Which urges eBay to get tough on fraud
Published February 25th, 2006
Online auction site eBay should take a tougher stance on tackling fraud, a consumer magazine has said.
Around 130 incidents relating to the website are reported to the Metropolitan Police each month, according to Computing Which?
The link to eBay’s Safety Centre should be made more clearly visible on the site, Computing Which? said.
Jessica Ross, editor of the magazine, said: “Many people see eBay as a bit of fun, like Friends Reunited, and no one’s denying that it’s quick and easy to use. But there’s plenty of opportunity for criminals to cash in too.
“eBay needs to educate people about the dangers of using the site. This 21st century car boot sale attracts more than a few dodgy characters and gangs can ‘earn’ huge amounts defrauding everyday eBayers.”
Computing Which? said eBay’s online money transfer service PayPal was the safest method for customers to pay for goods because it doesn’t involve revealing bank details. Responding to the article, eBay said the number of complaints quoted was “misleading”.
The company said in a statement: “The vast majority of the cases relate to transactions that did not take place on eBay. We have been led to believe that, in most of the cases, the users were contacted via email – rather than on the eBay site.”
The statement added: “eBay provides its users with a very safe environment in which to trade. Over half of all our staff worldwide are involved in frontline customer services, working to make the site secure and to target anyone trying to commit fraud on the site.”
