If you've been scammed on eBay, as I have, you'll find this story on MSNBC really interesting.

I had my indentity stolen a few months back and it was a really unpleasant experience. You can read about it here. Also, the first time I tried to buy my new camera, the auction turned out to be fake. It wasn't too hard to discover the ruse, when the seller tried to change terms of the auction after I won. I alerted eBay and they shut the perp down. But I'm sure he'll be back.

eBay should be doing a far better job informing the public of the nature of the problem. But they won't. They won't because they are afraid to admit the extent of the problem. It's like in Fight Club when Edward Norton's character is talking about automobile recalls. There is a formula the companies follow. Basically if the cost of the recall is more than not doing one, they don't do the recall. So far, the damage done to eBay's image isn't great enough for them to step up and take some responsibility. It's really sad how corporate America works. It makes me ill.

EBay thief reveals tricks of the trade
Bob Sullivan, MSNBC, Sept. 24. He contacted me to brag, this e-mailer named Kenneth. Said he had seen a story I'd done called 'True confessions of an eBay criminal,' about a 15-year old who managed to steal a few thousand dollars online. And Kenneth was offended. 'He's an insult to each and every one of us scam artists,' Kenneth wrote. 'I could tell you stories.' And so he did. Kenneth claims he's spent the past two years as one of eBay's most notorious scammers.