Catch Me If You Can - The hunt for an eBay scammer

FastCompany.com ^ | August 2003 | Scott Kirsner

[freebilly]

As soon as this guy gets out he'll be back scamming people. Hope the next time they give him 30 years.

I bought a copy of Quickbooks through eBay. Turned out to be an illegal copy that could not be registered. I was one of about 75 people who got scammed. Haven't bought any else at an online auction site (except the Sonicare toothbrush)....

[July 4th]

Sheesh...all that work just to launder things through a pawn shop in the end. If he would have used that computer of his to find a real job, it would have worked out better.

[Centurion2000]

What's pathetic is how much time this guy put into creating his sites, scamming people and then taking the time to properly fence everything.

Guy with that much inttelligence and drive could have made something of himself. Here's to hoping that they throw the book at him.

[thegreatbeast]

Interesting story. Personally, I'm too scared to use EBay. I HATE being ripped off.

[rmmcdaniell]

Interesting story. Personally, I'm too scared to use EBay. I HATE being ripped off.

I have bought many things on EBAY. The only time I was ever scammed was when I bought something from a seller that had a user rating of 1 and posted 100 auctions at the same time. I have now learned my lesson. Do not buy anything of value from sellers that have less than a 50 user rating. The honest sellers have a reputation to protect and will make sure you get your items to avoid getting negative feedback.

[I still care]

I buy lots of stuff from ebay. You do have to be careful, but in hundreds and hundreds of auctions, I only got really scammed twice. Because most of my items are on the small side, I only lost about $50 altogether.

I have, in general, gotten far better bargains and made much more than if I hadn't used it.

[I still care]

Con men are the nicest people, and cause SO much pain. They leave behind such devastation. Many people can't afford the losses.

I knew one personally. He alienated every family member he had. The day he left his sister's house, a man showed up at her door demanding the title to her rental car, which he had paid $8000 to the con artist for.

I remember when he lived in his other sister's house. Several days after he left THREE people showed up with keys to the apartment, having paid him security and 1st months rent before he left. Seems he was showing the house for rental while she was at work.

He took each member of his family, one by one, because he was so good at telling each member of the family how he was "misunderstood" by everyone, and also he had two little boys everyone felt sorry for. Eventually he scammed the hard bitten sister, and she put him in jail. She was the only one with the guts to do it, and the mother cried and cried.

In between conning his family, he ran THOUSANDS of scams on the side. He got a couple of years here and there. But because it was "just money", no violence, he kept getting released to cause more and more pain.

I couldn't have afforded to lose the money he stole from some people - I know he had to have ruined whole lives. There was not a drop of honesty to him. If he borrowed videos from a library, he sold them on the street. If he rented a car, he sold that, too.

Eventually he died, painfully, in jail. I remember having no pity for him. Whenever I hear about these repeat offenders, I think of him, and have no pity for them either.

[ChemistCat]

I bought a copy of Adobe Photoshop 7.0 on Ebay that turned out to be pirated. It was supposed to be misprinted. I suppose I should have known better--the price was painful but nowhere near what a legitimate copy costs. It took several increasingly hostile and threatening emails between us and the seller to get a refund on our credit card. Nobody seems very interested in investigating this stuff...not even Adobe.

(Though I think the exorbitant price of some software, like PS, stimulates theft.)

[jocon307]

I have never bought anything worth more than about $15 on e-bay. Hubby has done far more transactions than me, and only just the other day did he get ripped-off. The guy in story makes the guy who ripped off hubby look like a real piker, but some of the technique is the same. Buying things to create a positive rating for example.

This fellow, Nelson, seems a bit touched in the head as they say. I can't believe how blatenet he was, and how he just stone cold left his wife, and then remorselessly took up with the Disney employee in Florida. What an SOB. He'll be back, probably.

And the other poster is right, why didn't he just get a job? I like how he thought he was only stealing from pay-pal, like that makes it ok. Too many people think things like this, and it's despicable. They think it is ok to steal cable tv service, or do insurance fraud. It's ok to be a thief as long as your stealing from a "corporation".

I hope the Gideons drop by with a Bible for this fellow, he needs guidance.

[Dog Gone]

Fascinating story. Thanks for posting it.

[Osage Orange]

I've sold many items, and have bought many items on eBay.

I've had a handful of people bid on my auctions...but never send the money. They cost me some money when they do that...but it's more of a hassle than anything else. I've never had a seller scam me...I've had some minor problems...but those sellers ( including myself...) were more than willing and happy to make it "right".

FRegards,

[ChewedGum]

Very interesting read. It is amazing that they had him and let him get away...

Gum

[TexasBarak]

I knew a guy like that- although not that pleasant to be around, he was the most talented salesman I have ever met. If he had channeled that talent and energy into something besides screwing people out of money, he'd have been wildly succesful. As it is, last I heard the guy is in Federal Prison for interstate fraud. People like that should be executed- they cause more trouble than most murderers. (and yes, murderers should usually be executed, too :)

[Paul C. Jesup]

For those of you who got scammed on Ebay, how many of you actually took the time to check out the seller's feedback rating BEFORE you placed your bid?

I have use ebay for collecting science fiction and anime/manga items (no, not bootleg, or porn stuff) for over 200 hundreds times and because I was CAREFUL (checked the seller's feedback before I bid and stayed in contact with the seller), I have not once really had a problem.

[freebilly]

These guys invent their own feedback ratings. Also, eBay was less than helpful in answering my questions and in trying to rectify the problem.

I got taken for about $75. After pursuing the matter for a day I dropped it. I was losing money every additional minute I put into it.

In any event, good feedback rating or poor feedback rating, eBay can go pound sand. I shop on-line now through one source that includes auctions along with links to manufacturers, retail outlets, and service providers. Plus, I'm given a rebate for all my purchases and for purchases of people I refer to the site. Any problems and I pick up the phone and speak LIVE to a real person who actually helps me.

[Paul C. Jesup]

These guys invent their own feedback ratings.

That is difficult to do and can easily be checked out by looking at feedback of the buyers who left the feedback for the seller.

I got taken for about $75. After pursuing the matter for a day I dropped it. I was losing money every additional minute I put into it.

You forgot the first rule of online bidding/shopping; if the deal looks to good to be true, it probably is.

[Crusader21stCentury]

I have use ebay for collecting science fiction and anime/manga items
We should talk, I have quite a few things I received when my brother passed away. From original Star Wars stuff to Trek TNG. Let me know.

[freebilly]

You forgot the first rule of online bidding/shopping; if the deal looks to good to be true, it probably is

$75 for Quickbooks 2000 is too good to be true? We ain't talking Mercedes Benz here.

[Paul C. Jesup]

And at that time, what was the retail for Quickbooks 2000? Hmmm...