Welcome to the world of Ebay. Unfortunately shill bidding, bidding
against the box and all the other ways an in-person auction can be
manipulated are available to the online auctioneer. Among the
high-end sewing machines for sale on Ebay are several out-and-out
frauds. The sellers of those Bernina machines have no feedback and
are offering $5,000 machines for a pittance. These auctions are scams
to harvest the credit card numbers or money or both of bidders.




(Radioman390) wrote in message

...
8 EBay Sellers Admit to Phony Bids

By MICHAEL GORMLEY
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Eight eBay sellers were ordered to pay nearly $90,000 in
restitution and fines after admitting they bid up products online to inflate
the prices.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said more than 120 people will receive
restitution in the settlement of the three cases, which wrapped up last week in
state courts.

Spokesman Darren Dopp said the cases stemmed from specific complaints, but the
office has not conducted a broad investigation of the online auction industry
and doesn't know how widespread the practice of phony bidding is.