ebaysellers2020 "Marco"

I responded to an advertisement on craigslist for a freelance ebay seller. It involved selling shirts on behalf of ebaysellers2020. I took a cut of the sale while transfering "Marco" his share.

Only problem was none of the shirts ever arrived, he's taken off with about £500 worth of stolen money and now I'm taking the rap for it! customers have demanded refunds and I have personally refunded most of them.

A friend managed to track his IP to Bangkok and I have his sort code and account number. I've contacted the online fraud people but no response yet. Anything else I can do?

Hi there

Have you got any other replies from other people or had this problem investigated?
I have had contact with this so called Marco Smith - his real name is Jozef Pavlac , a Polish immigrant living in Manchester. I have traced his IP, it is in Thailand, however on his Facebook and Freelancer profile it states that he is from Manchester. He uses [email protected] and [email protected] as his email addresses.

Obviously I don't know how you got the identity of this person, and don't know whether or not the identity you mention is the person involved. Equally I can't say that it isn't.

Are you in the UK simontyrrell ?

The rule is that if someone uses their bank account to perform fraud, they should lose it, and likely get a warning through CIFAS that'll block them getting any bank facility in the UK. Nowadays such a block effectively makes you unemployable and unable to receive benefits but, that's the risk a scammer takes. If the person is a fraudster I wouldn't hesitate but i don't have full confidence in the UK authorities to implement their stated policies. As a patriotic Englishman I wish i didn't have to admit this, but it's worth making a complaint direct to his bank if you can back up your claims with evidence.

Too much of this is going on. Bear in mind you shouldn't sell other people's goods through your ebay because, as well as the risks you've discovered, it also breaks ebay's T & C's. Having said that, it doesn't excuse a fraudster.

Hi I'm having trouble with this guy too he says his name is marco smith but I've been sending money too for shirts I've sold so much on eBay but the problem is the customers are not get their goods I kept asking him for the tracking numbers and still nothing I just don't know what to do anymore

So Marco & Jozef are the same person, I had my suspicions!
I have made a video about my experience with this person, I'm hoping we can build a profile of him to give to the police!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8do8vWxn ... ata_player

Would this be him?
Seems to fit, from Slovakia, living in Manchester, has the ebaysellers page liked/as friends
Might be possible to work his address out of someone on his friends list?
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/jozef.pa ... =514224922

Chasing these people is like trying to catch smoke and we've had about three nationalities mentioned and at least one name, which is unsafe to do without some real evidence, and you won't get that without some in depth research. The problem is that the minute you get close, he'll disappear and turn up again with a new fake identity.

Looking at the e-mail addies mentioned he appears to have been involved in a wide range of internet scams and I'll see what I can turn up.

Presumably he's connected with this

https://www.facebook.com/ebaysellers2013

... and ebay make it quite clear that this type of operation is to be avoided like the plague.

From the facebook page.

ebaysellers is looking for the right candidates to join our expanding Online business. As part of this expansion we are looking to employ new sellers to sell our products on eBay. The job role will requiter you to upload items we have for sale from templates That we will provide you with. The right candidates will have their own computers, access to the Internet and be able to set up their own eBay accounts. You will work from home and are free to set your own working hours. If you are interested in this position, please contact us: [email protected]

If he can't be tracked or identified the least that can be done is to play 'wackamole' with his scam operations.

Add to that

http://ebaysellers3000.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/ebaysellers.html?spref=fb

https://plus.google.com/u/0/104452922272783724871/posts

https://www.facebook.com/marco.smith.3348390?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

I note that he's the person who claims to be located in Manchester, Thailand, so presumably he isn't.

He has trouble finding places to take his adverts but has placed them here in the past

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Data-Entry-Sales/eBay-Sellers-Wanted.4579687.html

Project Description:
We are an online fashion company looking for the right candidates to join our expanding Online business. As part of this expansion we are looking to employ new sellers to sell our products on such Internet site like eBay.
The job role will requiter you to upload items we have for sale from templates That we will provide you with.
The right candidates will have there own computers, access to the Internet and be able to set up there own eBay accounts. You will work from home and are free to set your own working hours.

... and he's not alone

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Internet-Marketing-Marketing/ebay-sellers-needed-repost.html

It was interesting to note that I found someone looking for a developer to 'make a eBay listing template' here

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Graphic-Design-Website-Design/eBay-Listing-Template.html

I don't imagine that it's eBay looking for help.

If the facebook account I found is correct then I now have access to a list of his friends and place of work, and I have found his boss.
Would it be a good move to ask his boss or one of his friends for his contact information, or maybe to contact the company he works for to get an address through them?

I'd be interested to have details if you are prepared to pm them to me linderock so that I can do some research on him. I am quite good at it and have lots of free time.

I have to admit that I am quite sceptical as to how reliable any links any of us turn up may be, and I'm saying that from my own experience of believing I may have identified scammers. Scams and scammers are easy to identify but putting them together is extremely difficult. Then there is the difficulty of obtaining proof sufficient to interest law enforcement, but I'm prepared to have a go if it leads anywhere.

I have sent you a pm linderock.

I am caught up in rhis scam at present..i have only just cottoned on after him giving me his bank details with the name Josef Pavloc as account holder... Although he told me his name was steven... Thankfully i did a google search of pavloc before transferimg any money... I came to rhis site... I can now refund the customers as i havnt transfered yet... Thankfully... Hope this is the end of it now... Shouldv'e trusted my gut imstinct in the first place...
Has anyone traced him yet? Cos he's obviously still at it...

Email address he is using is [email protected]

If anyone loses money through the activities of a person selling their goods on your ebay site and then not sending out goods, and you know their bank account details, I'd be inclined to e-mail the person and give them a deadline in which to make refunds to you so that you can repay your customers, failing which you'll report his bank account as being involved in receiving payments obtained under fraud.

Clearly people should not get their ebay account involved in any such arrangement unless they have researched how it should be done safely, which is clearly set out on the ebay site, and responding to an offer from a stranger isn't the way.

Losing your bank account is a serious matter, as it is to defraud people, and this not a very smart scammer.

That's a relief HBM, I'm glad this has helped you!

Sorry for not replying sooner, I've been going through a difficult patch and my health is not great atm!
http://www.facebook.com/jozef.pavlac is his facebook page, it says he works at cormar carpets (I've checked and that is a real company) and on his friends list is a bunch of people who work at the same place, so they would be good people to ask or people who also live in Manchester. I found a guy called Chris Aksiuk who is quality control at cormar carpets facebook.com/Chris.aksiuk he might be a good person to ask for information.
Terrance I hope thats enough information to work with, if I find more I'll let you know!

I recommend caution linderock, and not speaking in the open but I will certainly look in to it more deeply.

I understand that getting caught up in a situation like this can be very destabilising but you have to keep calm and not act rashly. Connecting with other victims would be useful in any action you take, whether it's through the police or Trading Standards perhaps, as this is a business arrangement which is still being promoted on Facebook. I'd verify anyone claiming to be a victim by making sure that their ebay shows that they have been involved.

Hey everyone.
Just wanted to see if any of you had any news about the scam.
I got a letter through from Action Fraud this morning, the matter has been passed to Manchester police.
I suggest that everyone who has been involved with this scam, if you haven't already, report it to Action Fraud and request that Manchester police look into it. The more people reporting it hopefully the more seriously they'll take the matter.

Actionfraud.police.uk

Stay safe everyone!