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?
When it comes to the various types of fraud out there, attention should definitely be brought to auction fraud. This is a type of situation in which an item is won but it is not shipped out to the individual who won the item to begin with. With such a concerning conflict, one must wonder what the specifics are behind this. Auction fraud can come in a couple of forms and I believe that this information can be distributed by a number of authorities, Whistleblowers Against Fraud included.
Whistleblowers Against Fraud can tell you about the idea of auction fraud coming about when the item does not arrive. For example, you may have won an item you placed a bid on but you were not given any follow-up; even a tracking number seemed out of the question. Tracking numbers should be utilized for this purpose and many reputable sellers will make it a point to include these. Nonetheless, auction fraud can occur this way, according to various companies, W.A.F. included.
It\’s possible that an item might arrive at your doorstep but it is the wrong one. Here\’s a great example of this: a year ago, I won a bid for a cheaper external hard drive that was lightly used and I was excited to put it to use. Fast forward less than one week later and I received an entirely different hard drive with not nearly as much space on it. This is an example that indicates how auction fraud does not have to come in just one form, as it might be more varied than people know it to be.
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.
Go to Whistleblowers Against Fraud if you would like help for dealing with various kinds of fraud.. This article, Whistleblowers Against Fraud: The Importance Of Auction Fraud is available for free reprint.