eBay 2nd Chance Offers Risky?

Arizona Republic: 

Spoof. It rhymes with poof. And for Kris Kwan, the result was the same. He was the victim of a spoof e-mail that made $1,800 go poof.

It all started when Kris tried to find a video camera on eBay. He’s an aspiring filmmaker who’s planning to shoot his first movie next month. Unlike Steven Spielberg, he’s doing this on a strict budget. Renting a camera isn’t cheap, but it’s a necessity, so he saved up the money.

While browsing eBay one day, Kris saw the exact camera he needed. He bid what he’d set aside for the rental, but didn’t win. It would have been great to buy, but he’d just go back to his original plan.

About a week later, he received an e-mail about the camera. It said the top bidder had not been able to pay, and that he was being given a second chance to purchase the camera for $1,800. The e-mail had eBay logos and lots of language warning about fraud. Subsequent official-looking e-mails said this transaction was guaranteed by eBay’s Square Trade rules.