eBay Second Chance Offer/Buyer Protection Scam

Hi all,
I came across this forum on my hunt for information for a friend who has unfortunately fallen prey and lost a few thousand dollars. I have asked for permission to share the details in the hope it may help others. This is the same scam as discussed in the following thread.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=68860&hilit=andy

What happened was, he placed a bid on a car which was supposed to have sold for $5,000. A few days after the bidding ended, he received the following.

You've received a Second Chance Offer on eBay item #(item # removed): Toyota MR2 (1993) 2D Coupe 5 SP Manual (2L - Electronic F/INJ)
Inbox
x


eBay <[email protected]>
Mar 18

to me

Images are not displayed. Display images below - Always display images from [email protected]
eBay sent this message to (Full name and e-mail removed).
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.
You've received a Second Chance Offer

Dear (Full name and eBay Username removed),

You've been given a second chance to buy Toyota MR2 (1993) 2D Coupe 5 SP Manual (2L - Electronic F/INJ), which you placed a bid on for AU $ 3,700.00 on Mar 15, 2013 . To purchase this item, reply to this email or just contact the seller at: [email protected]


Toyota MR2 (1993) 2D Coupe 5 SP Manual (2L - Electronic F/INJ)
Price:
AU $ 3,700.00
Seller:
Seller E-mail:
(Genuine Seller??? Username removed)
[email protected]
Ask Seller A Question


Additional Information about Second Chance Offers:
The seller, (Username), is making this Second Chance Offer because the high bidder was either unable to complete the transaction or the seller has a duplicate item for sale. The selling of this item through Second Chance Offer is in compliance with eBay policy; you will be able to exchange Feedback with the seller and will be eligible for all eBay services associated with a transaction, such as fraud protection.

Act Now - This Offer Ends Soon !
To take advantage of this opportunity, please act quickly. This offer ends on March 19, 2013, 11:25 pm. To buy this item contact the seller at: [email protected]

To learn more about Second Chance Offer, please visit:
http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/sell/personal_offer.html

Email reference ID: [#44672f6975cf4a09b60e7eaf525797ef#]
Please don't remove this number. Customer Support may ask you for this number, should you need assistance.


eBay sent this email to you at (Email address removed) about your account registered on http://www.ebay.com.au.

eBay sends these emails based on the preferences you set for your account. To unsubscribe from this email, change your communication preferences. Please note that it may take up to 14 days to process your request. Read our Privacy Policy and User Agreement if you have any questions.

This email was sent by eBay Europe S.a r.l., which may make use of its affiliates to provide the eBay services. If you are a non-EU resident, please find the contact data of your contracting party in the User Agreement.

Copyright 2012 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc. eBay Imprint.






He replied to the email where then he was sent the following:


Way to go (eBay Username removed)! The next step is to pay.


Here's your order confirmation
Hi (eBay Username),

(Seller Username) registered the second chance offer you recently received with eBay Protection Program. The next step is to pay. Pay now to get your item as quickly as possible.
Item Information

Toyota MR2 (1993) 2D Coupe 5 SP Manual (2L - Electronic F/INJ)
Item number: (Number)
Buy It Now Price: AU $3,700.00
Seller Information:
[email protected] contact seller
(Seller eBay Username and feedback score)

* eBay Buyer Protection covers the full purchase price and original shipping costs if the item is not received or different from what was described in the listing. Your order has been verified by eBay for compliance.
** You are automatically enrolled in the program at no charge because you are completing the purchase of an eligible item on the eBay site. eBay requires the payment to be done through Bank Transfer to our UK non-interest bearing trust account.
*** eBay reduces the potential risk of fraud by acting as a trusted third party that collects, holds and disburses funds. It protects the Seller by verifying funds, and protects the Buyer by allowing inspection of the merchandise before payment. eBay guarantees the legitimacy and the security of this transaction. Please follow our instructions to complete the transaction safely.
Payment And Shipping Details
Buyer's Address
(Full name and address of buyer listed)

Pay With Bank Transfer
Bank Name: MKB Bank-Budapest

Beneficiary: G.R.C. Inc. Financial Center

IBAN: HU36 10300002 10536549 40120019

SWIFT/BIC: MKKBHUHB
Bank Address: Budapest, Alagut 5, Hungary
Beneficiary Address: Budapest Haris Koz 6, Hungary
* Include your username (eBay Username) in the bank transfer reference area. Do not insert additional comments or words along with your reference since our system will not be able to confirm your payment.
** Confirm the Bank Transfer with a scanned copy of the receipt/statement from your bank. You can reply directly to the invoice with an attachment or by fax at : (001)978-517-1366 .
*** Once payment is confirmed seller is asked to provide tracking information. If buyer collects confirmation is needed with the result of the inspection.

Contact Us With Any Questions:

Email reference id: [#9912743f8623498dab56183fc741585f#]
eBay sent this message to (eBay Usename and full name). Learn more
eBay is committed to your privacy. Learn more about our privacy policy and user agreement.

Copyright ? 2013 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc.



He then received the following email:


[email protected]
Mar 18

to me
Hi Finally managed to get to a laptop where I can check my inbox, hope it hasn't been long since you emailed. My wife and I celebrate 15 years of marriage, ended up in Kakadu National Park. Long story short the winner after speaking on the phone waiting for him all day long comes up and wants a straight swap. If that wasn't enough the bugger almost made us lose our flight. Hopefully we can come to an agreement so I won't have to relist it therefore I am willing to accept your last bid price. I've got nothing to hide, agree with and recommend for your peace of mind a proper inspection before cash changes hands. I will only proceed using the eBay Protection Program. You will get 3 days for item inspection, I do accept returns. I can't accept a direct payment through this program, all payments will be handled by eBay. Seems eBay won't release the funds to me until you confirm with them if everything is as described, I agree with that. If I just knew about this ebay program from the start. There's always something new to learn. Next week I'll return home and would like to have a buyer waiting for me. I'd appreciate if you can get back with an answer by tomorrow if you're keen to buy it. Once I'll receive your reply I'll just register everything with eBay. Regards, Andy. P.S. My cell phone says no network coverage but I do check emails regularly.


In my digging, I have discovered that the domain of the above address was registered the day before the e-mail was sent.

What gets me though is that they had his full name, eBay account details, postal details etc. How is this possible? I assumed that the original seller of the vehicle is not involved in this scam or am I wrong, I wonder as the car was relisted and then cancelled (as though the BS was in fact true). The eBay seller now has another vehicle listed for sale which makes me wonder.

If anybody can assist in regards to further action we should take to try and protect others, please let me know.

With regards.

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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:51:48 +0000
Subject: toyota mr2
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=047d7b1634ff292abd04d8319d77

Hi Stazie
The same thing happend to me on Friday and Just got sacmed of£2350.
I think it is the same person as every thing happened identicaly to me as to your friend. here is a copy of the email address and bank account.I am just lost for words and nobody seems to be able to help

Hi Finally managed to get to a laptop where I can check my inbox, hope it hasn't been long since you emailed. My wife and I celebrate 15 years of marriage, ended up in Isle of Skye, Scotland. Long story short the winner after speaking on the phone waiting for him all day long comes up and wants a straight swap. If that wasn't enough the bugger almost made us lose our flight. Hopefully we can come to an agreement so I won't have to relist it therefore I am willing to accept your last bid price (£ 2,350.00. I've got nothing to hide, agree with and recommend for your peace of mind a proper inspection before cash changes hands. Next week I'll return home and would like to have a buyer waiting for me. I'd appreciate if you can get back with an answer by tomorrow if you're keen to buy it. Regards, Andy. P.S. Can be reached on 07546611697 low signal strength area I do check emails regularly.

Account Number: 53023397
Sort Code: 20-74-63
Beneficiary: A.G. Financial
Bank Name: Barclays Bank PLC.
Bank Address: 1 Hayes Lane, London, SE1 2HA, United Kingdom

Hi John,
I am so very sorry to here of your situation. How have you gone about it all now? Have you changed your eBay password? Contacted your bank? Police?
My friend has contacted his bank and thankfully dealt with someone there who has encountered this situation before.
I think with these things, the sooner you realise and take action, the better your chances are of having a positive outcome.

Wishing you all the best.

Regards.

hi guys,

sorry you guys had to go through this.... but thanks for posting this, as I searched for it, and knew something was amiss, and basically googled the helpline number

001)978-517-1366

and found your post.

now I know it is a scam, so thanks for the heads up on it

hope you guys get your money back.

Hi guys,

May i ask how did the scammers contacted you ? Trough eBay messages or trough e-mail directly ?
I am trying to figure out this happen so i can announce ebay to solve this problem so nobody will fall for this scam again.
Sorry for the losses...

Welcome veroruede,

If you are a representative of eBAY, please do contact myself or any moderator privately so we can verify who you are. If you are not a representative of eBAY, a report from you, as a random person who was not even involved in the transactions, will most likely be ignored. The people who were scammed will have more impact by reporting the scams to eBay themselves.

Just a reminder to all members: If you see a post or receive a private message from ANY member who is not on our support staff and that member appears to be fishing for details, or he/she states that he can get your money back, your scammers arrested, or get action taken on your behalf, please contact an admin or a moderator immediately so that we can verify that it is not a scam. Members of our support staff have colored names and will have a title of Scam Warner, Scam Advisor, Moderator, or Administrator. While we do our best to keep all members safe, our forum, like any other internet site, can be targeted by people who hope to profit from our members.

,,Stazie,, please post all msg that you received from scammer

The key emails related to these scams are already posted. We are not particularly anxious to provide a roadmap for others who may be looking to copycat this particular scam.

Have you contacted the bank johntj22 ?

If the scammer is using a company account to receive scam funds, whether it's his own or a 'money mule', it's more than just embarrassing for the bank and they should be prepared to help.

,,Dotti,, i want to check the method used by scammer to get ther info (email,username, full name) and prevend all member's also ,,Stazie,, please check your email received from that moment with your first bid on the item and last moment that you received the second chance (all email even if received from eBay or somenthing else)

Winifred,

If you are law enforcement or a representative of eBAY, or a licensed investigator, please contact myself or a moderator so we can verify your credentials. As I stated elsewhere, victims who believe that their eBAY information was compromised should report it to eBAY.

I'm sure that you can understand that a forum that focuses on security and preventing scams would be remiss if they recommended that members share potentially confidential information with an unknown stranger whose credentials have not been verified.

Hello guys,
I am so sorry for what happened to you.
Actually, I got absolutely similar emails, and several of them from"ebay" and the "seller",...I even replied back starting the conversation with "seller"-scammer, and everything looked pretty good, and I was very excited about getting the goodies, but....something, I felt something in my guts, and I started to exam carefully the e-mails from those scammers: highlighted links didn't work- first warning, I got down of the page- and google couldn't locate their "T&C" link- second warning. I asked myself why couldn't I pay as usual through Paypal? why should I make a direct bank transfer? All those explanations started to look very suspicious.Why, as a buyer I would be interested in which park my seller spanding the vacation with his wife? Does he wants to get too friendly with me? Why? Too many words without proper adress and introduction were in the letter.
And I simply Googled you!
Thank you, your post prevented another scam! I didn't make the transaction yet, and , now, of cause I won't.
Best of luck to you. Hopefully the bank protection plans can help you.
NM

this has just happend to me thro ebay. for £1550. it was for some musical equipment.
it is exactly like stazie case with the toyota car. thro 2nd chance.
i get email thro ebay
have to transfer money but its to a ebay account in barclays
i receive the email that he is away and cannot get to his laptop. the email is exactly the same.... just my guy is in scotland
isle of skye suposedly and his email is similar andy1970@...
i just discovered the fraud this moment. as since i have paid for the item, there is no contact with the person
i willl call barclays bak at 7 am to get to the bottom of this and go to my branch

It would be interesting to know if this is one of the regular account holders who appear to be operating scam businesses through their bank daddy vad.

Banks really have to adhere to the policies they espouse as regards customers using their accounts to launder stolen funds. This is becoming a major problem.