OT - Fraud! What would you do?

I'm selling an aquarium on eBay. Here's a link:

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4361179314>

I got an email tonight asking if I was in California or Texas because my aquarium is listed on another auction site. Here's the link:

<http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/closed.cgi?view_closed_item&aquariums1011110492883>

I set up a dummy user name and bought my own aquarium from the other site to get it off the market. I was planning to report this jerk to the site, but it looks like he's using a dummy name anyway since he has no feedback. I could contact him and get a mailing address for the "check" and then report him and his address. Am I asking for trouble or should I just let it go? Opinions?

Crooks know more about crook stuff than you or I do. If you had no loss over it I'd just drop it.

I'd call and ask the local postmaster. They're pretty aware of the fraud type stuff that entails shipping of products or payments.

Just a guess, but maybe the other "seller" was banking on getting an offer higher than what he would have to bid to buy your tank, then just pass it off to his buyer in the delivery. I would suggest you report this guy to that site, and maybe warn your e-bay viewers of an unauthorized seller listing your equipment on other sites. Trust me, its very difficult to pursue civil matters across state line, and almost impossible to enforce if you are sucessful.

Fascinating. If you never actually pay him has a crime actually been committed here?

I think it would be difficult to pin anything on this person, however if you were to get an address and there was actually someone to report it to (his local police?), they might be able to nab him for his other escapades. It would sure be nice to do something like that.

But if you were to just drop it, that would be hard to argue with. Just because it fell into your lap doesn't mean it is a crusade you're interested in.

Who WOULD be the appropriate people to report it to where it wouldn't be pointless?

Jay, that occurred to me too. He was really gambling though if he set his price below Steve's. Steve will know if it was fraud if his ebay auction ends and this guy is still asking for payment.

Definitly somthing fishy going on here.

Looks real nice though. Great job, and good luck

I'd sure like to nail him on this, but I don't want to get too deep into the criminal world if you know what I mean. I think I'll report him to the site under my fake ID and let it go. Maybe first I'll ask him if I can show up at his door to hand him payment. Twenty bucks says he comes up with a reason to mail it, and the aquarium is located somewhere else in storage or something.

Some one in Ca Law enforcement has to do Computer crimes. Is CHP the 'state police' for this? Maybe AG's office. Contact them and give them a chance to run with it, other than that just drop it.

Sure, its a gamble, but if he can't be located UNLESS he buys low and sells high, he risks nothing.

Easy. watermark your images. maybe something like "auction #2345254 on ebay" or "myusername here on ebay"
or "http://joesaquariums.com"

Not a bad idea, really. It would have to be right across the image though to prevent someone from cropping.

Hey Steve, maybe the guy is in the business of selling fish tanks. He saw your picture and decided to use it as advertisement. And you guys all had your minds in the gutter.

Years agom when I used to sell advertising ads and print ads and design of both. If I saw a very nice piece, I'd sometimes pass it off as our work, I know thats deceiving and wrong (I've since suffered my Bad Karma) but when a customer asks for a certain thing and you haven't personally done that thing but your ARE CAPABLE of doing that thing, why not? Get all that?

Maybe it's nothing more than picture theft.

....and plagairism, as he 'stole' the description as well!


Don't have any advice to offer on the fraud, but WHAT A BEAUTIFUL TANK & CRAFTSMANSHIP!!! You could fit a B in that tank (and many of them look like that's where they were stored)! :D

Steve- Beautiful tank! Fish tanks are so calming to have in a household (operating properly!) I never found my way into saltwater but dreamed of it. I have had many freshwater tanks but have gotten out of it for now. I certainly understand wanting to end the fake auction but the site that it was posted on could have done a sting to get the crook. I think it's too late now. Any response from the Aquabid folks?

WOW! What an aquarium! Sorry, I don't have any advice for you!

Did he try to contact you - the winning bidder - to ask for payment?

If he/she is trying to collect cash with no intention of deliverying goods, then a fraud has been perpetrated.

I couldn't find an abuse link on the other site so I posted on their forum about the problem. I was met with abuse and sarcasm. Only one person cared enough to look into it. Just sad, really. So much for trying to do the right thing. :(

Thanks for the compliments. I really don'twant to sell it but there are lots of reasons for doing so which I won't go into here. The aquarium won't quite fit an MG but I know first hand that it fits a human!

Oh, and yes the seller emailed this morning (to my fake hotmail account created for this) and asked for half of the payment, in poor grammer. LOL!



Post Edited (03-04-05 09:21)

Wife's cousin agreed to sell a doublewide to a local (to him) guy. No money changed hands, no title change, no real deal. Next thing, he sees his doublewide going down the road. Turns out the guy flipped it to someone else before he'd even bought it.

He just took a huge mobile home (that's what were talking about, right?) and towed it down the street without even paying for it?

that's the true definition of Trailer trash.

Now, that's funny

Steve....I looked at the responses you got on that site. Freaking amazing! You're trying to warn them of a scam, and they flame you!!! Obviously not an MG owner in the bunch.....

Yeah, can you believe that? I can't understand the mentality there but I'm through trying to help them.

On another note, the seller wants me to wire the money directly to his son to help him pay for college. Then he'll ship the tank. How original!

You said his grammar was poor.....maybe he's Nigerian! :D

I'm not ruling that out. I told him I want to mail payment. I eagerly await his response and the laughter it will bring me.

A few years ago, I came very close to pulling the trigger of a 30.30 deer rifle on a former brother-in-law, who was vandalizing my Subaru wagon. Minutes earlier, I had got the best of him in an allout streetfighting brawl, thanks to some old TaekwonDo training. I don't take crap off of assholes, but sometimes it's good to be restrained from wasting even scum people. If this post surprises anybody that knows me as a gentile attorney and historian, just keep in mind that I can take care of you in most any situation.. Nigeria, anyone?

Hey Steve, I would like to see the responses that you guys are talking about, What did they say when you warned them of the fraud?

Have a ball.

Link to thread

So you were able to sell your tank too?

Whatta bunch of A-holes!

That lotsofish is just some jerkoff that sits at his computer and pisses people off because he obviously has no friends.

Exactly. I read a few other threads and he seems to be the forum a$$. I was kinda hoping he would say something again because I had a really great response planned. ;)