In another age, these selfish, manipulative scum would be snake oil salesmen. What was really incredible was that some of the victims were apparently manipulated into feeling sorry for the thief!!! When does gullibility stop and common sense begin?
I think if you're going to participate in eBay, you need to do so with a large dose of common sense, seasoned with a dash of healthy cynicism. Most buyers and sellers ARE honest, but it pays to be on guard.
Reading on the eBay forums (following reading the MSNBC article) one thing that really popped out - NEVER reply to an email that you think might be suspicious. If you do, then your email can be harvested by spammers - apparently this is quite common. One seller, with a very comprehensive auction listing, which included a notation that there would be no international sales, got an email requesting "more information" (nothing specific) from an email address in the UK. In a response in the eBay forum discussion about this incident, an ebay user named terrabird posted this useful bit of info:
QUOTE
"Here is what happens when you answer one of these bozos.
You will start getting fake ebay mails trying to get your password.
You will get fake emails that look like they come from your ISP, saying they cannot verify your email and to enter info onto a site or they will shut down your internet connection.
You will get fake paypal emails (even if you don't use paypal) telling you to go to a website and change your info.
As was posted earlier, get ready to get some good use out of that ol' delete button!
I have a separate email on hotmail. I copy and past questions from buyers, and leave out my real email, and answer questions with this email. If the spam starts building up on the hotmail addy to much, I get a new one to use to answer questions. I reserve my real email addy for the real bidders!"
Good advice - next time I sell stuff on eBay I'll definitely use a "disposable" email address!
