Melbourne man loses hundreds in online fraud

Nobby Kleinman paid hundreds for a phone that never arrived. But the response from police and eBay was almost as bad as the original “con”.

A Melbourne man who lost $600 in an eBay scam is speaking out to save other Aussies from falling into a similar trap.

Nobby Kleinman fell victim to the “con” after being outbid for an iPhone 8 on eBay on March 8.

Soon after the auction ended, he was contacted by the seller who claimed she had another phone that could be his for $600 via direct bank deposit, or for a higher price if he paid through PayPal, which is the usual channel of payment for eBay transactions.

Mr Kleinman agreed to the cheaper price and sent across the money, but almost immediately, alarm bells started ringing.

Soon, he received a message from an alleged friend of the seller, who said the woman’s son had been rushed to hospital with a life-threatening illness, and that there would be a delay sending the phone.

For the next two weeks, nothing happened, and the friend finally offered to meet Mr Kleinman in person to drop off the gadget.

But on the day they were supposed to meet, the woman cancelled and said she would refund his money.

Over several weeks, the seller attempted to explain the situation via digital conversations with Mr Kleinman, which have also been viewed by news.com.au.

However, Mr Kleinman said her excuses were little more than “lies”.

“Every time the money was supposed to be there, there was another excuse — she was clearly lying, it was blatantly obvious she was trying to pull a swiftie,” he told news.com.au.

“I told her that time was up and that I was going to the police, and she said she didn’t want to go to jail, and that she’d send the money. But it never arrived.

“The stupid part is I know her name, I know what suburb she lives in, the bank she goes to and her eBay username so it’s pretty dumb she keeps doing this to people.”

Nobby Kleinman said eBay and the police didn't take his complaint seriously, despite having proof. Picture: Facebook

Mr Kleinman eventually tried to report the problem to the police, but was told victims of online frauds or scams should instead contact the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN).

But after going through the 30-minute reporting process, he realised ACORN was under no obligation to follow up on his complaint — even though he had proof.

He also reported the incident to an eBay representative, but said he was similarly “ignored”.

“The bottom line for them was if you don’t buy through PayPal, that’s your problem — they won’t do anything about it,” he said.

“They didn’t seem to care about it, even though they say they don’t want their platform filled with people committing fraud.”

Eventually, after being contacted by news.com.au, eBay decided to take action and refund the cash as a “courtesy”.

“We are committed to ensuring eBay remains a safe and secure place to shop, however, users are reminded to be vigilant and report anything that doesn’t look quite right, including being encouraged to complete payments outside of the eBay platform or accepting offers that look too good to be true,” eBay’s Head of Communications Australia and New Zealand Sophie Onikul told news.com.au.

“eBay has reviewed this case and will provide the buyer with a courtesy refund. The seller has also been suspended.

“Only purchases through eBay are protected by eBay Money Back Guarantee. In this case the sale was completed outside of our secure payment methods.”

Mr Kleinman said he was “very lucky and appreciative” that eBay had reviewed the situation, but urged other Aussies to be wary.

“Despite many years of experience on the internet and being well informed of scams, I fell for this one because of a very simple reason,” he said.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and people should immediately steer clear. In my case, there was one price if through PayPal, or a really good offer if paid direct to the seller, and I fell for it.

“Don’t go the direct option. It’s fraught with frustration and disappointment.”

Finder.com.au personal finance expert Kate Browne urged Aussie shoppers to be “extra careful” to avoid being ripped off online marketplaces like Gumtree and eBay, which each have thousands of sellers.

“Always check the seller’s reviews and feedback to see whether they’re genuine. If the seller is new take extra care before you seal the deal. Shop around to see if you can find the product you’re after elsewhere,” she said.

“Be wary of sellers that want direct payment or offer you a cheaper deal to bypass eBay entirely. Most of the time these are scams and you won’t be covered by any buyer protection policies.

“Scamming can cost a lot of money, so before you make a big ticket purchase you need to be certain that you’re getting what you pay for. Never spend more than you can afford, and if possible make sure you always have a little bit of money set aside for a potential financial crisis.”

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