Here's a little clipping from the Daily Mail:
Britain's internet crimewave is booming, with police investigating one alleged eBay scam nearly every hour, new figures reveal.
The statistics suggest more than 8,000 crimes were reported by eBay users last year.
The auction website is now attempting to curb the crime surge by training hundreds of police officers to investigate the scams.
Theft, handling stolen goods, financial fraud and obtaining property by deception were the most common complaints from eBay users.
Other eBay-related crimes investigated by police include burglary, assault, possession of firearms, harassment and an arson attack.
The figure of 4,550 eBay crimes were released by 36 out of 52 police forces in the UK under the Freedom of Information Act.
Some forces including the Metropolitan Police - the biggest force in the country - were unable to supply statistics, but an estimated total of eBay crimes for the whole of the UK stands at 8,389.
Hampshire has the highest rate in England, with 457 crimes reported, followed by Wiltshire (420), Leicester (386), Kent (311) and Norfolk (294).
The numbers were revealed days after a conwoman was found guilty of selling bogus Princess Diana autographs on eBay.
Swansea crown court heard that Louise Marney, 32, of Neath, South Wales, made more than £13,000 from photographs bearing forged signatures of celebrities and was given a 42-week suspended jail term.
Meanwhile conman Steve Volley, 30, of Scartho, Grimsby, is facing jail after selling £40,000 worth of ⊗⊗⊗⊗ Take That tickets on eBay.
Some 20 million items are available on eBay, with 3.5 million added every day. Its motoring site is the fastest-growing area, with one car sold every four minutes.
Steve Edwards, eBay's UK head of law enforcement, said 2,000 police officers were being trained in how to investigate suspected criminal activity on the website.
He added: 'Purchases made on eBay with PayPal come with unlimited protection, so on the rare occasion something goes wrong, our customers are fully protected.'
It comes after PayPal, the payment service used by 20 million online shoppers in Britain, gave in to consumer demands to offer full refunds to buyers defrauded on eBay.
Previously to buy items such as a laptop or furniture risked losing hundreds of pounds on something that might not work or even arrive.
Consumers who buy an item worth more than £150 using PayPal Enhanced Coverage on eBay will now have protection.
The decision to remove the present limits comes after years of pressure from PayPal users, who make up more than half of all UK eBay members.
They felt that the previous limits were unfair and made eBay shopping less safe than buying on the high street.
Police probe one eBay 'scam' every hour as hi-tech crooks prey on unwary internet users | Mail Online
