Not only honest buyers and sellers romp about on eBay classifieds. There are always new fraud methods that try to steal money from users. The following five are currently in circulation.
The eBay classifieds portal is actually very practical: you can buy things cheaper at the virtual flea market than in stores or buy them yourself. But buyers and sellers should be careful, because scammers keep trying their luck at ripping off money from unsuspecting users.
Anyone who recognizes the fraud immediately can prevent the account from being emptied by the scammers in good time. Currently, the following five rip-off methods are very popular with Ebay classifieds, against which the police warns urgently.
Ebay classifieds actually wanted to create significantly more security for buyers and sellers with the in-house payment function “Pay securely”, since you no longer have to agree on the exchange of goods outside the platform. And if you stick to the specified process, the system also works reliably for both sides. But even if the use of the payment function leaves little room for fraud, fraudsters have apparently found a way to take money out of the pockets of honest sellers. The Berlin authorities say: “Currently, more and more cases of fraud are being identified, the target group of which is the seller of a product on Ebay classifieds.”
The explanation of the scam follows: “A supposedly interested party writes to the seller and wants to process the payment using the actually existing eBay classifieds payment method “Pay safely”. The perpetrator then sends the seller a link where the seller can receive his credit card details to enter the payment.” The credit card is then debited, but no payment is ever received.
This is how you protect yourself from the scam
The general rule is: Never pass on credit card details to unknown persons. Ebay classifieds never asks buyers about it anyway. Likewise, the operator does not make contact via SMS or Messenger in connection with the “Secure payment” function.
Ebay classifieds explains to “Stern” on request how it should work: “With Ebay classifieds “Pay safely”, all steps are displayed directly in the message history of the account. We therefore recommend buyers and sellers to only use the message function on our website or apps and to keep phone number, e-mail address and payment data confidential. Under no circumstances should those affected follow payment requests that are not displayed directly on the website or in the apps of eBay classifieds.”
Another trick is the following: a supposedly interested party states that he wants to buy the product offered by the seller. He doesn’t want to pick it up, however, but rather has the payment and delivery taken care of by a postal courier service or “Ebay Selling”. For the courier scam, the alleged buyer pretends not to be able to pick up the package and therefore suggests the delivery service. You will receive a link that leads to a fake Swiss Post website. If you click on “courier service by post”, you will get a second link. It shows that the buyer has already paid the money. You will then be asked to enter your credit card details to receive the money. You will then be prompted for two-factor authentication via Tan or Push-Tan. If you have revealed your code, the fraudsters get access to all credit card data.
“Ebay Selling” is a very similar scam. A link will be sent to you showing that the goods have already been paid for. Here, too, the user is then asked to enter the credit card details on a separate website that is said to be from Ebay classifieds.
This is how you protect yourself from the scam
Anyone who suspects that they have fallen victim to this eBay classifieds scam should act quickly. First of all, this includes blocking the credit card to prevent misuse. This is very easy to do via the emergency number 116 116. It is then important to report the user to eBay classifieds. You should also consider reporting it to the police.
Paying via PayPal is quick and easy. That’s why she’s so popular. But beware: fraudsters also use PayPal. Although there is buyer protection with PayPal if you click on the “Send money for goods and services” option, there are fees of 2.49 percent on the amount of money sent and a fixed fee of 0.35 euros. That’s why the “Friends and family” payment option is more popular, because these additional costs then do not apply within the EU. However, the scammers have such an easy time. You list a product on Ebay Classifieds and then ask for a free PayPal money transfer through Friends and Family. Once the interested party has paid, they hear nothing more from the supposed seller. The money is gone because buyer protection cannot be used here.
However, this scam also works the other way around if you are the seller yourself. Then it makes even more sense to insist on the “Friends and Family” option. Because if the supposed buyer has decided to “send money for goods and services”, he could then get the money back via PayPal’s buyer protection, even though he had received the goods.
This is how you protect yourself from the scam
As a buyer: It makes more sense here to opt for the “Send money for goods and services” option and accept the PayPal fees. Then you at least have the opportunity to get the money back if the seller did not send any goods.
As a seller: In this case, it is safer to send the money via “Friends and Family”. If the buyer does not want this, the “Send money for goods and services” option can still be selected. However, in this case you should have a receipt for the subsequent proof that the goods were sent properly.
The triangle scam, which is currently popular with criminals, is also perfidious and bold. The fraudster copies an advertisement from a seller. At the same time, he states that he wants to buy the product offered, by bank transfer. However, he passes on the bank details he has received to someone else interested in his copied advertisement. This transfers the amount to the seller of the original advertisement. But he sends the product to the scammer. The prospective buyer of the fake advertisement does not receive his goods. In the worst case, he even reports the honest seller on Ebay classifieds as a fraud, even though he acted to the best of his conscience.
This is how you protect yourself from the scam
Never give your bank details to other users. You can also rely on the – real – “Secure payment” function from the online payment platform partner company. In the event of non-receipt of the goods, the latter fully refunds the purchase price to the buyer. Buyer protection also applies if the product is counterfeit or the goods received differ greatly from the pictures and description.
This scam is particularly sophisticated: the fraudster obtains a defective product and then searches for the same product on eBay classifieds or another sales platform. He buys the new product and transfers the agreed amount of money. After receiving the goods, however, he states that they are defective and sends the previously procured defective product to the dealer. As a rule, it is difficult for the customer to prove that the product he sold was actually completely in order.
This is how you protect yourself from the scam
Sellers should always keep a copy of the invoice and the device number in advance.
(This article was first published on Sunday, September 11, 2022.)
