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Ebay: How to Detect Scams and Other Useful Tips

Ebay is a true paradise for collectors and compulsive shoppers who love to snag the most unlikely items for the lowest prices. This online marketplace was not only a pioneer, the first of its kind on the internet, but also allows any user to seamlessly purchase or sell whatever they desire. However, in this wonderful environment of free buying and selling around the globe, there is always some scammer waiting patiently for unsuspecting users to fall into their web of deceit.

No doubt you have seen more than a few ads offering the latest Samsung Galaxy, brand new, for half the price it sells for in other online stores. There’s only one unit left, and the ad urges you to act fast or risk losing your new phone. Believing yourself to be the luckiest person alive, you purchase the phone and can’t wait to enjoy your new Samsung. But when your package finally arrives in the mail, inside is just a photo of the phone. You’ve been scammed!

These kinds of situations and many others happen on Ebay on a daily basis. And although the website normally works like a charm, con artists keep finding new methods and tricks to avoid being caught. Don’t be fooled, and make sure to protect yourself from their scams!

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To save you and your wallet from more than one unpleasant experience, in today’s article, we’re going to tell you about the most common scams on Ebay, how to sniff them out, and of course, what to do if you’ve been ripped off. We hope you find them helpful!

The most common scams on Ebay

Since it’s an extremely popular platform, a large number of scams are circulating on Ebay with the sole objective of stealing your money. Keep reading to learn about the ones that have been the most prolific in recent years.

The photo scam

This con is intended to trick anyone who visits Ebay to buy expensive products, such as a TV, gaming console, laptop or high-end phone. The Ebay ad seems reliable and shows you the exact product you want for a great price. After you make the purchase, the scammer prints out a photo of your item and mails it to you. So instead of a half-price iPhone 11, you receive a photo of the phone.

The fake PayPal payment

Instead of targeting Ebay buyers, this scam is directed at sellers. As you probably know, when an article is sold to a buyer using PayPal, the seller receives an email confirming payment and asking for the product to be shipped. In this scam, a fake email, supposedly from PayPal, is sent to announce the payment and request shipment of the item. However, the payment was never made, so the seller ends up sending the scammer an expensive item for free.

Fraudulent car sales

You can find anything on Ebay these days, even used cars. In this type of scam, the con artist will copy a real used-car ad and post it on Ebay. When you purchase the vehicle, the scammer will ask you to pay them outside of the platform (big mistake!) to make everything easier. Once you’ve paid thousands of euros and go to pick up your car, the real seller obviously won’t give you anything, since you were never really in contact with him or her. What’s more, Ebay doesn’t insure car sales, so the scammer will have made off with your money, and you won’t be able to do anything about it.

The item that supposedly arrives in bad condition

This is another scam targeting Ebay sellers. This time, the con artist will look for an expensive item (normally high-end phones) and purchase it for any price you ask for. Once he or she receives the purchase, the scammer will contact you with a photo of the supposedly broken item and ask Ebay for a refund. If it’s the first time, and the platform has no reason not to trust the buyer, Ebay will take the scammer’s side and require you to return their money. As you can imagine, the hustler already owns a broken copy of the stolen item, and he or she gets a new one completely free at your expense.

Payment through a stolen PayPal account

This scam is impossible to detect, but fortunately, it will only affect you if a payment is made outside of the platform. The scammer goes to buy an article using a PayPal account stolen from another user. Obviously, the payment will be reversed, because PayPal will detect that the transaction was fraudulent, so you’ll lose the money they paid.

The “chargeback scam”

In this type of scheme, the buyer purchases a product, and after receiving it, requests a refund by supposedly returning the product. But the scammer sends back an empty box or an item that’s completely different from the one purchased, so the seller will not only lose their money, but also the product they sold.

How to avoid scams on Ebay

After reading the above, you are likely terrified of buying anything on Ebay again. Don’t worry, because even though there are scams and dishonest users ready to steal your wallet, the platform is generally safe. That said, here are some tips to give you peace of mind the next time you buy something on Ebay:

Always do research on a potential buyer or seller

Fortunately, Ebay uses a reputation system through which both buyers and sellers can leave reviews of the transaction and the condition of the item received. Before making any payment or selling any item, make sure the other person has a good reputation on the platform.

Carefully read the description of the item you’re going to buy

To avoid any kind of scam, for instance, buying a photo, make sure to carefully read the description of the item. If you find the description very vague, or the specifications or condition of the item you are going to buy are never mentioned, it’s probably a con. To clear up any doubts, it’s best to send a message to the seller asking explicitly about the item. That way, if it’s a scam, you can use this message to file a claim with Ebay and recover your money.

If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is

When searching on Ebay, you’ve likely found high-end products for very cheap, when they’re usually sold for high prices. Don’t trust these ads, and don’t click the buy button just yet, because you could end up disappointed. Read the seller’s reviews, and never buy anything from a seller who just registered on the platform.

Don’t agree to complete transactions outside of the platform

Often buyers can be annoying for whatever reason and insist on paying you outside of the Ebay platform. Never accept that. If you sell an item without Ebay’s system, you’re giving up all the sales protection offered by the platform. That way, if you end up being the victim of a scan, you can’t open a dispute or ask for your money back.

Confirm any email from PayPal

Since PayPal is the most commonly used and secure payment method for buying anything online, it’s also the one that scammers use the most to steal your money or items with fake emails. Always confirm the sender of any email you receive from PayPal, and never click on the links in any suspicious email. If you receive an email from PayPal, always visit the platform by going directly to the address and never through a link.

What to do if you’ve been a victim of a scam on Ebay

Fortunately, Ebay has a protection system for both buyers and sellers. Still, we reiterate that to make use of it, you need to carry out all transactions through the platform, otherwise you won’t be able to file a claim.

To recover the money you have lost as a result of fraud via Ebay, you’ll need to open a dispute with the buyer or seller through the resolution center. You can access it by clicking here. After you explain your problem and experience with the buyer or seller, Ebay will examine your case, and if you have been a victim of a scam, your money will be returned to you.

If you have been conned and paid for the item through PayPal, you can also visit the resolution center in your account and challenge the fraudulent seller’s transaction. PayPal will review the case, and in most situations, return your money without problem.

We hope that our guide to avoiding scams and cons through Ebay has helped you. Have you ever been the victim of a scam on the internet? Tell us about it in the comments section!

AliExpress: How to Detect Scams and Other Useful Tips

The Facebook groups where people ask for money

Blessing groups help Facebook users in need ask for financial aid, but are they safe?

It was only a matter of time. Facebook Messenger now makes it easy to send and receive money for free.

A recent piece from The Atlantic brought attention to a new trend on Facebook: asking for money in groups known as “blessings groups.”

While initially, we expected something akin to random Venmo requests, these Facebook groups appear to be a lifeline for needy users. They are also a way for good samaritans to give directly to those in need — in this case, mostly low-income moms who need some help getting by.

Here’s a look at what we learned about this social lifeline:

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What are blessings groups and who is using them?

The concept is simple, blessings groups are similar to crowdfunding sites but less formal. Posters often request small amounts to cover basic living costs like gas money to get to work or a few extra dollars for food until that next paycheck comes in.

The key difference between blessings groups and a site like GoFundMe is that the latter is used for large expenses like medical bills, charity runs, or launching a new business. The groups offer smaller amounts and many cap funding at $500 per post.

Most groups have names like App Blessings or Give Me Some $$$. Yeah, they get straight to the point.

How it works is like this: people share how much they need, along with some logistical details like preferred method of payment, photos, and some sort of assurance that they’re a “real person” not some kind of a scammer.

From there, the community can respond by asking questions about the request in the comments section. Often, funders upload receipts as a way to add some transparency to the process.

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Are these Facebook Groups regulated?

The bulk of the Facebook blessings groups we found were closed groups, operating according to a similar set of rules.

No promotional content or live-selling
No hate speech or violence
You need to have a profile picture that shows your face
No referral links to sites like GoFundMe

So, while there are no formal regulations in place, the platform seems to focus on enforcing some basic guidelines. People must be respectful and transparent about why they need the money, how much they’ve received, and so on.

What’s worth pointing out is that this is one of the few places, short of walking up to a person on the street where you can donate directly to an individual case.

Additionally, crowdfunding on Facebook is less polished than the GoFundMe and IndieGoGo campaigns where success often hinges on marketing savvy and attractiveness.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Facebook does offer some guidance for personal and non-profit fundraising. However, it’s unclear whether this approach is included in the rules.

Which is the best crowdfunding site?

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Facebook crowdfunding offers an alternative

If you look at GoFundMe’s FAQ page, it does look like users do have the option to raise money for themselves and the site doesn’t take a cut. However, funds may take a few days to go through. According to the site, it could be up to five business days.

The other thing to consider is that a GoFundMe page might receive more criticism from their community than they would request money in this less formal setting.

Facebook payments are also sent through Messenger, Cash, PayPal, or Venmo, so people get paid immediately. This is huge, as The Atlantic notes, users seek help on these platforms because they need to pay their gas bill that day or feed their kids.

One group, Give Me Some $$$ (strangers helping strangers and paying it forward), allows people to sign up for VIP membership. It’s a $10 fee, which goes toward supporting the neediest users.

How to create a fundraiser on Facebook

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Bottom line: Facebook fundraising might be the new safety net

While there’s no guarantee that your donations aren’t going to someone lying about their situation for extra cash, Facebook users seem to do a pretty good job sussing out a scammer.

And, what’s more, like traditional crowdfunding, not everyone in need receives funding. That could be due to their conduct online or a case that’s less than glamorous.

These robocall blocking apps are selling your data

Several robocall blocking apps are selling your data as soon as you hit the download button

If there is one thing that every person regardless of race, religion, or political stance can get behind, it’s that we all hate robocalls.

This hatred has gotten so apparent that even the FCC has taken action to stop them. However, many of us have still taken matters into our own hands by downloading apps to block robocalls.

Unfortunately, according to an article from TechCrunch, some of these apps are compromising our privacy as soon as we download them. The robocall apps Hiya, TrapCall, and Truecaller all were selling user data to third-party analytics companies.

How serious is this?

Apps stealing your data is nothing new, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not an issue. Hiya and Truecaller were selling information about your phone such as the model and software, which is in direct violation of Apple’s App Store guidelines.

Although these three apps were the ones called out most in the TechCrunch article, they are not the only offenders. Many robocall blocking apps immediately send some data to Facebook as soon as you hit the download button.

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Robocall blocking apps are nice, but you are still running a risk no matter which one you download. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I have one of those apps! What should I do?

Fear not! There are plenty of robocall blocking apps that you can download that won’t sell your data. Again, you just have to ask yourself if it is worth the risk.

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If you’re done with these apps altogether and want to make sure you are protected, there are some things you can do. First, you should uninstall the app in question. Once it is uninstalled, use an app like PhoneClean to make sure all traces of it are gone.

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The next thing you should do is run a virus scan. Even if the app is gone, there is always a chance that something is happening in the background to send data to third-parties.

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Once you’re done running a virus scan, restart your phone. If the scan found something, restarting your device can make sure that everything malicious caught by the virus scan is gone.

Wrapping up

Look, we all hate robocalls. If we get one more fake call telling us about a car warranty we don’t have, then we might just throw our phone out the window. However, this doesn’t mean that we should pursue a method of blocking robocalls that can potentially do more harm than good.

As stated before, the FCC is working on a way to block robocalls for good. It is probably in your best interest to wait until that plan is unveiled before you go seeking your own solutions.