If you’ve ever used the Internet to make financial transactions, you’re probably aware of some of the warning signs that you’re being scammed:

• Phishing emails that ask for sensitive personal or banking information
• Hyperlinks that lead you away from a retailer’s website
• Paid advertisements that offer too-good-to-be-true promises or opportunities
• Poor grammar and other stylistic flaws that hint someone other than an expert is behind a document

But, according to Consumerist.com, some online scammers are taking their fraud to whole new levels of believability. This means that, if you want to hold on to your hard-earned money, you must be more vigilant than ever in protecting it.

The Story: Believable eBay Fraudsters

The story recounted involves a woman who was attempting to buy a used camera lens on eBay. Here’s what happened:

• She read reviews: Once she found the product she wanted, the woman checked the seller’s customer ratings. They were overwhelmingly positive, so she continued.
• She checked out the store: The seller was linked to a real shop, and the link to that store’s site suggested it was a good source for camera equipment.
• She saw the contact was an email address outside eBay: This was a first warning sign: the seller (who was a fraudster) asked to be contacted at an address not affiliated with the eBay account.
• The auction wasn’t ended: Though the seller responded to the woman’s query, he didn’t terminate the eBay auction when she agreed to buy, which made her suspicious.
• She was asked to pay through Western Union: This was a huge red flag. Making payments to someone you don’t know through Western Union or any money wiring service is never a good idea.
• She went to a customer service chat: This is perhaps the most disturbing part of the story: when the woman had questions about paying by money wire, the scammer directed her to an online customer chat room. The site apparently looked legitimate and the live person who helped her assured her nothing was amiss. However, it wasn’t legitimate.

The customer service chat told her that the auction came with eBay’s “Buyer Protection Program” and eBay would automatically refund her purchase if anything was wrong.

The buyer had also received an email that the listing had been pulled because the account was compromised—a clear sign that something was amiss. The customer service agent explained that this email was sent because the seller ending the auction early to accept her Buy It Now offer. All in all, the experience left her with more doubt.

Luckily, the woman in this story remained suspicious about the Western Union payment request, because eBay’s site specifically warns against paying by wire transfers. But it’s not hard to imagine that others will be fooled by such an in-depth, high-tech scam. In this case, a legitimate seller’s account has hacked by a scammer, giving them the perfect cover to prey on buyers.

When shopping or conducting any financial transactions online, go with your gut instinct: if something feels wrong, don’t follow through.  Being lured into a scam can lead to financial trouble, and even bankruptcy if the scammer get access to enough information.

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