Scammers Try To Get You Coming, Going On eBay
If you ever buy or sell on eBay, beware of online rip-off artists trying to get you coming and going.
There are two popular schemes out there, and we'll show you how to protect your money.
Lou Fausak, an eBay expert, didn't fall for one fake check scam, but plenty of other sellers have.
The item Fausak was selling only cost $800, but a buyer sent him a check for $2,800.
The online crook said it was a simple mistake and asked for $2,000 back. The message told Fausak he was required to transfer the excess funds. If he had, he would have been out two grand.
"They're clever. They're sophisticated. And they're in places where the laws don't touch them," Fausak said.
Here's another trick you need to look out for: It involves "second chance" offers.
You think you're getting another shot at that item you wanted so badly, but it's really a crook trying to steal the amount you were willing to pay.
This time, a schemer hijacked the ad for a car Fausak was selling. He never even knew it, until a victim called to pick up the vehicle. Fausak had already sold it to a higher bidder.
"It's a hard thing to tell somebody that you didn't send me any money, you sent a bad guy some money," Fausak said.
An e-bay spokesperson told us the company "works directly with law enforcement whenever possible to bring the perpetrators of these scams to justice."
But in a new twist on an old lesson, Fausak said it's buyer -- and seller -- beware!
"If it's too good to be true, it's too good to be true. That's it," he said.