Cops probe eBay scams
COPS are probing nearly TEN alleged scams a day on eBay.
Buyers in England reported an estimated 3,400 crimes on the auction website to police last year.
Fraud, theft and obtaining money by deception were the most common complaints.
But officers have also investigated harassment and even firearms offences. Sussex cops launched 161 investigations in 2005 — and there were 114 in Merseyside, 105 in the West Midlands and 21 in Kent.
Geoffrey Terringes, 40, was ripped off after paying £170 for CDs that never arrived.
He used the PayPal service to buy the rare Pink Floyd recordings from a seller in Argentina. But Mr Terringes, of Brighton, East Sussex, said: “I waited weeks. The seller assured me the CDs were on their way.
“But then eBay’s time limit for reporting rogues ran out. EBay said there was nothing they could do. To cap it all, this guy began trading under a different name.”
Police have brought prosecutions. Angela Makki, 48, received a six-month suspended jail term at Hove Crown Court after selling a fake Louis Vuitton handbag.
EBay was unavailable for comment about the figures last night.