Damon Cortesi's blog

Musings of an entrepreneur.

eBay Scams

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I recently made a few, 3 to be exact, bids on eBay for a particular item. Not long after, I had 3 emails in my inbox regarding an item similiar, if not exactly, like the one I was looking for. Here’s a sample of the email:

I see at ebay u are interested in this product and i finked i’m not have anythink to lose if i send u a email.
Very professional and well written! How convenient that somebody has the exact item I was looking for. But wait…it gets better:
If u are interested please contact me for more details and for the price,about the price i tell u we cantalk and fixe a price good for both of us.
This person seems very flexible - they’re even willing to accept a MoneyGram! No…I’m not kidding!
PAYMENT: Western Union or MoneyGram
Where do I sign my name?!

I’ve seen the eBay emails that go around asking for personal info, but this is just blatant trickery and thievery. It doesn’t help that the person must be completely uneducated. Some of the other 3 I received were somewhat better written, but still nothing a 5th grade English teacher would be proud of. These people seem so accomadating, though:

I am looking for a fast,safe and clean deal for both of us,so i do not want any money in advance and meeting in person could be arranged.

What amazes me is that they do this with actual eBay accounts. This is very similar to the Nigerian Banking Scam, if anybody is familiar with that. People are amazing…

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