eBay Fraud Is Easy To Prevent

eBay fraud scams are on the rise, and for sellers scams easy to prevent - just follow standard anti-fraud business practices that have been used for centuries. Scams and fraud have been around for as long as we've been walking on this planet. And eBay scams are no different. Someone is always willing, and ready to scam you.

The basic premise of the eBay scams fraud is simple. A scammer bids and wins an item, or they use the "buy it now" feature. The scammer tells the seller they will pay by Bid Pay, and to await the Bid Pay "confirmation of payment" email. An email arrives, and the seller thinks it looks legitimate, and so forwards the goods to the scammer. And this is the last the seller ever sees of their goods. When they check with Bid Pay, they find that no real payment has been made, and that they are now out of pocket.

So How Do I Protect Myself from Scams and Frauds?

Follow these easy steps to sell smart:

• Don't accept Bid Pay. It's costly for the buyer, and slow and insecure for the seller.
• Use Paypal for all payments.
• When a buyer claims they have paid, don't wait for a confirmation email, actually log in to Paypal manually and check the money is actually there.
• If you receive a confirmation email do not click a link in the email to log in - ALWAYS LOG IN MANUALLY FROM A WEB BROWSER - do not trust the link.
• Never send goods without confirming payment.
• Never believe what a buyer has said in an email - always trust but confirm.

By just following these simple, common sense steps will help protect you from nearly all scammer fraud in eBay auctions.

Remember, always trust, but confirm. You have been warned – and hopefully not scammed!

About the Author

James Robinson is an Australian writer, broadcaster and commentator. He lives in the world famous Blue Mountains of Sydney.

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