Caveat Emptor

With the holidays around the corner, people are no doubt scouring the web in droves for those insane deals on auction and marketplace sites. While this is generally a safe way to purchase items, the big ticket items are often elaborate scams designed to steal your hard earned money. Actually, the scams are not that elaborate — they are generally easy to spot if you know what to look for. In the recent months I’ve had run-ins with two different scammers both offering Apple PowerBooks for insanely good prices. Both times the seller was obviously a con-artist. Here is how to spot them….

• The too-good-to-be-true price is often the first indication, although these prices are sometimes legitimate
• Check the seller’s history; scammers build a rapport of praises by purchasing small items legitimately.
• Contact the seller; if you receive an impersonal, broken English response with questionable punctuation, be wary.
• They are trying to get you to pay by Western Union, not good.
• The item is shipping from overseas (Usually Italy or Romania) even though the seller’s location is supposedly in the U.S.
• They try to get you to pay fast, promising free shipping or free insurance on the item

I feel like most people are smart enough to not be suckered by this type of thing, but browsing the eBay forums will show you otherwise. You will always find the best deals online, but being aware of these problems can prevent you from funding an overseas crime ring. Caveat emptor.