Curious scamming incident...

[fine-eclectic]

Recent fraud attempt:

i received an inquiry as to if i would accept a cheque for an expensive set of silverware. Normally i do not accept cheques (for a variety of reasons) but the buyer is in the province so i explained that i would, but of course will need to wait until the cheque cleared before shipping. i also looked at the buyer's feedback and see nominal history, but that's ok.

Cheque arrives very quickly and is from a business, which i look up but there is no info on. Okay, possible explanation. Address is to a UPS-type store with postal box; again, not necessarily anything to be concerned about, but i decide to call the bank and see if they will tell me anything. Normally they are not supposed to but i am told the account is frozen. i go to a local branch and they won't give me any specifics but say definitely not to cash it.

In the mean time i try to keep communications going, inform eBay and pass the info on to the police, though they say nothing will likely happen, which i kind of expect. i eventually inform the buyer that the banks advise me not to cash the cheque, but the buyer says 'it's good!' and asks if i would like a wire instead. At this point i request a cancellation, the buyer agrees and i rel-ist the set.

For some reason the next day i look at the buyer's feedback and i realize two things: three of the buyer's fb comments from different sellers are exactly the same - completely identical. This is not physically possible. Then i look a little closer and to my surprise i realize that several of the comments are mine - that is - i wrote them for my customers!

Has anyone encountered this before?

[mr.elmwood]

This thread will get pulled as you cannot identify another user like you did.

Why would you refuse a wire transfer?

FD is odd for other reasons. They have received it all, except for one, from shooting star sellers. The identical from three sellers? Maybe possible due to random generation. Could be the same seller under three different IDs.

[femmefan1946]

mr e-  EBay only removes the member's name, not the post.

Wire transfers are normal in Europe, but unusual in North America. They are very expensive to cash, upwards of $25. DH gets them from time to time from overseas customers.

The identical feedback are probably from the automatic FB generation option. Less of a concern than at first glance.

Still, if a bank is willing to go so far as to warn you not to try to cash a cheque from one of their customers, I'd be very cautious too.

[recped]

Yeah it's scam account alright.

All that feedback they have came from $1 trinkets and then last week they started to buy $2500 gold coins plus another $4000 sterling set (and then your set).

No doubt some poor suckers will ship before they find out the cheques are bogus.

[fine-eclectic]

Apparently wire transfers are against eBay policy. i was also told by the police that a bad cheque could be used to pay for it and i'd still be in the same boat.

[fine-eclectic]

i'm not worried about it, but i still can't wrap my head around how/why different sellers could be using my feedback comments (there is no question the comments are mine) for this one buyer - unless they are all the same seller with different accounts and in league with this buyer, but even then, why bother?

Oh well, i'm just disappointed i didn't actually sell the set.

[mr.elmwood]

FB sellers. Why didn't I figure that out.

Pay for a wire transfer with a bad cheque? How is that possible when the bank will not release any funds until that cheque clears? Not possible. Bank would refuse the wire transfer at their end. Once the transfer is gone, it is on the bank.

[femmefan1946]

Apparently wire transfers are against eBay policy

No.

In Europe wire transfers are the norm. Particularly on eBayGermany.

What eBay doesn't want is SELLERS demanding electronically untraceable payments, like transfers, cheques, cash , Canadian Tire money.

If the BUYER suggests it, the seller can say yes or no.

The reason, besides eBay owning Paypal, of course, is that the buyer has no easy way of proving payment if the seller does not deliver. 

With electronic payment, PP can refund the buyer and go after the seller.

If the seller will not admit recieving the cheque or transfer payment, PP can do nothing.

However, from what I see on the dotCOM boards, personal cheques are still used heavily in the antiques category.

[mr.elmwood]

Oye. The "buyer" has spent $21,983 all between march 17-19.

[fine-eclectic]

i will still accept cheques from Canadian buyers, as clearing time is about 7 business days. However, i am not prepared to wait the month i'm told it takes to clear an international cheque.