UTTOXETER residents are being warned of the dangers of eBay after a teacher found herself £4,000 out of pocket through a fraudulent account.
Rachel Edwards, who teaches at a Uttoxeter school, decided with her partner to buy a campervan on eBay so they could enjoy holidays away.
After finding a ‘fantastic’ campervan on the auction site, they agreed a price with the seller, who said he would prefer all the dealings to be done through eBay, and the bidding was closed so they could complete the transaction.
The couple were able to get hold of the seller, calling himself Cantero Augusto Ellis, over the phone and by e-mail all of the time and found his eBay account appeared to have legitimate feedback.
He arranged for an interface of eBay to complete and invoice the bank transfer procedure for the sum of £4,000.
Since the money was taken, she had found other people who have had the same done to them and other’s have had their eBay accounts hacked and items sold without them even knowing.
Miss Edwards, of Coton in the Clay, said: “We were batted between eBay and the police, who I have to say tried their very best to help, eBay has been shocking, the man had someone else purchase the van and still poses a threat on eBay, he has not been stopped, the user ID has eventually been frozen, but it took two to three days and he has our money among probably a catalogue of other people’s.
“I’ve been desperate to shout from the roof tops, to make this national fraud something more people are aware of.
“There is a phenomenal amount of people who have had the same done to them, always using Barclays bank. I’m desperate.
“I have to say, furious to the point of explosion.
“This guy I have just found to be again trying to sell the van after a friend of mine faked an interest in the van we bought, but never received.
“He has yet another Barclays bank account, again in the Leicestershire area, but advertises the vehicles from Derbyshire addresses, unbeknown to the home occupants.” Sergeant Ian Cantrill, of Uttoxeter Police said: “We have had quite a few incidents reported of people being scammed when using eBay.
“People need to closely follow eBay’s buying advice and don’t deviate from that. Even then if it is not without risk.” eBay had failed to comment at the time of The Advertiser going to press.
