Travel scam artists advertising "cheap tickets" on E-Bay used deceptive price tactics to swindle money out of would be travelers.in the travel section of E-Bay, very tempting offers were made to travel round trip to Mexico and Europe for $62.50 including shipping and handling.
This offer was backed by E-Bay certificates of fairdealing. Because of the e-bay seals the company seemed legit. Moreover upon reviewing consumer comments, I saw that previous costumers gave the company very high ratings for promptness and accessibility. The tickets were available on a "buy it now" basis so, I bid for the ticket.
The company asked for a check or money order. E-Bay rules and regulations state that once a bid is made it must be honored. Upon bidding I received an answer congratulation me for "winning."
The e-mail stated that if I left positive feedback with E-Bay I would get a 5% dicount on the tickets, now desribed as certificates. I was also offered another ticket for a deal for 3 days in the US city listed in the E-mail for $10.00.
I did not send in any positive information or take the other deal, but I sent in the money for my Mexico trip. I should have known better. On June 24, I sent out a money order to an addrress in Birmingham, Alabama. A money order or check was the requested form of payment.
Later I thought about the deal. I e-mailed questions regarding similiar cheap ticket deals to other purported "travel agencies." I discovered that one snag of this deal was you had to book a hotel at your destination for 10 days costing at least $70.00 pernight. I still fooled myself by telling myself this was a good deal.
Finally I got on an E-Bay discussion board and found out that others had been taken in by the same scam. Yet E-Bay was running these deals with a fair trade logo. It was also reported that it was next to impossible to get your money back on E-Bays money back fraudulent protection program. No one ever went on a trip. Consumers just recieved further requests for money.
Of couse I never recieved a ticket or certificate in the mail. What I received was aletter from a purported travel agency in Los Vegas, asking for $20.00 more for a "membership fee". This payment was to be sent to some addrress in Las Vegas. I have not responded.
I got back on line to complain to E-Bay about the deceptive practices of this company. E-bay rules state that I must wait 30 days to report fraud. Nevertheless as a consumer on E-Bay, E-Bay suppossidly allows me to check on the seller's status.
I checked with E-Bay regarding present dealings with seller JIBA, put in the item number of my purchase in the appropriate box, and was informed there was no record of this item or seller. Although I will report this fraud, I have very little faith in E-Bay.
Do not fall for this E-Bay scam. I understand that this ticket scam is a perrential con on E-Bay. After money is made by the crooks, the business closes down. Nothing is heard from the scamsters for quite some time. Then another similiar scam is launched on E-Bay. Of course this time the seller has a new name and the "travel agency" is entirely different.
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