Check the Categories the Listings are In

Although we have said this repeatedly, many of you still do not have a clue about protecting yourselves on eBay and other auction sites.

Over and over again, while Team Whack a Hack is reporting hijacked accounts, we find eBay members bidding on these fraudulent listings. 95% of the time it is obvious that the account is hijacked. Hijackers list their non-existent items in the WRONG CATEGORIES. They do this to maintain a low profile, because they know that most eBayers search on keywords and not by category. The hijackers know that you are too lazy to look up and see what category the listing is in. You should NEVER bid on an item if it is in the wrong category. Cell phones, electronics, heavy machinery, etc. should not be listed under Clothes, Art, Antiques, or Health and Beauty Aids.

If you can't bother to glance up at the screen to see where the listing is located, then you deserve to get scammed and you deserve to lose your money.

Thieves are not bright people. They list in bulk in hope that the unsuspecting eBayer will not do his homework. But, honestly, who is dumber? Is it the thief or the eBayer that bids on an item that is listed in the wrong category?

Just think about it, and glance up and check and see if the item you are bidding on is in the wrong category. If it is in the wrong category, report it to eBay and don't bid on it. Then hit the back button and find the item you want, but make sure it is in the right category. If you are lazy, then you deserve to get scammed and lose your money. Maybe the next time you might actually follow our advice.

Can you safely purchase sports/event tickets on eBay?

Yes, you can buy sports and other types of event tickets on eBay, but, only if you take precautions. Do NOT rush or bid haphazardly. Any deal that is too good to be true is a scam. Beware of the warning signs ... if you use some common sense, the fraudulent listings will stand out like a sore thumb.

First, check to see what category the event tickets are listed in. If the tickets are listed in a category such as Health & Beauty Aids, hit the back button immediately. Honest sellers list their items in the proper categories.

Second, is there an email address in the listing asking for off eBay contact for a great Buy It Now price? Does the seller have excuses as to why you can only contact him by email and not through eBay's "Ask the Seller a Question" feature? If there is an email address, then the account is most likely hijacked and the thief will make you the offer of your dreams if you will complete the transaction through Western Union or MoneyGram. You will receive a phony invoice and it will not appear in your My eBay mailbox. Immediately report the account as hijacked, do not enter into a conversation with the thief. If you don't know how to report a hijacked account, email this blog and we will report the account for you.

Third, do the event tickets have a low-ball opening bid? If they do, and they are not selling for market price, you may be looking at a fraudulent listing.

Fourth, is the description vague? Are the section, row and seat numbers listed? Is there an image of the tickets? Be aware that in many cases, if this information is not available, then you may be looking at a fraudulent listing.

Fifth, is the seller listing event tickets that are not available yet to the general public? If yes, then you have probably found a fraudulent listing.

Sixth, are you finding listings for event tickets for USA events sold by sellers that are registered in locations far away from the USA? If the answer is yes, you very well may be looking at a listing by someone that wants to scam you.

Seventh, if the seller is not a ticket agent and has numerous listings for event tickets, you need to ask yourself why. The Nekkid Truth and Team Whack a Hack have reported over 150,000 bogus listings for Superbowl, Daytona 500 and other sports events tickets in the past month.

Eighth, is a newly registered eBay member listing tickets? If the answer is yes, be very cautious. Thieves are known to create accounts on eBay with the intent to defraud eBay buyers.

Ninth, check the feedback of the seller. Does the seller have a history of selling event tickets? If the answer is yes, then you probably have found a legitimate seller.

Tenth, make sure that you can pay for any tickets you are interested in bidding on with a credit card. PayPal offers the utmost protection for you, but, only if you pay with a credit card. If the deal goes south and PayPal denies your claim because it cannot obtain the funds back from the seller, you always have recourse through your credit card carrier.

Eleventh, are the seller's payment terms unreasonable? Do not be intimidated by sellers that require payment in less than 24 hours from the completion of the listing. Even eBay will tell you that this is an unreasonable demand. A legitimate ticket seller that is in a rush to be paid, can still wait 48 hours for payment. Even when fraudulent listings are reported to eBay sometimes they are not nullified prior to the listing completing. If you get a TKO notice from eBay after you make payment, what are you going to do?

Remember, PayPal's Buyer Protection Program only covers eligible transactions up to $2000.00. Double check to see if the listing you are interested in is covered.

Buyers, if the seller does not offer PayPal, ask the seller if he will complete the transaction through the approved escrow companies eBay has alliances with: Escrow.com, Escrow Australia, Escrow Europa, Iloxx, and Triple Deal. Ask the seller if he will agree to share in the costs of this service. It is probably worth the extra $40 plus dollars to use this escrow service to protect both of your interests.

Be suspicious, do your research and be thorough ... do not give your money to thieves. Be careful.

All of us are aware that sports enthusiasts will try to obtain tickets to hot events at any cost. Event tickets are a limited commodity. The thieves know this, and know your weaknesses. Do not become overcome by greed and forget to use good judgment. If you do not do your due diligence and you are not savvy about these con games, you will lose your money, and instead of being a fan rooting for your team at a live game, you will be watching it on television and crying in your beer. If you think you're buying tickets to a concert, and you get scammed, you will be listening to the music on your CD player or IPOD. Remember, if you get scammed and lose your money, you have no one to blame but yourself. If you think you are too smart to get scammed, read some of the sad stories written to this blog and posted on the Nekkid Truth Message Board.

The Nekkid Truth and Team Whack a Hack would like eBay to require that all ticket sellers register the ticket numbers in their possession with eBay prior to listing them. This way, eBay can check to see that there are no duplications. We believe that eBay has the capacity to implement this suggestion to protect the honest sellers and buyers from being victims of fraud. Very simply, if ticket sellers cannot provide proof that they have the tickets in hand, then they should not be listing them for sale.

Don't take unnecessary risks. Remember, you have been warned at The Nekkid Truth.

A Letter to eBay Members that have been Hijacked Repeatedly

Dear Hijacked eBay Member,

It has come to our attention that with continued regularity that we have reported your account to eBay as hijacked. You continue to disregard instructions given to you so that you may keep your eBay account secure. It has even been suggested that you take eBay's Account Protection Tutorial.

While we at Team Whack a Hack work diligently to report hijacked accounts to eBay, it, however, has one very serious drawback. When we have to report your account more than once, it takes time away from other users who are hijacked for the first time. It takes time for eBay's Live Help agents to secure your account again and again. This is an unnecessary burden for both the members of Team Whack a Hack and eBay's Live Help agents.

We can forgive your faux pas the first time, because everyone is entitled to make a mistake. The second time we report your account as hijacked, we think you may not have followed all of the instructions given to you. But, when we report your account three or more times as hijacked, then we believe that you are at fault.

It seems that you are not able to understand the instructions you have been given numerous times to avoid fake log on pages, spoof and phishing emails; and just as importantly, how to clean your computer of viruses, keyloggers and other malware.

Team Whack a Hack is now enacting the following policy for those eBay members that are repeatedly hijacked:

1. When we find your account taken over due to your inability to follow instructions, we will report it to eBay the first time and follow-up with eBay's Live Help agents.
   
2. When we find your account hijacked a second time, we will again report it to eBay so your account can be secured once more.
   
3. However, when we find your account hijacked a third time, we will require you to give us your name and home address. Please advise if the computer you are using is at your home or office. We will then arrange for a member of Team Whack a Hack to come to the location and secure your computer for you. We will secure your computer for better utilization, as we know you are unable to secure it yourself. We will give you a receipt for the computer equipment, which you will be able to use for tax purposes, as you will of course be donating all of your computer equipment to Team Whack a Hack! We can put your computer to good use.*

We will also mention your donation to our cause, which is tracking and reporting scammers. With the absence of your computer equipment, we will better be able to track and report those deserving of our time. You will be better suited to watching television or reading the book you always wanted to read.

By us taking your computer away, this will also allow Team Whack a Hack and eBay's Live Help agents to more productively assist first time offenders. We believe education is the first step in recovery, and we have tried to warn you repeatedly, but you seem to have little consideration for the buyers on eBay that get scammed by hijackers because you cannot secure your computer and eBay account. Believe it or not, but you are at fault, and you are responsible for your computer and your eBay user ID and password. You are supposed to take every precaution to protect your account from getting hijacked.

The eBay Live Help agents will also thank you for donating your computer equipment. They also are tired of repeat offenders like yourself. They instruct members how to avoid spoof and phishing emails and how to avoid giving out personal information to predators that lurk on eBay.

Users such as yourself become a burden to all of us that are trying to secure and safeguard eBay from predators. Unfortunately, in your case because your user ID has been repeatedly hijacked, there appears to be no cure for stupidity. We truly would like to give you one more chance, but we don't have the resources to babysit you. Team Whack a Hack's primary concern is for eBay buyers; we don't want them duped into thinking that listings on your hijacked account are legitimate. If we didn't care about the buyers, we would just skip over your account and not report it.

Because we cannot force you to act responsibly, and we don't want to have to report your account again, we suggest that because of your carelessness that you immediately request that eBay close your account. Please click on this link to begin the process of closing your account. If you do not resign from eBay and we have to report your account again, we will also publish your name on this blog as a repeat offender. It is not our intent to embarrass you, but to warn and protect potential buyers that if listings appear on your account that it very well may be hijacked and that any listings on it are deemed fraudulent. We will have no choice but to expose you in order to protect buyers at any cost.

Thank you for your cooperation. We wish you the best of luck in the future, far away from eBay.

Thank you.

Team Whack a Hack


*We are being facetious about taking away your computer. Believe us, if we could, we would, so please do everything possible to keep your private information secure and away from predators.

Believe it or not ... We are Telling You the Truth

We get emails everyday from people asking for our advice. The same questions have been posed to us many times: "Does the email on the blog really belong to a scammer? Is the web site on your blog really fake? If I find the email address/domain on eBay, but I find it on another site, and I enter into a transaction there will I get scammed?"

We always answer these questions politely at first. The short answer is always: "Yes." The long answer is always: "Yes, the reference is on our blog because the email/domain you are inquiring about has a long history of victimizing internet users. Our methods are proven. There is nothing arbitrary about these listings at all. All the information you need is provided on our blog for your protection."

However, sometimes, even with all of the facts we provide there are still some that choose to think WE are deceiving them. They try and provide us with "facts" in an attempt to debunk our proven methods. These "facts" are always scammer methods and these scammer methods are also listed on this blog.

We also have victims who are convinced that we are unfairly posting these emails. Again, our methods are proven. They are fact. The scammer entries on our blog will never come down unless we receive a notarized court order generated by the domain owner. Until that happens, they are there for eternity.

We apologize if these Doubting Thomases think that we are telling untruths. However, if you dig deeper into the blog you will see others attesting to the real facts. If the Doubting Thomases don't believe the information on the blog, why did they write to ask a question? Something led them here because they were having doubts about the transactions they wanted to enter into.

We are sorry that you don't want to believe the truth. That is unfortunate. It is the truth.

The Nekkid Truth

Email Messages from the eBay Hijackers to Bidders

The Nekkid Truth and Team Whack a Hack have decided to start posting messages that we receive from those that help contribute to our blog. These sample email messages are written to bidders that contact the email addresses in the too good to be true listings on eBay.

Feel free to forward the email messages you receive from these thieves to the blog email address and we will post them. We will protect the identity of the bidders, but not the thieves.

Read the lies from the thieves and how they try to convince innocent buyers that they are legitimate.

Message 1:

From : groapa vasile groapa2007@yahoo.com
Sent : Tuesday, January 9, 2007 2:41 PM
Subject : Re: juicy sidekick

Hi, the phone is new in box, unlocked, works in any network and comes with all the accesories and 1 year international warranty provided by factory. I am willing to sell this item for 250 USD you will not pay any custom taxes because I will ship to you as GIFT and i will pay the shipping and handling fees.

I will use UPS 2days air service (with insurance and 15 days return policy) as shipping service so that you may receive the package in less than 72 hours.

Payment: I want to use eBay like a third party to complete this transaction: I usually use PayPal but for the moment i`m expanding my account and i can`t send or receive any money So for this reason ebay let me use western union.

For our protection we will do this deal trough ebay square trade company and our transaction will be supervised by ebay safe harbour team. You will be 100% protected against description error and fraud. I never make any deal outside ebay. In case you don't get what you are paying for, you get a full refund from eBay. I have deposited about $4,000 as purchase protection in an eBay managed account. I am not able to withdraw any money from this account while there are any possible refund requests (60 days since the last transaction).

if it`s ok e-mail me back and i give you the detailes fo the transaction. thanks i wait

Message 2:

Re: dtscseller@googlemail.com

Hi,

I bid on an item on eBay but I'm really not sure about this seller (dtscseller@googlemail.com).... I found his eMail address on your web site... So I ask him if it's tring to FRAUD me and he said:

no sir. this transaction is secured by ebay. you are 100% safe. if something goes wrong ebay will refund you. please reply.

So I talked to him about your web site, his answer was:

that website is for ruining other seller's business. never trust that kind of websites. ebay sent you an email and told you to make the payment. i think that to make this transaction you have to make the payment. i understand your concerns but you have to trust me that i have made a lot of transactions on ebay. please reply.

He asked me to pay it on WesternUnion and he gave me his name (feak or not? Richard Martins) and a street address to London, Uk to ship the WesternUnion check.

Do you have an history or more information about this guys?

I'm trying to have more detail about him it's why I continue to talk with him!

Message 3:

From: "Razvan Florin"
To: INTENTIONALLY DELETE
Subject: RE: Brand New Bose Acoustic Wave Music System
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 20:32:45 +0000

Dear Potential Customer,

The item is BRAND NEW,with all the accesories mentioned in the description.The best price that i can give you is 700 US Dollars with all shipping and taxes included .If the price is to expensive tell me your best price please and if i'm agree we will have a deal. I have more than one unit available.I can provide big discounts if you will buy more than one unit . If you are interested to buy this product ,we can make this transaction through eBay and is 100%safe for both of us and eBay will contact you shortly with the further details. Ebay will send you an Invoice and there you'll have more details about the transaction and payment.I Will use for shipping DHL Service. All the manuals and the warranty papers are in English. The buyer will receive this item sealed ,along with all papers and receipts that he needs for an international warranty.

The item is in Europe,Romania where I own an electric store and it will be shipped from here on my expences.

To set up our transaction I need the following info:

Your ebay user id: ...
First Name: ...
Last name: ...
Address: ...
City: ...
State: ...
Zip: ...
Country: ...
Name of unit and the price

I will contact ebay as soon as i receive the info. In shortly you must receive an invoice from ebay. You must read carefully the invoice and there you will have all instructions about payment and shipping.

Message 4:

From: Santa Claus [mailto:santa_claus1944@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 6:03 PM
To: INTENTIONALLY DELETED
Subject: Re: Alienware Area 51-M 7700 P4 3GHz, 1.5GB RAM, 40GB HD

You can bid on it but usualy i sell my items as buy it now auction and the buy it now acution have priority. if you are able to buy it now mail me back. thank you.

The payment method i'm able to use at this moment is western union. eBay offers purchase protection plans for these situations. They will decide how you pay me so you can be insured for the entire value of this purchase. In case you don't get what you are paying for, you get a full refund from eBay. I have deposited about $11,000 as purchase protection in an eBay managed account. I am not able to withdraw any money from this account while there are any possible refund requests (60 days since the last transaction)I need you full name and shipping address now I will contact eBay and they will get back to us when the needed verifications are done and you got the purchase protection. This may take a few hours, so please be patient. You will be able to verify the validity of your purchase protection after you have qualified for it.

Message 5:

From: Roccafo1@aol.com [mailto:Roccafo1@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 5:32 PM
To: INTENTIONALLY DELETED
Subject: Re: bose karaoke machine

To be 100% protected we will make this deal under ebay and if something goes wrong, you will receive all your money back.
Any transaction of mine is recorded and insured by E-bay.

how works?
1.I will contact them , and I will tell about this deal.
2.They will send us mail forms (the forms will be from customer support team) ;1 for me about shipment ;1 for you about payment
3.Those forms must be filled by every part of this deal(me and you) with infos that they required
4.We must do what the invoice ask.

please give me the:
A full name
B full adress (with street,city,state,zip code and country)
C name of the item (Ex: 3 X Nokia 8800)
D amount you must send
E e-mail adress
F eBay user ID (if you have)

They will contact you shortly. If you want to go on with this deal, mail me asap and I will contact E-bay right now. Thank You

Message 6:

From: Auchan146@aol.com [mailto:Auchan146@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 5:27 PM
To: INTENTIONALLY DELETED
Subject: Re: KVT-717DVD Indash DVD Player

HI
First I want to tell you that my item is a brand new, unopened box all accessories included and also an international warranty. The invoice will come at the same time with the package. My price is the best you could get: 500 usd/unit, including the shipping and insurance taxes. We will pay them because the package will be delivered from Europe. As delivery service we use UPS2days air service or overnight (with insurance and 15 days return policy), because it's the faster. And if you will have a quick payment, we must also have a quick delivery. So that's why we use as a payment method Western Union money transfer, the fastest and also very secure way of sending money. So, if you agree with my terms I'm sure that we can close the deal as soon as possible. Waiting your quick answer right now,

THANK YOU

Message 7:

From: Mike Carlson [mailto:carlson@nycmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 5:20 PM
To: INTENTIONALLY DELETED
Subject: Re: ALPINE IVA-D300 7" SCREEN DVD, MP3, XM, RADIO

My item is brand new, unopened box all accessories included and also an international warranty. First I am going to tell you some things I think you should know before ending this deal. I travel a lot and now I am in Eastern Europe. The item is going to be shipped from europe also. Now, I can ship through UPS air next day delivery. I will pay for all taxes. If you wish you can also send me your full shipping info so I can make a reservation on your name . The price of the item is 600 usd (as I said earlier with shipping and insurance taxes included). I need some money as fast as possible so I am offering a 10 % discount if we end the deal in 24 hours. Here I am stuck to western union wire transfer.I can't use paypal because it's not available yet. Just because of this I set up an insurance with ebay which guaranties 100 % of this deal. If you wish I can contact eBay right away and have them send you an invoice with my insurance. If you agree on my terms I am sure we can close the deal right now. Please reply after you think it over.

Best regards.

Message 8:

From: Roccafo1@aol.com [mailto:Roccafo1@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 5:13 PM
To: INTENTIONALLY DELETED
Subject: Re: bose karaoke machine

HI

First I want to tell you that my bose karaoke machine are brand new, unopened box all accessories included and also an International warranty .i have many pics if you want some. My price is the best you could get: 1000USD(not euro), including the shipping and insurance taxes. We will pay them because the package will be delivered from Europe.I have many units available. As delivery service we use UPS2days air service or overnight (with insurance and 15 days return policy), because it's the faster. And if you will have a quick payment, we must also have a quick delivery. So that's why we use as a payment method Western Union money transfer, the fastest and also very secure way of sending money. So, if you agree with my terms I'm sure that we can close the deal as soon as possible. Waiting your quick answer right now,

THANK YOU

Message 9:

From: adi plus [mailto:drills772@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 5:12 PM
To: INTENTIONALLY DELETED
Subject: Re: Bernina Aurora 440 QEE Sewing Machine

Hello,

First I want to tell you that all my Bernina Aurora 440 QEE is brand new and comes with The Manufacturer's International Warranty.All accesories included. The best price that I can give you for it,is $1149,95 US dollars . Is very important for me to protect my clients. The transaction will be made thru Western Union with the ebay protection.Last year,The Bernina have sold 15 Machines to a Design Corporation here in UK and now the English Corporation is closed and have sold all the equipment in an Auction.I have bought all the machines for $850 USD for each of them and selling them now here on eBay.To be 100% protected we will make this deal under ebay and if something goes wrong, you will receive all your money back including western union fees. Shipping will be made from Europe(Romania) by UPS and in 3 days max you will have it. The shipping fees and insurance included in the price. Do not bid on it because I have more units available and I do not want to make more listings and pay more fees to eBay. So if you want to make a 100% protected deal under ebay, with feedback let me know. If you are not satisfied about my product, you have 15 days to send it to me back as I will send you all your money back (15 days refund policy).If you are interesed let me know asap .

Thank you !