Don’t be a Victim of Online Auction Fraud

by Stephen Bucaro

The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) reported that last year 7.7 million dollars was lost through online auction scams. The actual losses are much greater. Most auction scams are not reported because they involve only small amounts of money. Most auction Web sites are aggressive at fighting fraud. eBay has a fraud investigation unit that has helped them hold down fraud to only .01% of its transactions. If you paid for an item and never received it, or if you received the item but it was less than what was described, eBay's Fraud Protection Program will reimburse you up to $200, minus a $25 processing charge. In order to qualify for Fraud Protection coverage, you must submit an Online Fraud Complaint with eBay after 30 days and before 60 days from the time the auction ended. After making a purchase, buyers can leave feedback about their experience with the seller. Before you bid on an item, check the seller's feedback profile by clicking on the number next to the their User ID. There is also a feedback forum and discussion board. Below are a few actions that you should take to protect yourself from Internet auction fraud. For a high cost item use an escrow service. Avoid sellers who request payment by electronic transfer. Never provide your Social Security Number or Drivers License Number. Verify the delivery data and the sellers return policy. Review the online feedback on a seller. If the seller is a business, check with the Better Business Bureau www.bbb.org. Prefer sellers who accept credit card payments. When you use a credit card to pay for a purchase, federal law limits your liability for an unauthorized charge to $50. You can also request your credit card issuer to make a charge-back. Be cautious about buying from a seller in another country. If you buy from a seller in another country, understand the difference in laws governing auctions between that country and the US. If you become a victim of Internet auction fraud, you can submit a complaint report with an online form at the IFCC Web site www.ifccfbi.gov. The IFCC will review your complaint and refer it to the proper law enforcement agency. Internet Auction fraud is a large and growing problem. Take the measures outlined above to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. Copyright(C)2004 Bucaro TecHelp. Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included. Stephen Bucaro To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com. To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp

Auctions and Car Transport : Everything You Need To Know

by Nick Telford II

Everyone has wanted to sell a car at some point and in the age of Internet auctions, there are more options than ever when it comes to selling your car whether it's an '05, '78 or a '20. With this ever expanding world of options comes the need to make delivery after you've sold the vehicle and that requires a car transport service. Depending on the auction service, you can list that shipment of the item is completely up to the buyer's discretion or offer a method of transportation to fold into the final price. The first is often more preferable to buyers because it allows them to shop various car transporters themselves to find the one that suits them best. However, if you decide to fold the cost of the shipment along with a hand picked transporter into the auction of your car, there are some things you need to do. First, you need to narrow down your selection of transporters in some fashion that incorporates not only their price ranges but also their reliability and service records. Remember, that by folding in the selection of the transporter to the auction, you are in some way taking responsibility for the shipment both before you deliver it to the transporter and after. Second, to simplify the matters with regard to the auction, make sure you have all the information about your selected transporter at hand. Include this information in the auction information. When buyers look through potential cars to buy on auctions they are as concerned about the cars they are looking at as to how they might get there. Some buyers may not want to use the transporter you have selected; you may or may not wish to include that as an option to turn down on the buyer's part. Finally, when you are ready to list the car as well as the transporter information, be sure to include a series of price quotes from the transporter from the car's location to major hubs on both coasts, the mid-west and include both upper and lower sides of the coasts, mid-Atlantic and so on. This will allow the buyer to guess based on their proximity to one of those locations what the cost will likely be. Always be sure to list that the quotes are not exact and are not final until the buyer's shipping information is received. It may seem like more work than it's worth to go through all of this prior to listing the car that you want to sell, it will pay off at the auction's closing. As the seller, you simply wait to confirm where the car is being transported to and confirm a final quote from the transportation company. Once the seller receives the payment from the buyer they can get the car to the transportation company of their choice and not have to worry if the buyer chooses a transporter that will be a hassle for you the seller. While most buyers and sellers work in fairly cooperative relations in order to receive the item sold and the payment for the item, sometimes having the game plan set will save a lot of time. =========================================================== Discover vital information and advice about car and auto transport services. Find out what you must do, and what you must not do. Click http://www.auto-transport-101.com/ About the Author Nick Telford regularly buys new cars from across the country, and gets them transported home. Now he's written a series of articles giving his experiences, good & bad, of how to use car transport services.

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