eBay gift cards make great gifts, but they can also be used in a scam that circumvents the platform’s purchase protection features.
The company promotes itself as a safe and secure marketplace for sellers and buyers alike offering a money-back guarantee and seller protection when things go wrong.
But the catch to the protections offered is that both parties in the transaction follow the platform’s rules and policies. Unfortunately, scammers find ways to exploit eBay’s brand and trust messaging by tricking lesser experienced buyers to circumvent its rules.
The con may also permanently boot honest sellers off the platform.
Last week, Phoenix TV station KPHO-TV reported that an Arizona man was scammed out of $1,000 on eBay using eBay gift cards trying to buy a used truck.
Using this example, let’s take a look at how this scam works and why sellers need to be careful as well.
The eBay Gift Card Scam
The scammer posted a truck for sale on eBay Motors but stipulated that the vehicle could only be purchased with eBay gift cards.
But instead of completing the transaction online with the gift cards, the scammer tricked the victim into buying eBay gift cards at a local grocery store and provide important information from the cards over the phone.
On the back of eBay gift cards, there is an area that needs to be scratched off to reveal hidden numbers that are needed to use the cards in a transaction.
What the buyer didn’t realize was that once the seller had those secret numbers,…
