How to Spot Western Union Scams on eBay

Western Union scams on eBay are some of the most challenging for buyers and sellers alike. Both can fall victim to the scam and lose thousands of dollars of their hard-earned money and potential profit simply by trying to complete a sale. Learn how to spot Western Union scams on eBay by reading the following.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Read carefully any notes you receive. Notes can come from seemingly legit buyers who've won an auction or new buyers requesting a private sale. The note will be suspicious and seem to give you more information than is necessary to conduct business. It's not uncommon for the scammer to use broken English to communicate and to tell you a story about his family or claim to be working on behalf of a "client."

2. Pay attention to changes in tone or writing style. Know that you will likely be communicating with a group of people claiming to be one buyer. Scammers will become insistent, rude or even threaten you with legal action if you become suspicious or refuse to continue with the transaction.

3. Beware of agreeing to odd conditions. The scammer will send you a fake cashier's check or money order thousands of dollars in excess of the amount needed to pay for the item. He will say that he trusts you to cash the check and wire him the difference. The scammer will also tell you not to worry about shipping and handling fees because he can arrange to have the item picked up from your home. He may try to reassure you by saying that he will talk with Western Union and set up a secret code or password so that he can securely retrieve the money.

4. Get a name and address from the scammer. The address to which the scammer will want the excess money sent will be located in a foreign country. Though the name and address may seem legit, they will be fake. Typically, the real identities of the scammers will never be known as some Western Union outlets only require that someone present them with a transaction number to retrieve money.

5. Listen as the scammer asks you lie to Western Union. The scammer will ask you not to tell Western Union that you're sending money as part of an eBay transaction because the company will charge them an extra fee. In reality, they know that Western Union employees will stop eBay related transactions because of the high chance of fraud. Scammers typically request that you identify them as your "cousin" so that Western Union won't ask any questions.

6. Know that once you wire money to the address and give the transaction number to the scammer, the money will be untraceable. You'll learn later that the check was fraudulent when your bank deducts the entire check amount from your account.

Tips & Warnings

• Look into filing complaints with the appropriate agencies. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, the Federal Trade Commission and local law enforcement agencies may be able to help.
• Know that eBay warns against using Western Union in transactions because of the high rate of fraud committed using the service.
• Don't use Western Union for business transactions. Western Union is designed to be a method of money exchange between two people who know each other. Buyers and sellers who demand to use Western Union are likely scammers.
• Some scammers may contact you with a "Second Chance" offer if you've bid on an expensive item but lost. They will likely send these offers directly to your email address instead of using the official eBay Second Chance Offer tool.
• Scammers may send you fake Western Union transaction approval notices through email. Always check the senders' emails before accepting these emails as legit.

[Fuller1972]

on 9/17/2009 We recd a second chance offer, almost sent money but my cc declined payment for security reasons, turned out to be an ebay scam. Good information hear. ***5