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View Full Version : Beware Auction Scams


David McNamee
05-02-2004, 07:30 PM
Here's a quick, friendly Smartphone Thoughts Public Service Announcement. When you're shopping on eBay or any other auction site for the latest in Smartphone hardware, be cautious. In the last two months, I've seen several people offering to sell the MPx100 or MPx220. The only problem is that these phones haven't been released to the public. The MPx220 hasn't even been officially confirmed by Motorola! eBay is pretty good about removing scams from their listings. There's always that small quantity of time, though, between when the fake item is posted and when eBay gets around to removing it. When you see an auction for a phone that you're not sure is real, here a few things you can do:
E-mail the seller Ask for more detail about the phone. There's nothing wrong with asking for more pictures Post in our forums If you're not sure and the seller isn't cooperating, feel free to get the community's input.Contact eBay If you've found a definite scam, let eBay know so they can pull the listing and prevent someone who isn't as informed from wasting their money.
Happy bidding!

Aerestis
05-03-2004, 01:54 AM
you mean the 5 ghz, 4 gig ram, 1280x960 display, 300 hour battery life, ultra-light PPC I just bought for twenty dollars might be part of a scam?!

Scams are ultra common on ebay. So many weblogs post them and laugh about them but they stay up for days. What's the point? People are bidding on them as well, but people don't do anything about it.

seanhanley
05-03-2004, 03:13 PM
checking the seller's feedback is helpful too! little or no feedback is worrisome. so is lots of negative feedback!

Mike Temporale
05-03-2004, 03:29 PM
I get very nervous if the seller has any negative feedback. Especially if it's in the last 6 months. :worried: