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Scams and Scoundrels: Protect yourself from the darkside of eBay and PayPal
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by Michael Ford
Sales Rank: 516827
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List Price: $24.95
$24.95
At Amazon
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Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Elite Minds Inc; 1st edition August 14, 2007
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0977476022
ISBN-13: 978-0977476022
Product Dimensions:
7.8 x 5 x 0.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
Product Review
If you have been using eBay for a while, chances are you've encountered either a problem seller or buyer. Maybe you sent a payment and received nothing. Maybe you sent the auction item and the buyer reversed the payment. What do you do? Complaining on a message board may be an option but it does not recover your money or the item. It also does not protect you from other dishonest members. There are many books that cover the basics of buying and selling on eBay. But, once you are on eBay, you need to know how to spot bad buyers or sellers before you have a problem. You may have thought it was just a matter of dumb luck. It is not. It turns out that bad buyers and sellers are easy to spot and there are many warning signs that can alert you to a scam before you become a victim.
If you have ever used eBay then you have surely looked at an auction and wondered if it was too good to be true or if the seller could be trusted. Maybe the price seemed lower than you would expect. Maybe there was something you could not put your finger on that just bothered you about the auction. Maybe you bought the item anyway and regretted it later. You need to know what specific things to check and what elements in an auction can scream SCAM!
Now the author of Dont Bid On It, Michael Ford, has written a book that exposes the dark side of eBay in Scams and Scoundrels. I found the book to be much more useful than all the beginner books combined, as it delves into topics that other books never mention. Even if you are not an eBay user, this is a fun book because it has so many unusual scams and stories which are sometimes a bit sneaky, but nonetheless entertaining.
The book also covers various topics including how to recover your money or goods if a deal does go bad, how to pay without the seller running off with the money, the different types of scammers on eBay, ways to protect yourself from scams and spoof websites, as well as an extensive list of common eBay scams. This is good, because, as explained in the book, knowledge is power. Once you know how these scams work, it becomes easy to spot fraudulent auctions. I found it was actually entertaining to search eBay looking for these fraudulent auctions once I knew what to look for. I only pity the people who were bidding on the auctions I found. I knew from reading Scams and Scoundrels that the auctions I found were fraudulent or were posted by problem sellers, but the people who were bidding did not have a clue.
For me, the good stuff comes in the second half of the book, which covers in great detail all types of scams and methods to identify fraudulent auctions. Michael unearths many types of fraudulent auctions, some of which you would never think were fraudulent even after you received the item.
Even after reading the book, I repeatedly found myself thumbing through it and re-reading many of the common scams. It was fascinating to gain a glimpse into the traps many people have fallen into. Michael is careful to stress that he is not anti-eBay or anti-PayPal. He highly endorses both sites but adds the caveat that they must be used with understanding and care. Too many people register accounts and begin buying or selling without understanding the risks. Other chapters cover how to investigate a seller to determine if they are legitimate or if the account is a fake setup by a scammer, or if the account was hijacked by a hacker. This is not the standard and overly general cautionary advice found in other books. This is very much a to-the-point and a look-here, check-this type guide that explains exactly what you should look at and exactly what it means before you place a bid or trust a seller.
Overall, with its many security tips and scam-spotting advice, Scams and Scoundrels can easily save you from falling victim to a scam. --Staff Writer
Product Description
From the author of Don't Bid On It: Until I Tell You How eBay Really works. </span>
Stop taking chances when you buy or sell on eBay.
The Internet can be a dangerous place especially where money changes hands. Right this minute there are many Scoundrels planning Scams to con innocent people out of their hard earned dollars. At least one of them just posted an auction to eBay. Don't Be One Of Their Victims!
Scams and Scoundrels explains how scams on eBay work and how you can easily avoid them. Once you are aware of a scam, it stands out like a sore thumb. You are in trouble if you don’t know what to look for. Even the most intelligent and careful person can fall victim to a well crafted scam. Learn to trade in safety.
eBay is a great place to buy and sell, but it can be a minefield if you do not know what to watch out for.
This book may save you thousands of dollars and it will surely make you a more educated eBay member. If it only saves you from being scammed once, it is well worth avoiding the headache and frustration.
I have used eBay since 1998 and I check my favorite categories every day. I will continue to use it because I know what to look for and how to tread safely through the sometimes dangerous waters of Internet commerce.
Ebay and PayPal are highly secure sites. The problems occur with the people who use them. No one will ever obtain your eBay or PayPal passwords from those sites. They will obtain them from YOU! I will explain how scammers obtain your password without you knowing it and how you can protect yourself using free software.
Many of the same scams used on eBay are used on other websites, through the mail, and even in newspaper classifieds. Once you see how these scams work on eBay, you can apply the same knowledge to any website, any buyer, any seller.
- Learn how to gain the most from eBay and PayPal without becoming a victim
- Understand why eBay and PayPal do things like they do
- Learn what to do if your account is hijacked
- Learn how to recover your money or goods if you are the victim of fraud
- Learn how to use the local police, FBI, Attorney General, and other agencies
- Learn to spot Phishing emails easily and find out about a special free tool that will protect you from bad websites
- Understand how criminal organizations use auctions and victimize others
- Review nearly 200 of the most common scams, from the laughable to the dangerous
- Learn to spot hijacked accounts, dishonest sellers, and auctions that you simply want to avoid
- Learn the most important steps everyone should take to protect themselves when using eBay and PayPal as well as the Internet
Customer Reviews & Comments
Wow is right. This book really does tell it like it is and they arent afraid to call a scam a scam. Can you spot a scam auction or a hijacked account on ebay? You can after reading this book. It lists maybe 100 or so common scams and tells you how to spot and avoid them. Did you know ebay has a category for scam auctions? It's called Mystery Boxes. I never thought about it until this book explained how these auctions actually work. I wouldnt be suprised if ebay puts a stop to this entire category. If you want some hardcore advice about how to use ebay safely, scams and scoundrels is the place to go.
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Scams and Scoundrels: Protect yourself from the darkside of eBay and PayPal
List Price: $24.95
Available from Amazon
Price: $24.95
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