Online-Auction-Success

Here’s the latest story to hit the news concerning transactions on eBay, feel free to add your comment.

Quoted from BBC News :

A Flintshire teacher who duped 200 people into buying fake football shirts on the auction website eBay has received a suspended prison sentence.

Paul Davies, 34, of Mold, admitted four charges of fraud and one count of obtaining money by deception - with 196 offences taken into consideration.

He was sentenced to 52 weeks in jail, suspended for 18 months, and he was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work.

Mold Crown Court heard among those sold were David Beckham shirts.

He also sold Cristiano Ronaldo tops and replica Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur shirts, claiming they were genuine.

However, they were all counterfeit and had been imported by Davies from Thailand, the court heard.

‘Financial loss’

A specialist financial investigation will now be launched under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which has the power to seize money made illegally.

Debra White, prosecuting, said Davies, a father-of-two, had been working as an English teacher in Thailand and made about £5,000 from the venture.

Sentencing Davies, Judge Dafydd Hughes said: “What you have done is cheat a large number of people and companies.

“Individuals thought that they were buying the genuine article but they were not.

“They were false, they were counterfeit and sadly these people were deceived and suffered a financial loss.”

Miss White said Davies had four eBay accounts and between September 2006 and March last year advertised various soccer shirts for sale by auction.

The court heard people paid between £20 and £43 by for the shirts.

Nic Parry, defending, said Davies was now working in the UK.

A reference showed he was highly thought of, but he would lose his job if he was jailed.