The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The latest fraud items....

You'd think Ebay would be suspect of any seller that instantly posts a large number of items.

Jerry B.

Could someone explain how this fraud works. All of these fraudulent auctions have been taken down, so I can't see what you talking about.
Thank you.

ymg200 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:56 pm Could someone explain how this fraud works. All of these fraudulent auctions have been taken down, so I can't see what you talking about.
Thank you.

I'm not sure either, but apparently the machines that are pictured are random pics downloaded from the internet... However, if you bid on one of these and paid with PayPal, your purchase is totally refundable if you don't receive it... So how does the "seller" get away with it?

Both of the machines pictured look like they are in antique shops somewhere... wonder where?

Curt A wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:02 pm

ymg200 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:56 pm Could someone explain how this fraud works. All of these fraudulent auctions have been taken down, so I can't see what you talking about.
Thank you.

I'm not sure either, but apparently the machines that are pictured are random pics downloaded from the internet... However, if you bid on one of these and paid with PayPal, your purchase is totally refundable if you don't receive it... So how does the "seller" get away with it?

Both of the machines pictured look like they are in antique shops somewhere... wonder where?

They are trying to sell outside of eBay, which gives the buyer zero "buyer protection" from eBay, (and also skirts eBay fees). Maybe you don't care about eBay's loses, but it tags the seller as a cheat. Wanna buy from a cheat? Also, when these auctions pop up over & over, they are usually under different seller names, which is a huge red flag.

Here is their "instructions" on how to contact them outside of eBay, (also a violation).

Thanks, Jerry for the explanation. I doubt whether anyone in their right mind would buy anything from a "seller" (scam artist) using these buying instructions... "right mind" is key...

The owner of the domain name "top-pawn.com" is located in Panama... and no website exists for that domain.
https://www.whois.com/whois/top-pawn.com

Thank you, Jerry. Now I know what to look for to spot a fraudulent listing. I just bought a phonograph from Ebay yesterday, but that was obviously done through eBay.

Notice bid are not accepted. They want you to send the money directly to them and they disappear until next time when they use a different user ID and they list hundreds of items. Money gone. Nobody to contact.