From Trains Magazine:
The scammer posts an item for sale at a price way below retail. A person attracted by the low price then buys the item. The scammer then buys the item from the publisher at full retail price using the buyer's stolen information. The buyer then recognizes the discrepancy and gets the credit card company to fix it. The scammer then pockets the difference. In effect, these scammers are stealing thousands of dollars away from those who publish the books, to begin with (Kalmbach, White River, Morning Sun, SPT&HS, etc...).
As somebody who likes to collect books, magazines, maps, models, and other railroad memorabilia, I feel nothing but sympathy for those publishers scammed out of their money. They are the ones who produce it after all and are an integral part of our hobby. Luckily the eBay, the FBI, and various delivery services has been contacted about the situation. Let's hope this is all resolved soon.
The president of the Conrail Historical Society, Inc., and a railroad bookseller are blowing the whistle on a scam that has resulted in fraudulent billing of hundreds if not thousands of dollars’ worth of railroad-hobby merchandise, using the online auction site eBay. They’re working with postal inspectors, the FBI, and state attorneys general to halt the illegal practice...https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... ebay-scam/
The scammer posts an item for sale at a price way below retail. A person attracted by the low price then buys the item. The scammer then buys the item from the publisher at full retail price using the buyer's stolen information. The buyer then recognizes the discrepancy and gets the credit card company to fix it. The scammer then pockets the difference. In effect, these scammers are stealing thousands of dollars away from those who publish the books, to begin with (Kalmbach, White River, Morning Sun, SPT&HS, etc...).
As somebody who likes to collect books, magazines, maps, models, and other railroad memorabilia, I feel nothing but sympathy for those publishers scammed out of their money. They are the ones who produce it after all and are an integral part of our hobby. Luckily the eBay, the FBI, and various delivery services has been contacted about the situation. Let's hope this is all resolved soon.
Barbecuing in Chessie's backyard. Host of "Shortline's Rail News & Comment."
