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Online shopping and auction fraud

What it is

When you discover any of a variety of problems you may have with something you’re buying or selling in an online auction or marketplace, such as eBay, Gumtree or Etsy.

Once the bidding has finished you find out that there’s no way of returning the goods or having your money refunded, or you’re not properly paid for something you’ve sold.

Protect yourself

  • Check the item description carefully and ask the seller questions if you’re unsure of something.
  • Know the terms and conditions of any auction website, including dispute resolution policy.
  • Pay on the auction site every time and don’t click on links the seller sends to you. Never pay by money transfers; use a recognised service such as PayPal, which protects your money until you've resolved any problems with the seller.

Spot the signs

  • The buyer or seller has a bad feedback history, or has only recently set up a new account to avoid a poor reputation.
  • You get a private message or email offering to buy below the current bid or reserve price or to sell a similar item after an auction has ended.
  • You find an expensive item for sale at an incredibly low starting bid. If an offer sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

How it happens

Online auctions and marketplaces have become a very popular way of trading online, but fraudsters are using them to take advantage of your trust to sell poor-quality or non-existent items.

You may find that something you’ve bought online arrives late or never at all. In some cases the products you’ve paid for are less valuable than shown in the advert, different from the original description, or you weren’t told crucial information about the product or terms of the sale.

If you’re selling, you may not be paid. The buyer will give an excuse as to why they can’t send payment and will ask you to deliver the items you’ve sold first and expect the money later.

In other cases you may be asked to give your identity details or personal financial information to an online seller who has used them to defraud you.

The seller may try to direct you to a website that looks like the auction site, but has in fact been created by the fraudster to capture your payment details for themselves. Check the URL in the web browser; a tactic often used by fraudsters is to change the address very slightly to make it look authentic at first glance (such as ‘www.ebayz.com’).

Alternatively, you may get ‘spoofed’ emails that are designed to look like they’ve been sent by the online auction or payment site you’re registered with. The emails will ask you to update your account details or re-enter them because your account has been suspended. Don’t follow links from these emails.

Be wary of accepting cheques. Even if it clears, you’re still liable if the cheque is forged or stolen. You should never accept a cheque for a higher amount than what’s due and refund the difference.

How to report it

If Fraud has been committed report it to Action Fraud. For more advice and to raise any concerns, contact the Office of the Public Guardian.

Source - Action Fraud

Date Published: Jul 21, 2018
A to Z Fraud
Type of Fraud
Report a Fraud or Scam

Types of fraud

A-Z of fraud
To help understand which fraud you've been affected by, we've categorised them into an alphabetical list.

What is fraud and cyber crime?
Fraud is when trickery is used to gain a dishonest advantage, which is often financial, over another person.

Advance fee fraud
Advance fee fraud is when fraudsters target victims to make advance or upfront payments for goods, services and/or financial gains that do not materialise.

Corporate fraud
Corporate fraud can be any fraud committed against a business.

Individual fraud
Individual fraud could be any fraud that targets a person directly. Individual frauds can differ from frauds affecting businesses and other organisations.

Online fraud
Some fraudsters rely on the internet to commit their crimes. Learn about some different types of internet frauds that and how to protect yourself and get safe online.

Identity fraud and identity theft
Identity theft is when your personal details are stolen and identity fraud is when those details are used to commit fraud.
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