By Chris Bowser
Online auctions have become big business, with millions of items for sale at any given time. People across the world currently make a living selling items through Internet auction houses.One reason for their incredible growth and popularity is that they make it easy for people to find great deals on goods that are hard to find all around the world. The excitement also makes them prime hunting grounds for scam artists, ready to play on the desire many auction bidders have for that unbelievable deal. Scammers have become extremely sophisticated with the tools they use to trick consumers into opening their wallets. National Consumers League’s Fraud Center has received multiple reports of scammers creating realistic Web sites, emails, and hotlines all designed to fool unsuspecting consumers into believing they are dealing with a legitimate business.
