you may have been a victim of fraud on eBay classifieds. But don’t panic: the seller usually bears the damage, since the unsuspecting buyer is entitled to a refund of the purchase price.
If you spot a scam, you should immediately report it to eBay Classifieds and ask for clarification on your case. If you paid with PayPal buyer protection, you can get the money back via PayPal if the seller does not provide proof that the goods have been shipped. Since the fraudster has long since disappeared with the goods, there is no proof and you usually get your money back. In this case, the victim is the actual seller, who now receives neither the goods nor the money.
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What does eBay Classifieds do to prevent fraud?
Although eBay Classifieds cannot check every ad for possible fraud, the platform offers ways to safely buy and sell goods.
“Pay Safely” feature
To protect buyers and sellers from fraud, eBay classifieds introduced its own payment system in October 2020. Similar to PayPal buyer protection, “Pay Safely” offers protection to the buyer or seller.
The buyer pays a fee for this depending on the agreed purchase price. The seller can use the function free of charge. “Pay Safely” ensures that the buyer gets the money back if the goods do not arrive or differ greatly from the description.
In the case of the MacBook sale described above, both buyers and sellers are protected from fraud on eBay classifieds. The money is paid to the seller only after the buyer has confirmed receipt of the goods. Another plus: the payment details of those involved remain secret throughout the transaction – buyer and seller do not have to disclose them to each other.
How Can You Spot eBay Classifieds Scams and Protect Yourself?
Fraud on Ebay Classifieds is not obvious at first glance. So you should protect yourself as best you can. This includes:
Recognize reputable providers
Sellers who refuse personal contact or want to communicate via other channels (e-mail, messenger apps) should immediately be suspicious to you. Fraudsters reduce contact to a minimum and do not want to process the purchase via eBay classifieds.
That’s why we advise you: Communicate only via Ebay classifieds and check the seller carefully to protect yourself from fraud. How long has he or she been registered on Ebay Classifieds? Call the number provided to verify that it really belongs to the seller.
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Choose secure payment method
Pay with buyer protection – whether via the “Pay safely” function or Paypal. This is how you can protect yourself as a buyer and seller on Ebay classifieds from fraud.
Basically, if the eBay classifieds seller would like to receive a payment confirmation (e.g. by email), they should always check the receipt of money directly in their respective account or in the respective app. Scammers often send fake proof of payment.
Sellers should rule out personally picking up the goods, since the handover cannot be reliably proven in this way and fraud is made easier. Even cash in an envelope should neither be used as a payment method nor accepted by sellers.
Identify forged documents
ID cards, employment contracts, bank transfer slips – all easy-to-forge documents that look forbidden and genuine. Therefore, be suspicious until the authenticity has been proven.
You should first check company details in service or job advertisements using Internet search engines. In the case of concrete job offers, it is important to check all the information for plausibility. What is the work order? Does the task make sense and is it logical? Is the specified payment for it proportionate?
protect data
Do not give out bank details, ID card details or account details carelessly. You should also never transmit copies of this data to others. If it is a fraud attempt, your information can be used to open bank accounts or online accounts that are misused for illegal activities.