Auction sites are a breeding ground for every possible scammer there is. The procedure is fairly simple: you find somebody who has something you want, you win the auction and then ask for the product to be sent to your place (at this point it would be great to have a 'rented' PO box at a post office) and never pay for it. You'd be surprised how many people fall for this.

A woman was persuaded into giving up her Blackberry mobile phone in exchange for 100� which she never saw. The fraudster, according to the police, is Nigerian, and a part of a well established gang with the same modus operandi. A police spokesman was quoted by Bromsgrove Standard as saying: "People are warned to exercise caution when buying and selling goods over the internet - there are literally hundreds of different scams, unfortunately many are originating in Nigeria."

The woman received two emails, allegedly from eBay, the auction site used, and they had contradictory information. The first warned her that the auction for her Blackberry was false and that she shouldn't send the phone, and the second came to top it saying that it was actually ok to go ahead with the mailing. Which she did, only to find out in disbelief later that none of the two messages were from eBay.

This is just a case in many, and everybody willing to part with objects in their possession via an online auction should take heed to the warning. You never know when it's going to happen to you, so be sure to first check that the payment is received and that the funds are cleared. Simplicity seems to work best with scammers, the above example being the best to illustrate it. Two fake emails and it's done.