Interesting case of Fraud

Posts: 1573 · Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:10 am

Here is an out-and-out "rip-off" job. (though it doesn't relate specifically to RPG items).

The eBay member christchurch-1 Rolling Eyes

purchased an Amazing Spider-Man #65 from me with BIN for 24.99. They said it was a gift and had me send it to someone with Signature Confirmation (which I did).

A few days later I get a call from eBay member brianmmagic who just sold a CGC 9.8 Spider-man #65 to a member for $1,300 + dollars. He is confused because the Spider-man that christchurch-1 purchased has just showed up. This christchurch person told him I would ship out the CGC 9.8 comic.

Turns out, this brianmmagic actually responded to an add and agreed to sell 3 CGC comics for this person. Without actually possessing or seeing anything other than an online pic. He actually gave this person the money by depositing it to an account of theirs (I'm a little sketchy on the exact details, but he can't chargeback as it wasn't a credit card).

So, brianmmagic sells comics he doesn't have on the assumption that this christchurch person will send them out and he gets to keep the majority of the sale price.

He is completely scammed. (though he is quite a fool to have fallen for this). As far as eBay is concerned, christchurch hasn't even done anything wrong. I feel bad for him as he sounds like a nice kid and I gave him what advice I could.

The only thing I can't figure out is my role in this? Why even bother to send out a much cheaper item? She gave him my phone number as well? Am I simply a red herring?

I can see from christchurch-1 bid history and brianmmagic selling history that she has already done a similar thing with another CGC comic he sold?

I have reported the situation to eBay (just to keep them informed) and chirstchurch-1 actually did violate ebay policy by giving out my personal information to another individual who was unrelated to any transaction with me.

Any thoughts?

Posts: 4467 · Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:00 pm

beyondthebreach wrote:

Here is an out-and-out "rip-off" job. (though it doesn't relate specifically to RPG items).

The eBay member christchurch-1 Rolling Eyes

purchased an Amazing Spider-Man #65 from me with BIN for 24.99. They said it was a gift and had me send it to someone with Signature Confirmation (which I did).

A few days later I get a call from eBay member brianmmagic who just sold a CGC 9.8 Spider-man #65 to a member for $1,300 + dollars. He is confused because the Spider-man that christchurch-1 purchased has just showed up. This christchurch person told him I would ship out the CGC 9.8 comic.

Turns out, this brianmmagic actually responded to an add and agreed to sell 3 CGC comics for this person. Without actually possessing or seeing anything other than an online pic. He actually gave this person the money by depositing it to an account of theirs (I'm a little sketchy on the exact details, but he can't chargeback as it wasn't a credit card).

So, brianmmagic sells comics he doesn't have on the assumption that this christchurch person will send them out and he gets to keep the majority of the sale price.

He is completely scammed. (though he is quite a fool to have fallen for this). As far as eBay is concerned, christchurch hasn't even done anything wrong. I feel bad for him as he sounds like a nice kid and I gave him what advice I could.

The only thing I can't figure out is my role in this? Why even bother to send out a much cheaper item? She gave him my phone number as well? Am I simply a red herring?

I can see from christchurch-1 bid history and brianmmagic selling history that she has already done a similar thing with another CGC comic he sold?

I have reported the situation to eBay (just to keep them informed) and chirstchurch-1 actually did violate ebay policy by giving out my personal information to another individual who was unrelated to any transaction with me.

Any thoughts?

What a tangled web (Spidey's web in this case) we weave...

Brianmagic is a moron and a fool, motivated by stupidity and greed. If I was a conman I'd be tempted to take him for everything he had. Christchurch is a budding conman, and I believe what he is doing is morally and ethically wrong if not downright illegal per Ebays rules. What I don't understand, what happened after your Spidey that I assume wasn't a CGC 9.8 arrived? Did he foist it off for $1300 to the other buyer? If so, then you need to upgrade your comics because you came out short $1275 on the deal!
And don't even get me ranting about the bogus shitpile of CGC, GCG, and all the other joke grading services that artifically inflate comic prices....Ever send the same comic to them twice and get two completely different grades?

Mike B.

Posts: 1573 · Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 1:27 pm

I probably didn't make it all very clear. The buyer of the Spider-Man 65 comic is to all appearances innocent. They expected to get the CGC 9.8 from the seller brianmmagic (who was also a "victim") but instead, the "con-artist to be" purchased a cheap one from me and had me send it to the buyer instead.

If everything runs the proper course, the only loser is brianmmagic. The buyer will get a refund (hopefully) and they get to keep the comic that I sent them! I get the BIN price I wanted. christchurch-1 gets a butt load of brian's money and brian can only hope to try a use legal means to regain his funds (good luck!).

By the way, eBay just responded to my complaint and christchurch-1 is no longer registered.

All a little off topic, but this is the first "dramatic" transaction I have ever been a part of! I rather don't like being used, but I am sure it was only because I had a BIN for the item they wanted.