Bad eBay experience spurs Internet manhunt
The posse dogging an online auction seller seized control of his e-mail account, grilled his mother and even assumed his identity in a nationwide hunt for a man they believe swindled as much as $125,000 from buyers through fraudulent Internet auctions. [Chicago Tribune]
...a little less than two years ago I bought a Pentium III from a guy off eBay. I have over 200 auctions to my credit and I still missed the signs. Eight weeks later I had no chip and stopped getting emails from the seller.
I went into overdrive. I got his eBay account closed, I got his PayPal account frozen. But I found out that eBay really will do NOTHING other than send emails and say harsh words...nothing. I found that he had ripped off a number of other people. I tracked him down to a 6 block area of Honolulu. In the end he responded to one of my emails after I made it clear to him that my mother had worked with the Honolulu Police Department, and I had friends and family with connections. The last thing he wanted was for some friends to show up at his doorstep.
I didn't get the chip, but I got other hardware and equipment that I sold off for almost the same value....and I got the satisfaction of the thrill of the hunt...mj
8:34:45 PM 
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