TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A cautionary tale has emerged regarding the perils of online trading, as a sneaker vendor recently fell victim to a fraudulent customer, losing a significant sum of NT＄680,000.
This unfortunate incident serves as a reminder that it is not only online consumers who must be wary of scammers but also merchants themselves.
The seller in question had posted a listing for sneakers on a reputable sneaker trading group, receiving interest from a prospective buyer who claimed to be experiencing technical issues with her online banking application.
Shortly after this interaction, the seller received a phone call purporting to be from his bank, which informed him that the buyer was a scammer and that his bank account was flagged.
The caller then demanded that the seller send a substantial sum of money to have his account removed from the watch list.
Regrettably, the seller transferred the requested NT＄680,000, only to discover later that both the purported buyer and the bank phone calls were fraudulent.
The seller told reporters that the money was part of his family's medical emergency money. There are at least four people reportedly scammed by the same group of fraudsters. Unfortunately, the scammer group has not been caught yet.