Inflating the Ratings: New Online Scams

ANCHOR LEAD
WE'VE ALL HEARD THE WARNINGS…BE CAREFUL WHO YOU BUY FROM ON THE WEB…. MANY OF US TURN TO THE FEEDBACK OR RATING SECTIONS TO HELP DISTINGUISH GOOD SELLERS FROM BAD, BUT EXPERTS SAY, YOU CAN'T ALWAYS BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ. ______________TELL US ABOUT SOME NEW SCAMS.

TRACK ONE Length: 06
E BAY SHOPPER ANDY HOOPER NEVER HAD A PROBLEM…UNTIL HIS MOST RECENT PURCHASE…TWO WIRELESS PLAYSTATION CONTROLLERS…

SOT
KEY @ : 07 Andy Hooper, eBay Shopper
"The joystick wasn't working so I changed out the batteries, went back and tested it again and the joystick still wasn't working."

TRACK TWO Length: 09
ANDY CONTACTED THE SELLER, BUT SAYS HE GOT THE RUNAROUND, UNTIL HE GAVE UP…LOSING HIS FIFTY DOLLARS.
HE WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE HE HAD CHECKED OUT THE SELLER BEFORE BUYING.

SOT
KEY @ : 24 Andy Hooper, eBay Shopper
"The feedback rating was very high saying A++ seller."

TRACK THREE Length: 06
WEB EXPERT TOM MERRITT SAYS SHOPPERS WHO RELY ON FEEDBACK RATINGS ON ONLINE AUCTIONS OR RETAIL SITES NEED TO BE AWARE…

SOT
KEY @ : 32 Tom Merritt, CNet
"There are more and more scams where people have figured out how to game the system."

TRACK FOUR Length: 07
ONE OF THE LATEST SCAMS, MERRITT SAYS, INVOLVES THE THIEF SELLING A LOT OF CHEAP ITEMS, BUILDING UP POSITIVE FEEDBACK AND THEN…

SOT
KEY @ : 44 Tom Merritt, CNet
"They can go to their big ticket items like HDTVs, take people's money, and you never hear from them again."

TRACK FIVE Length: 03
SO BE SURE AND CHECK OUT WHAT ELSE THE SELLER'S OFFERING.

SOT
KEY @ : 53 Tom Merritt, CNet
"If you see a big change from what they used to be selling and to what they're selling now that's an alarm bell."

TRACK SIX Length: 07
ANOTHER ALARM BELL: MERRITT SAYS BEWARE OF FAKE FEEDBACK … A SELLER CREATES TWO DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS, AND SELLS TO HIMSELF…

SOT
KEY @ : 1:06 Tom Merritt, CNet
"They can give themselves some positive feedback that they otherwise wouldn't get."

TRACK SEVEN Length: 08
TO KEEP FROM BEING TAKEN… EXPERTS SAY READ THE COMMENTS CAREFULLY. GENERAL STATEMENTS LIKE GREAT JOB OR NO PROBLEM DON'T TELL YOU VERY MUCH.

SOT
KEY @ : 1:16 Tom Merritt, CNet
"'Had some miscommunication and resolved it. Were a little confused on shipping, but we worked it out.' That's very valuable. You're not going to see that as often on the scams."

TRACK EIGHT Length: 05
AS FOR ANDY, HE ENDED UP BUYING THE CONTROLLERS AT A NEIGHBORHOOD STORE INSTEAD.

SOT
NO KEY
"They ended up costing me $10 more but with $50 I had already spent, I ended up spending over $100 for something I could've paid $50 for."

ANCHOR TAG:
ANOTHER FEEDBACK FRAUD- MERRITT SAYS SCAMMERS DRIVE UP THEIR RATINGS BY SCARING PEOPLE INTO ONLY LEAVING POSITIVE FEEDBACK. IF A BUYER TRIES TO WRITE NEGATIVE COMMENTS FOR A SELLER, THE FRAUDSTER WILL RETALIATE WITH NEGATIVE FEEDBACK FOR A BUYER. MANY BUYERS DON'T WANT ANYTHING BRING THEIR OWN SCORES DOWN, SO THEY LEAVE POSITIVE OR NO FEEDBACK AT ALL. MERRITT SAYS IF A SELLER GIVES YOU FEEDBACK YOU DON'T AGREE WITH, YOU CAN DISPUTE IT ON MOST SITES.

SOURCE LIST
This information may be posted on your website at the bottom of the
NewsProNet script if your station has an extended license that includes your Web property.

Tom Merritt
CNet
Tom Merritt is an Executive Editor at CNet.
http://www.cnet.com

ADDITIONAL SOURCE INFORMATION
FOR CLIENT-STATION USE ONLY
The additional information provided below is for client-station use only. This private contact information cannot be given to viewers nor posted on your Website. It is for internal station use only. It is provided to help you obtain answers to any additional questions you may have and to help you localize a story. Thank you.

Tom Merritt
CNet
235 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
PR Contact: Jen Concepcion
415-344-2441

Merritt says they're just beginning to see feedback scams pop up on sites. He says it's happening on both auction sites and sites that allow users to sell things, like Amazon.