Scam - Picturephone Auction (eBay)

[JB-Alert]

I've seen this identical auction a few times in the past months, under different seller names. Seller includes a pic that says any bids will be removed and to contact them at their email address (not eBay's messaging) for a BIN sale.  I noticed this seller has sold over 14,000 items, and a random check of the items he has now are all in the same format and instructions.  Unless I missed something, the format being used is not allowed under eBay's listing practices.  A random check of the items for sale are all expensive jewelry with starting prices all under $10, but with instructions to email seller for BIN. 

[Jon Kolger]

All these auctions by this seller are fraudulent.  He steals the listings from previously high selling items and then lists them as his own.  He has numerous high dollar telephone auctions on there right now, but they have all been cancelled because they are fake, or soon will be if they aren't already.

[TelePlay]

Well said. Strange the seller hasn't been reported to eBay and removed by eBay.

Here's the eBay link

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165969122822

I noticed one of his other listings is for a WE tube amplifier. Same format as the Picturephone. $3.43 opening bid but description says the BIN is $7,200 (not unreasonable in that the 2 balanced triode vacuum tubes, the 2 biggest tubes in the listing image, sell for over $4,000 by themselves).

Something dicey going on.

[TelePlay]

All these auctions by this seller are fraudulent.

Why doesn't eBay cancel the account?

[5415551212]

If everyone on here goes to that listing and reports it they will take it down.
I already flagged it.
 

[SUnset2]

The other victim is the Ebay seller whose account was hacked to list these items.  This has been happening at least once a month.  The scammer has saved pictures and descriptions from several of the most expensive items to sell on Ebay, including a few rare telephones.  He then hacks a different seller's account and posts these fraudulent listings.  I've flagged them a couple times in the past, but they seem to be unable to stop him.

[FABphones]

According to the June 2022 thread, Mark at Old Phone Shop was the original seller.

As discussed here on CRPF:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=26312

[TelePlay]

eBay has removed the listing.

Hope the get the hacker.

[JB-Alert]

Looks like the seller is back again (Sunday, 3/12), under a new name this time - 'info@sw2group.com'.  Same terms apply to all the auction items under his seller name, pay a BIN outside of eBay's bidding process.

[TelePlay]

The current auction link:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304837263664