The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

September 19, 2008

Ways to avoid being scammed

Here are some tips to keep consumers safe from online auction fraud:

• Understand how an online auction works before you bid on merchandise. Find out the buyer’s and seller’s obligations, whether the auction site provides insurance, and how the site handles disputes.

• It can be hard to validate a seller’s claims about the value of an item, and descriptions or photographs on Web sites can be misleading. Know as much as you can about the item you wish to buy.

• Investigate the seller as much as possible. Be wary of sellers who provide only an e-mail address or post office box address. Check the seller’s feedback rating if available on the auction site. Call the seller to see if the phone number is working, or send an e-mail to see if the address is active. If the seller is a business, check it out with the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org

• Contact the seller before bidding to find out what type of payment is required, when you can expect delivery, what the return policy is, if the merchandise is covered by warranty, and if shipping and delivery are included in the price.

• Try to pay the seller directly with a credit card, so you can dispute the charges if the merchandise does not arrive or was misrepresented. If possible, avoid paying by check, money order, Western Union, MoneyGram or bank-to-bank wire transfer as funds sent through such transfers are virtually unrecoverable.

• Be wary of any credit card purchases where the address of the card holder does not match the shipping address. Always receive the card holder’s authorization before shipping any products.

• Beware of sellers who post the auction under one name, and ask for the funds to be transferred to someone else.

• Consider using an escrow service or alternate payment service if purchases on your credit card are not disputable or the goods are not covered by insurance. Make sure the escrow service is licensed and bonded.

• Don’t give out personal information scuh as your Social Security, driver’s license or bank account numbers.

• Do not send your credit card numbers electronically unless you know for sure that the Web site is secure and encrypted.

• Avoid buyers who ask for the purchase to be shipped using a certain method to avoid customs or taxes inside another country.

• Avoid sellers acting as authorized dealers or factory representatives in countries where there would be no such dealers.

• Beware of sellers who post the auction as if he or she resides in the United States, then responds with a congratulatory e-mail stating he or she is outside the United States for business reasons or a family emergency.

If you believe you have been a victim of online auction fraud, it is suggested you take the following steps:

• File a complaint with the online auction company.

• Notify your local and state law enforcement officials.

• Notify law enforcement officials in the suspect’s town and state.

• File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

• Fill out the online complaint form at www.fraud.org or call the Fraud Hotline at 800-876-7060.

• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection, www.consumer.gov/sentinel



Sources: National Crime Prevention Council, Mesa (Ariz.) Police Department Crime Prevention Unit and the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership of the FBI, the White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Text Only
Local News
  • Labor Dept.: Franchise’s workers not paid properly

    The owners of the Brookfield Subway restaurant have been paying their employees less than minimum wage, shorting them on overtime pay and violating child labor laws for two years, a federal lawsuit alleges.

    February 7, 2012

  • Insecurity: Firm loses more local clients

    Reynolds Area School District is scrambling to find people to work security at upcoming games after finding out the Pittsburgh-area security firm they were using had some guards who were convicted felons or sex offenders.
    “That was a shock, believe me,” said school board President John Lowry.

    February 7, 2012

  • School budget predictions improve

    The upshot to planning for a worst-case scenario is it makes any change an improvement.
    Such is the case with Farrell Area School District’s finances, business manager William Dungee told school board members Monday.

    February 7, 2012

  • Chief gripe: Cramped quarters

    In Sharpsville, the long arm of the law needs room to stretch out.
    Police Chief Keith Falasco told council members Monday night that his department’s current space “is at the least inadequate,” and after off-and-on talks over the years to make improvements, he said the time has come.

    February 7, 2012

  • Pets perish in house fire

    A Sharon family’s home was heavily damaged in a Saturday night fire that killed their pets.

    February 6, 2012

  • Kelly rallies GOP faithful

    Mercer County Republicans agreed it was time for a change from the current administration at their annual Lincoln Day dinner Saturday night at Hempfield Station One Banquet Center, and Congressman Mike Kelly called not only for change but for more accountability.

    February 6, 2012

  • Mother leads charge for son’s autism therapy


    Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget cuts are preventing children with autism from getting the help they need.

    February 5, 2012

  • Victim describes armed robbery at her home

    Charges were held to court Friday against a Sharon teen charged as an adult in an October armed robbery.

    February 4, 2012

  • Overheated motor starts small fire at gas well

    Jamestown volunteer firefighters put out an accidental natural gas well equipment fire Friday morning in Greene Township that started when a pump motor overheated.

    February 4, 2012

  • Burglary was man’s solution to money woes

    The end of 2010 was “a crazy time in my life,” Grant T. Lockhart told a judge Thursday.

    February 4, 2012