Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
UPDATED – An Anatomy of Fraud: Don’t Let it Happen to You
Hi everyone,
As a former law enforcement officer this kind of fraud really makes me cringe because it could have been easily avoided! Recently we learned about a woman who was victimized by a fraudster because she didn’t realize that there is no relationship between Craigslist and eBay postings, and did not follow eBay’s general buying safety tips: mainly, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! These types of scams are getting more common, so please beware. Here is a step-by-step account of what happened:
1. Buyer found a car with a Kelley Blue Book Value of $9,970 listed on Craigslist for $2980. (This price with free shipping—too good to be true?)
2. Buyer contacts seller through Craigslist.
3. Seller e-mails buyer and pretends this will be an eBay transaction through eBay Safe Pay Insurer (there is no such program).
4. Seller sends buyer spoofed, or fake, eBay Purchase Protection Membership and seller “certification”—claims coverage up to $20,000.
5. Seller sends another spoofed but official-looking document specifying transaction conditions from the eBay “Vehicle Purchase Protection Department” which does not exist.
6. Seller sends spoofed “eBay payment instructions” and buyer is required to pay immediately with MoneyGram (Instructions contradict eBay policies- MoneyGram is banned on eBay.com)
7. Buyer pays with MoneyGram but doesn’t receive car and is out $2980.
8. Buyer brings complaint to eBay and law enforcement.
9. Buyer is not eligible for eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection Program (VPP) because it was not an eBay listing and eBay does not cover transactions off eBay.
Here are some tips that would have helped the buyer avoid her loss:
• Consider buying on eBay; we have the PayPal Buyer Protection Program and also a Vehicle Purchase Protection Program specifically for eBay Motors. See more tips from eBay Motors at http://www.motors.ebay.com.
• When buying on eBay, look at seller’s ratings and reputation.
• If you are shopping on Craigslist, follow its safety tips: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams. If you are shopping on eBay, don’t be lured off of the safe confines of the site to complete transactions.
• Research the item as far as model, price, book value etc., read description carefully and look for the eBay VPP if you are buying on eBay Motors.
• Be sure that requests for payment come through eBay channels and are in keeping with eBay policies.
• Never use Western Union, MoneyGram or wire transfer services because they leave you exposed to fraud and with little recourse. You are automatically covered by the eBay VPP for all eligible listings on eBay Motors.
Please see the warning message posted on the eBay Trust and Safety Community Message Boards.
Thanks and have a safe and happy holiday!
- Rich LaMagna
Online Safety Advisor, eBay
UPDATED 1/6/2009
Hi Everyone,
I hope that you have all enjoyed a pleasant holiday and wish you a safe and prosperous New Year!
I’d like to address some comments and emphasize that my goal is to provide information and advice to allow eBay customers to make informed decisions and have a safer online experience. I am a paid consultant to eBay and not an eBay employee. While I fully support and agree with eBay and PayPal policies, my job is to promote online safety.
As for the suggestion that I need to get out into the world more—during 28 years of federal law enforcement experience and almost 10 years in the security field in the private sector, I’ve lived and worked in four different countries and traveled to about another 30 on business; I also try to keep up with the latest in online safety issues. Here are a few points I’d like to make:
Although @Laura Greenfield’s question pertained to bank and wire transfers I’d like to address other payment forms since they were also raised.
Some people indicated that they often use money transfer services or bank wire transfers as sellers and have had no problem from regular corporate clients and wholesale customers. Granted that the risk is greater for the buyer than the seller and dealing with known clients does reduce some risk. However, suppose the buyer makes a claim that the item was not received or otherwise flawed? For both buyers and sellers, taking the transaction off eBay leaves you with few protections and options. This could also result in a dissatisfied buyer, who might leave negative feedback which is harmful to your DSRs. Why risk it? I recently attend an industry meeting where a Western Union security official stated that he does not recommend their service for payments to other than known and trusted individuals.
If you use PayPal, the buyer is protected for the full purchase price of the item plus shipping costs on eligible transactions? The seller is protected for unauthorized payments and “Item Not Received” claims. Credit card companies also offer recourse and protection that bank and wire transfers do not offer. That is another reason why wire transfers are no longer legal on eBay. Buyers expect safe, convenient and fast transactions, which PayPal and other online payment services offer– there is a good reason why 90% of eBay shoppers prefer online payment services, as do most eCommerce buyers.
I’ve done bank wire transfers for my own business and they are costly and inconvenient—I’ve wasted valuable time sitting in front of a bank employee doing a wire transfer which often takes 24 hours to complete. Recently, I had to go back to the bank a second time because they made an error on the transaction and the recipient had to wait another 24 hours for the money. As for trusting PayPal, as a buyer, I recently filed claims with PayPal on items and services that were not as described—they responded immediately and I had my money back within 12 hours.
Here is what Western Union and the Federal Trade Commission say on their sites about money and wire transfers as well as other payment methods:
Western Union
Remember, Western Union recommends against using the Western Union Money Transfer® service to pay for online auction purchases. It is important to note that Western Union does not offer any type of purchase protection or escrow service and is not responsible for the nonreceipt
or quality of goods or services.
Federal Trade Commission(OnGuardOnline.gov)
Carefully consider your method of payment. Don’t send cash, and don’t use a money wiring service. To protect both buyers and sellers, some auction sites now prohibit the use of wire transfers as a method of payment.
Online Payment Services. Online payment services are popular with both buyers and sellers. They allow buyers to use a credit card or electronic bank transfer to pay sellers. They also may protect buyers from unlawful use of their credit cards or bank accounts because the online payment service holds the account information, not the seller. Many sellers prefer online payment services because the services tend to provide more security than, say, personal checks.
Wire Transfers. The FTC recommends that buyers not wire money (via a money transmitter or directly to a seller’s bank account). …..In fact, to protect both buyers and sellers, some auction sites now prohibit the use of wire transfers as a method of payment.
Finally, I’d like to address the issue of personal checks:
• Checks can easily use a forged signature
• Checks can be easily written when there are insufficient funds in the account
• Bank accounts can be opened in bogus names (see identity theft)
• Checks contain personal information that should only be given to trusted merchants
• Banks will not make good on bad checks and will charge fees
• Checks take longer to clear
• Checks on foreign currencies take very long to clear and require fees
Frankly, as a buyer, seller and business person, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to use PayPal or another approved electronic payment method.
To file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission go to FTC.gov.
Thanks for your comments and Happy New Year!
Rich LaMagna
Online Safety Advisor
Tagged: craigslist, ebay, eBay Ink, ebay motors, ecommerce, fraud, online fraud, online safety, online security, Rich LaMagna, security, trust and safety
Laura GreenfieldOn December 22, 2008 at 8:32 pm Said:
Hi Rich,
Sorry to hear about that scam. I hope there weren’t more victims. I’ve had some experiences with receiving odd e-mails including the second chance offer scams.
I’d like to follow up with some questions to improve my safety on the site. I’m an eBay PowerSeller and am trying to keep up with new rules and protections. I have often accepted wired funds from EU countries, as that has been modus operandi there for transactions for a long time. I realize that having the funds go through PayPal offers the most protections and of course keeps revenues stronger for eBay. Although I don’t advertise this on my listings anymore, many clients ask to wire transfer funds to my bank account. As a seller, once the funds are wired into my bank account, what is the actual risk I face? I am not referring to Western Union or MoneyGram. I see more risks for the buyer involved than the seller.
Please explain seller’s risks. My bank funds should be FDIC protected once deposited, yes?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Laura
JJHOn December 23, 2008 at 7:51 pm Said:
Unfortunately there will always be “suckers”, and that’s a shame. Looking at your examples, the #1 giveaway was the grammar, as usual, with these scams. It’s always the same simple rule: if it seems too good, it is.
You/we will never be able to protect everyone. There will always be another sucker to victimize.
MarcOn December 26, 2008 at 9:16 pm Said:
As far as wire transfers go, how is providing an account number and routing number any different than handing a personal check to a stranger at a store? All of this same information is on the check. Not to mention your name, address, phone number, and license number. Is writing personal checks now dangerous as well?
AmberOn December 27, 2008 at 2:05 pm Said:
Wire transfers are perfectly safe for sellers, although they are expensive for most US customers. The rest of the world operates on bank to bank transfers and have no safety concerns about handing out that information.
GazOn December 27, 2008 at 10:32 pm Said:
Rich
As a “security expert” you really need to get off the kool-aid and get out into the world more.
MoneyGram and Western Union do not need the receivers account details at all. All they need is the receiver’s city name and country.
The sender then communicates the transaction ID number to the receiver, who goes to an appropriate receiving office and hands it over with proof of identity that they are the named recipient (e.g. photo-ID or passport).
The disbursement office then fills out the form which the receiver signs and the staff compare signatures and take a copy of the ID, then returns the ID with the money to the receiver.
I know this to be true because I have a small list of corporate clients who always pay me using wire services (and add my receiving fees to the transfer too). They concur that all the risk in such transactions is theirs, and that there is no risk for me – which is why they prefer that payment route, to make sure I take extra care of their account and transactions.
I also have small business wholesale customers who refuse to pay me any other way than bank to bank transfer, because it incurs no fees for me and I can shave prices for them.
In fact, off eBay, PayPal and similar services are the LEAST preferred payment services amongst my customers. Off-eBay, almost no-one trusts or believes PayPal, especially the protection policies.
[Sentence edited. See comment policy]
mikeOn December 27, 2008 at 11:02 pm Said:
I almost got scammed on ebay too, here is how I noticed I was being scammed:
RichOn December 28, 2008 at 6:41 pm Said:
I accept wire transfers from about half my customers and have been doing so for years. As for buying, I always use wire transfers and I haven’t been duped yet. Giving a routing number and account number does not expose one to any additional risk.
GailOn January 2, 2009 at 3:32 pm Said:
Obviously, we’ve been treated to another meritless eBay line.
Mr. LaMagna ~ How have you paid your power bill for the last twenty years? How did your wife pay for groceries before check cards?
PayPal has my checking account number, and I “have no idea who has access to it at the other end or what they might do with it”.
I trust the cashier at my local grocery store more than I trust PayPal.
Laura ~ Funds transferred to your bank are FDIC insured. This only means that if your bank fails, you’re covered against loss of funds by the Deposit Insurance Fund, which right now has $52 billion. If those funds are ever depleted, the DIC has an additional $30 billion line of credit with the U.S. Treasury.
Incidentally, I’m sure you know this, but PayPal is a business, not a bank. If they decide to file Chapter 11, any funds they are holding in your “account” are gone. Always transfer funds out of PayPal to your bank account immediately. Then transfer those same funds into another account to which PayPal has no access.
Marc, Amber, Gaz, and Rick ~ Thank you for injecting some intelligence into this thread.
Are you going to remove this post too, Richard?
Cheers to you….
A*B*C*D*EBAYOn January 6, 2009 at 1:47 pm Said:
Rich LaMagna writes:
“As for trusting PayPal, as a buyer, I recently filed claims with PayPal on items and services that were not as described—they responded immediately and I had my money back within 12 hours.”
I recently won an auction on eBay for a BRAND NEW widget. It arrived SEVERELY used. I contacted the seller and she refused to accept that the widget is SEVERELY used, so I immediately filed a SNAD with PayPal, as the widget is indeed SEVERELY used and not NEW as advertised.
I can assure you that I will lose the PayPal complaint even though I have spent a tremendous amount on eBay (over $450,000.00 in the past 4.5 years)
One has to wonder why I will lose, but personally I *think* it is because I choose to speak out against eBay and PayPal, whether it is here, on the discussion boards, or any other method (financial blogs) I so choose to air my thoughts.
12 hours…………oh my. You are very fortunate.
Chris @ TameBayOn January 6, 2009 at 3:45 pm Said:
“as a buyer, I recently filed claims with PayPal on items and services that were not as described—they responded immediately and I had my money back within 12 hours.”
Really??? As a buyer I recently filed a claim with PayPal on an item that was never delivered and received an email saying “We will make every effort to resolve this claim within 30 days, although we may require additional time to complete our investigation”
How come I have to wait for an “effort” for 30 days and you get yours sorted in 12 hours? Is it cos I’m not important enough? :-p
A*B*C*D*EBAYOn January 6, 2009 at 5:44 pm Said:
To Chris @ Tamebay:
At least YOU will get 30 days to, um, WIN the dispute
;)
AmberOn January 6, 2009 at 6:12 pm Said:
I’m unsure why there is so much paranoia among the ebay employee and consultant ranks regarding bank to bank transfers, but I did notice how much online security is focusing on BUYERS.
Paypal and other online payment services offer little in the way of seller protection. There are numerous instances where supposedly cleared payments have been reversed AFTER a seller has shipped the item. Guess what? They weren’t covered under SPP.
Paypal SP is also moot for INR complaints for international sellers–since it is not cost-effective to pay for proof of delivery that is VIEWABLE ONLINE.
And, again, it should be pointed out that bank to bank transfers are MUCH more common abroad. eBay Australia got slapped for their attempt at Paypal only because of the bank deposit prevalence and preference “down under.” Much of Europe is the same. It is only in the US that we are so afraid of them.
And, I’d say the risk of being caught by a phishing scam directed at Paypal users is FAR greater than the chance someone would attempt identity theft based on bank account details. The new requirements for Homeland Security make opening a bank account more difficult than it used to be.
I’d also like to address the paranoia around CHECKS.
How is it that I have had ZERO bad checks in over 5 years selling on eBay but they are supposedly such a problem?
Checks contain personal information that is already available to sellers when they SHIP THE ITEMS. The same information is available on the Paypal transaction details screen.
Ecommerce is, at its core, a Mail Order industry. An industry that has, for decades, accepted checks sent by customers not at all worried about the information contained on said checks.
Checks take no longer to clear than a Paypal echeck. Considering it takes up to 1 week for an echeck to clear, then another 3-5 days to transfer funds from Paypal to a seller’s account, the notion that checks somehow ’slow the process down’ is silly. Perhaps the mail adds some time, but add in that 3-5 day time to get funds to a seller’s account, and I think it’s a wash.
Finally, I’d like someone to address the fact that funds held in Paypal balance are NOT FDIC insured. They simply aren’t. Added to MY concerns regarding Paypal is the fact that Paypal is not a bank and is, as a result, NOT REGULATED. The company has a history of capriciousness that makes the service just as risky, if not more so, than the so-called unsafe methods.
HenriettaOn January 7, 2009 at 12:37 am Said:
Thank you Amber for stating so succinctly & well exactly what my own response would have been. I have blogged a review of a non eBay approved method of payment processing, for alternate sites.
CarolineOn January 7, 2009 at 11:29 pm Said:
As an australian I could not let this debate go past without adding a “down-under” point of view. While I have successfully used Paypal since 2003, I am well aware how hated the company is over here, because despite being registered as an Australian company, and having a financial licence, Paypal Australia refuses to sign the EFT code of practice that other financial companies happily sign and which would protect its users from the more capricious of Paypal’s decisions, and appears to have scant respect for Australian laws and trading conditions.
For example: we are expected to provide proof of postage that breaks all our state Sale of Goods Acts; the only way we can stop Paypal taking money unfairly from our accounts in event of a dispute is by lodging official complaints with government departments; and when we try to get help or advice from Paypal, we are forced to cope with poor international phone lines and “foreign” accents that can be difficult to understand. Add to that the fact that very few US-based service officers are aware of Australian Law, and so often give incorrect advice, and its a PR recipe for disaster!
The pro-buyer policy of Paypal, and parent company Ebay, has created a sub-culture in Australia, at least, of scam artists who are happily reporting and winning “item not received” claims and the seller cannot even warn others about this, because sellers can no longer give a negative rating to a bad buyer. How is this seller protection if the seller is forced to go to a government agency to get Paypal’s unjust actions overturned? The only way to get the negative feedback these scammers leave is to threaten legal action against Ebay!
Are you aware that if you have 2 alternative sources of funding for your paypal account such as a credit card and a bank account, then Paypal, for security purposes can over-ride your default credit card settings and take the money from your secondary bank account WITHOUT your permission, as Paypal’s default setting is to change yours unless you say no, rather than to ask for your permission to do this (which is the standard business practice in Australia)? Ask me how I know: our government financial regulators are looking into this as I write!
Paypal provides a great service, when it works properly, and is quick and convenient. But it is not secure even for a buyer, unless it is financed by a credit card so you have the added protection of the credit card company. As a seller you have very few rights, and those depend on whether the person you speak to on the phone has English as a first or second language, and is aware of your local conditions and laws! This is really not good enough for an international company in this day and age, and THAT is why Paypal is hated and mis-trusted around the world.
And that really is a pity, because unless Paypal adapts to local conditions and provides its service with integrity and transparency, the only remedy left will be for individual countries to legislate the company out of existance.
Chris @ TameBayOn January 8, 2009 at 2:22 am Said:
@A*B*C*D*EBAY Already won the dispute – it’s a bit of a sad one to be honest. The seller refunded two days after I opened the dispute. The problem is eBay suspended their account for some reason and that meant the only way I could contact them was by opening a PayPal dispute. I guess that makes sense as if they just did a runner I’d have a claim in, but with the refund came their apologies and explanation of what had happened.
In hindsight the last thing I wanted to do was to make matters worse for them by endangering their PayPal account but eBay left no other way to communicate with them :-(
BrendaOn January 8, 2009 at 5:28 am Said:
Frankly, as a buyer, seller and business person, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to use PayPal or another approved electronic payment method.
I agree it’s nice for the buyer. For the seller, not so nice. As a newby seller, I stopped selling on eBay because of the 21-day hold policy. I had 5.0’s across the board, but I wasn’t going to give people a couple of weeks on my dollar to mess with my items, which are handcrafted and fragile, possibly break them or claim to break them and take their money back, leaving me with nothing for my time, expense and effort but eBay and PayPal fees to pay.
A friend of mine sold a very expensive doll to a Canadian buyer with PayPal. She used the tracking and delivery confirmation methods that were available to her for international sales (this was a while back). The buyer claimed INR, and despite submitting the proof that the item had been delivered, PayPal took the money back. My friend was out several hundred dollars, and her doll, which was handcrafted by her and very beautiful. She doesn’t sell on eBay anymore or use PayPal.
Buyers may be happy with the PayPal protection they receive, but sellers know better. Sellers are not always the guilty party in these transactions, but they are currently treated as such in most cases. A recent thread on Seller Central, where a seller actually (and justifiably) won a SNAD dispute and its subsequent appeal, was greeted with amazed astonishment for the rare thing that it was. Sellers are buyers as well in almost all cases. If sellers can’t trust PayPal to give them a fair shake in disputes, they won’t use it. If they are forced to use it to use eBay, then they will go where they are not forced to use it to sell, and they will buy elsewhere as well. The forced PayPal policy is costing eBay customers, both buyers and sellers.
MarcOn January 8, 2009 at 12:30 pm Said:
@Rich
Thanks for providing your opinion.
“Frankly, as a buyer, seller and business person, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to use PayPal or another approved electronic payment method.”
LOL!!
Overall spin grade: B-
GailOn January 8, 2009 at 1:35 pm Said:
Mr. LaMagna ~
How many items have you sold on eBay?
Nevermind, I already know the answer.
AmberOn January 8, 2009 at 2:44 pm Said:
@ Chris,
It IS Sad that eBay is so—well–paranoid about off site sales that they are doing everything possible to restrict communication between buyer and seller. My Messages doesn’t work if you are kicked off of the site for, say, non-payment of fees.
Although, in the past, seller email addresses were available in the Item Won emails. Not sure if that’s still the case as I no longer buy on eBay.
Chris @ TameBayOn January 8, 2009 at 5:42 pm Said:
I’ve turned off every buyer and seller notification email possible and for those that remain MailwasherPro has rules to delete them from the mail server unread. :D
I really don’t need a gazillion emails confirming actions I take on eBay as I’m well aware of what I do :D
A*B*C*D*EBAYOn January 8, 2009 at 11:02 pm Said:
Chris @ TAMEBAY,
So sorry about your seller. It happened to a seller I dealt with that was taken down for an ALLEGED fake widget. (I use the word ALLEGED as she was NARU’d over a buyer CLAIMING SUCH, but that’s another can of worms to open. My widget was VERY MUCH real and VERY appreciated by me)
I also find it sad that in eBay’s attempts to deter buyer/seller communication off of eBay, they have effectively caused much more harm by pushing eBay members OFF OF the site entirely.
“Take paradise, put up a parking lot”
Tough pills to swallow. Lots of tough pills to swallow as of late.
*SIGH*
AmberOn January 9, 2009 at 10:34 am Said:
Chris,
In this case, the seller should still have had YOUR email in their Paypal transaction details.
So….unless it was caught in the filter(s), they never bothered to email you?
Poor seller communication IMHO. Even if they are NARU on eBay, Paypal should still have the info.
As an aside, I’ve been seeing LOTS of temporarily NARU sellers. I’m betting the majority are a result of the poor economy: not enough sales to cover the fees…resulting in non-payment and a NARU status courtesy of the ‘bay.
Chris @ TameBayOn January 9, 2009 at 1:37 pm Said:
@Amber
Yes they should have but to be fair I expect they had more important things to do like trying to find out why their account had been put on hold and what they could do to get it back up and running. I’ve no problem at all with how they responded in the PayPal dispute and would buy from them again (if I could remember who they were or what their User ID was…. of course eBay delete the transaction so I haven’t a clue and can’t check!
PAROn January 10, 2009 at 5:47 pm Said:
I would like to know why Paypal turns into a completely different animal when an Ebay transaction is involved? I have had a Paypal shopping cart system on my website for many years now. I’ve never had one problem – never one charge back and never once did they hold my funds. When I have a question I can call them and they answer completely and concisely. I trust them enough to keep an nice balance of cash in that account to buy supplies for my website items. As far as my website is concerned I would have to highly recommend them. Why then are there SO many problems when its an Ebay transaction? What is there about an Ebay transaction that immediately puts a dark shadow on the seller’s honesty and NOT the buyers? Can someone explain that to me? For what its worth, I believe a lot of the frustration among sellers is directly related to how they’re being treated both by Ebay and by Paypal! Sorry, but that’s what I’m seeing and hearing.
CandyOn January 10, 2009 at 5:49 pm Said:
I would like to know why Paypal turns into a completely different animal when an Ebay transaction is involved? I have had a Paypal shopping cart system on my website for many years now. I’ve never had one problem – never one charge back and never once did they hold my funds. When I have a question I can call them and they answer completely and concisely. I trust them enough to keep an nice balance of cash in that account to buy supplies for my website items. As far as my website is concerned I would have to highly recommend them. Why then are there SO many problems when its an Ebay transaction? What is there about an Ebay transaction that immediately puts a dark shadow on the seller’s honesty and NOT the buyers? Can someone explain that to me? For what its worth, I believe a lot of the frustration among sellers is directly related to how they’re being treated both by Ebay and by Paypal! Sorry, but that’s what I’m seeing and hearing.
JustinOn January 11, 2009 at 7:56 am Said:
You make some great points and your blog is awesome. I’d encourage you check out my blog Final Bid as it is alot like this blog, just not as many great posts yet….
Cheers,
justin
SamOn January 16, 2009 at 11:32 pm Said:
My wife has always wanted a white VW Beetle Classic convertible, so after several months of looking locally, Craigslist and on Ebay, I purchased one on Ebay, and it has turned out to be a nightmare. I purchased the vehicle on Ebay & paid the offer deposit via Paypal, however, the purchase completed through Ebay transaction by cashiers check payment. I took every precaution, and trusted Ebay’s representation about the seller being a “PowerSeller” & “Outstanding Professional”, but I got a rust bucket. The Ebay seller said the vehicle was a 1 owner vehicle, a LIE b/c the title history shows it was NOT a 1 owner car.
The Ebay seller said the car was not rusted, a LIE because the car rails, floor panels are all rusted through and sheet metal has been screwed or caulked to what is left of the bottom of the car. Rust through the body have been covered up, and painted. In fact, I found out the last private owner of the vehicle, had donated it to a charity b/c the car’s bottom was falling apart, and the battery fell straight through to the bottom.
I trusted the Ebay transaction, and even when the Seller tried to get me to complete the sale off Ebay, I did not do so, b/c I trusted the Ebay consumer protections: Vehicle Purchase Protection (VPP) and Condition Guarantee by Seller (CGBS) program. So, my question is if I actually purchased the vehicle on 12/18/08, with my payment why am I now being told neither VPP nor CGBS protect my Ebay transaction. Paypal transaction was on 12/12/08 to hold the vehicle, but the actual purchase did not occur until 12/18/08 and I did not get the title until later, and the car on 1/6/09.
According to Ebay’s website: “you must submit a request for reimbursement to the VPP Administrator using the link above, no later than 30 days** AFTER you PURCHASED the vehicle on the eBay site. “ I purchased our vehicle on 12/18/08, not earlier and did not get a title until later.
When I completed the VPP claim and submitted it, I just a get a “No, you are not covered” answer, but no explanation why I am not covered, when in fact according to the VPP and CGBS programs I should be covered. Ebay has created the appearance that the Seller has a good reputation, through the Ebay certificates, yet the VPP and CGBS are worthless if there is no substance to the programs. In fact, the VPP and CGBS give Ebay consumers a false sense of security that is deceptive.
When I submitted the Ebay VPP claim form, there is no follow up, just a “NO, you are not covered.” Even though we have asked to discuss the matter with an Ebay VPP administrator, there has been no email follow-up nor phone call. Why can’t we get an Ebay representative to contact us and go over the facts, and discuss with us whether the VPP or CGBS programs covers our purchase? My friend who is an attorney, contacted the local newspaper which is looking into doing a story about Ebay fraud. What is most disappointing is that the purchase of the VW beetle was for an anniversary/Christmas present, and it has ended up being an extremely disappointing experience.
CGBS http://pages.motors.ebay.com/buy/condition-guarantee/
VPP http://pages.motors.ebay.com/buy/purchase-protection/index.html
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