Whenever you win a bid on eBay or what have you, a sense of accomplishment is felt. One can make the argument that auctions are sports, in their own right, when given the level of competition seen amongst bidders who all want the same item. Little do many people know, though, that auction fraud is rising and Whistleblowers Against Fraud will not tell you any differently. What exactly does auction fraud entail, you may wonder, and why should we be mindful of it?
Auction fraud has become especially prevalent in the past couple of years. For those who do not know, this type of fraud is seen when an item is won and it is not shipped out to the winner of said item. To say that this can create something of a conflict would be an understatement but you have to consider the fact that there are a couple of ways that this type of fraud can come about. In fact, I am sure that Whistleblowers Against Fraud can tell you the same.
Whistleblowers Against Fraud can tell you that auction fraud can occur when the item in question simply doesn't arrive to the bidder. One can make the argument that this can become a shipping problem, more so than anything else, but this is why most bidders are smart about adding tracking numbers. It's easy enough to keep track of where certain items are in the world. However, when there is a standstill in an item's delivery, problems can become even greater, according to authorities like W.A.F.
An item might be delivered, but it may not be the one that you originally placed a bid on. For example, a year or so in the past, I was able to win a bid for an external hard drive that was relatively cheap, at least when compared to other options in retail. However, one could imagine my surprise when I received an external hard drive without nearly as much space to place items on. With this in mind, it's easy to say that auction fraud can come in a number of forms.
Auction fraud can be avoided, however, even if you pride yourself on being a bid-happy individual. First of all, make it a point to establish a careful payment method for this purpose, whether it's PayPal - which I recommend - or what have you. Secondly, consider the fact that some sellers are not nearly as reputable as others. With this in mind, it would be in your best interest to look into items, up for bid, by those who have strong star ratings on various websites.
Auction fraud has become especially prevalent in the past couple of years. For those who do not know, this type of fraud is seen when an item is won and it is not shipped out to the winner of said item. To say that this can create something of a conflict would be an understatement but you have to consider the fact that there are a couple of ways that this type of fraud can come about. In fact, I am sure that Whistleblowers Against Fraud can tell you the same.
Whistleblowers Against Fraud can tell you that auction fraud can occur when the item in question simply doesn't arrive to the bidder. One can make the argument that this can become a shipping problem, more so than anything else, but this is why most bidders are smart about adding tracking numbers. It's easy enough to keep track of where certain items are in the world. However, when there is a standstill in an item's delivery, problems can become even greater, according to authorities like W.A.F.
An item might be delivered, but it may not be the one that you originally placed a bid on. For example, a year or so in the past, I was able to win a bid for an external hard drive that was relatively cheap, at least when compared to other options in retail. However, one could imagine my surprise when I received an external hard drive without nearly as much space to place items on. With this in mind, it's easy to say that auction fraud can come in a number of forms.
Auction fraud can be avoided, however, even if you pride yourself on being a bid-happy individual. First of all, make it a point to establish a careful payment method for this purpose, whether it's PayPal - which I recommend - or what have you. Secondly, consider the fact that some sellers are not nearly as reputable as others. With this in mind, it would be in your best interest to look into items, up for bid, by those who have strong star ratings on various websites.
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