Chris Lawell Talks About Auction Fraud

Chris Lawell Talks About Auction Fraud

Hi there Chris Lawell with you and today we are going to
discuss internet auction fraud. Ever since eBay became a
power house online individuals have had to learn the hard way
of bidding online and getting burnt. Of all the complaints
registered with the Internet Crime Complaint Center roughly
three-quarters of them involve some form of online auction
fraud. Can you guess what the most common form of online
auction fraud is. Well it involves finding that one of a kind
item, bidding on it, paying for it and then never receiving
it. The only thing you will be getting out of this bid is a
lot of headaches, grief and time lost.

So here is what happens you end up purchasing an item and it has either been grossly misrepresented or you just never receive it at all. There have been cases where people have ended up buying discount coupons believing it to be something else and numerous knock offs have been sold off in replace to their real life counterparts. However there are a couple of things you can do to protect yourself from getting scammed in online auctions.

The first thing you will want to do is sign up for a PayPal account. PayPal is the account of choice when making purchases online. All your financial information such as credit card and bank account numbers are all protected and the vendor will never see any of that information. Also PayPal will protect you if you never receive your item or it simply was not what was stated. The PayPal resolution center will give you the peace of mind you need when purchasing items from online auctions.

Secondly, always read any fine print in the auction ad. Read every bit of the ad and don't fall in love with the picture. Many times at the end of an auction listing you will see phrases such as "pictures are for representation purposes only". That very well may be your first clue to stay away from that auction. So take your time and make sure the ad is clear on exactly what you will be getting.

Also you really want to be aware of the sellers online reputation. Online auction sites such as eBay have feedback scores which lets buyers leave a score of the service they received. If you see a seller who has a low score and many negative comments you may be best served moving on and doing business with another seller. You may pay a little more of a higher price but in the end you may end up way more satisfied.

Last but not least, stay away from these online auction sites which seem to have popped up over night. Stay with the companies that have a good reputation and many members. There are sites that will lure you in with very cheap prices, only to scam you down the road. They may steal you secure information and sell it or charge you hidden fees for their service.

In the end you really want to use your best common sense and always remember that if it is too good to be true than you should keep on looking. Remember that while you are shopping online the best way to think of things is as you are browsing in a giant world flea market. Would you just drop your money and information with any vendor, no you would look around and choose the one you trusted the most. There are many great deals online, just make sure you are vigilant and you will not become another victim of internet fraud. This has been Chris Lawell, helping you protect yourself from fraud.