Rob Ford re-posts ‘crack confession’ tie, was victim of fraudulent bids

WATCH ABOVE: Councillor Rob Ford re-listed his infamous “crack confession tie” after fraudulent bidding. Peter Kim reports.

After an unsuccessful bid to sell his tie on eBay for $16,100 in March, Ford re-listed the infamous accessory this past Sunday.

It was going for $780.00 with 15 bids placed by six bidders as of Monday morning.

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Looking at the histories tied to each bidder is a first step in weeding out fraudsters, according E-Commerce expert Tom Vassos.

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“How many transactions have they done, how many years have they been on that site, how many five-star ratings have they earned from previous sellers versus someone who just opened an account that morning and is doing their first transaction,” said Vassos. “That’s much higher risk.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "How many transactions have they done, how many years have they been on that site, how many five-star ratings have they earned from previous sellers versus someone who just opened an account that morning and is doing their first transaction," said Vassos. "That's much higher risk."

eBay allows users to click on the name of the prospective buyer on the bidding page and examine this information. Another measure sellers can take to protect themselves from fraud is to actually call the person who claims they’re ready to buy.

“Orders where the person can’t immediately answer questions, like the security code on the back of the card or the expiry date. They can’t answer personal questions like who they are,” should be cause for concern, said Vassos.

ScoutTech Outfitters sells camping gear and outerwear. Every month the company ships around 400 orders placed online through eBay, and owner Darrell Renaud can recognize the red flags.

“People buying large volumes of something, or people with billing addresses in one country who ask us to ship to a different one,” said Renaud. “We also make sure any orders over $700 have the signature option which is offered by Canada Post and any other courier.”

When selling through person-to-person websites like Kijiji and Craigslist, always meet during the day and in public said Vassos. “Bring a friend with you.”

To avoid the uncertainty of cheques for larger purchases, sellers can also rely on payment processing apps like Square, which come with a card reader that attaches to your smartphone.