new crowdfunding news site

Find news on crowdfunding startups and more information on Crowdfunding from Crowdcube.

Crowdfunding startups

Find news on crowdfunding startups and more information on Crowdfunding from Crowdcube.

Web site design uk site

New web site design uk site launched by Exsisto.

How to spot fraudsters on Ebay

OK, heres some basic tips on how to spot the most likely fraudulent deals on Ebay:

1. On Ebay the old saying 'If it looks too good to be true, it probably is' should be your guide when looking for mobiles. If you see one of the newest mobiles for sale for what seems like a very low price then theres a reason for it. Most likely is that its a scam using a hijacked Ebay account and that you receive your spanking new phone after you part with your cash.

2. If the seller is asking you to email a separate address with any questions rather than use the 'Ask seller a question' link then its highly likely that this auction is using a hijacked ebay account. When an account is hijacked the fraudster has no access to the genuine owners email inbox and so cannot receive mail sent through ebay.

3. Check the sellers feedback. The majority of people who are selling new or the most up-to-date mobiles will have bought or sold mobiles, or at least hi-tech stuff in the past.
Check the items that they have bought or sold recently from their feedback.
If their history shows they've been trading in unrelated stuff then think again whether the auction is genuine.

4. Is the product actually released and available? Many fraudsters have items for sale which aren't actually released or available to buy yet. Do a quick trawl around the web to see if you can see anyone else selling these phones or if you can see any expected release dates for them before you commit your hard-earned cash!

I wouldn't recommend making a judgement based on any of these rules on their own but the more that seem true the more likely the auction is dodgy.

Good luck and be careful out there!

FFF - Frequently Frauded Fones

Although fraud is rife amongst listings for most phones on Ebay, its amazing how many bids theree are on phones that are not even released and available yet. To help people identify these items I'm listing the most recent phones that are subject to fraudulent listings on Ebay:

- Nokia E series - E60 E61 and E70 - These phones were announced in early October and will not be available to buy until early 2006. Despite this there are several for sale on Ebay as I write.

- Sony Ericsson P990 - Also recently announced and not available until early 2006. There are quite a few on Ebay, none of which appear to be genuine.

- Nokia 770 - Not really a phone but worth mentioning. These units have recently been released in small quantities mainly in Europe. There are several on Ebay and only one looks like it might be genuine.

- Motorola V3i -Announced in early November and not yet released.

- Nokia N Series - N71 N80 N92 - Announced in early November and will not be available until early 2006

I'll be posting more FFF's as they appear....

Handheld web browser update

In my search for the perfect handheld device for casual web browsing (ie. whilst loafing about on the sofa watching TV) I've found a couple of possible contenders...
The Pepper Pad is an Intel based handheld running Linux with a Mozilla-based browser and a 20Gb hard disk. It also has 802.11b wi-fi and Bluetooth.
As well as web browsing it can also do email, IM, plays Music, shows images and has some games.
At $849.99 its the same price as a low end laptop so it needs to be good!
Theres a review here.

As a competitor Pepper are going up against the mighty Nokia who have will soon launch the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. This looks a cracking little device which runs a version of Linux, has 802.11b and g wi-fi, bluetooth and has a touchscreen.
At an estimated $350 the Pepper is going to struggle to compete! I'll certainly be putting my hand in my pocket as soon as its out here in the UK ;)
Theres a good review here.

MediaProMobile.com - how dodgy?!

I found MediaProMobile.com from an auction for some of the latest Nokia and Sony Ericsson (SE) phones on Ebay.
This site looks HIGHLY suspicious to me. All their products are shown at very low prices and they claim to have some phones that aren't even available yet (Nokia N91).
Theres no details about the company and no way of contacting them.

I wouldn't touch them with a very long bargepole, never mind give them my credit card details!

Introducing Mobile Phone Watch

Since I have an unhealthy obsession with mobile phones I thought I'd change my blog to centre around my obsession.
I've also got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about all the fucking mobile phone fraudsters on Ebay and the fact that Ebay doesn't do anything about it.
I'm gonna use this blog to list auctions that I'm convinced are run by fraudsters and to explain more about how you can spot them.

Search for a handheld web browser

I don't think I'm asking too much.... I want a little handheld device with a small qwerty keyboard and wi-fi so i can surf the web from the sofa. A PDA almost does it but none have qwerty keyboards. Theres a couple of nice new phones from i-mate (made by HTC) - the JASJAR and the K-JAM (catchy names, eh?) - which fit the bill but they cost £690 and £490 respectively.
Nokia will shortly release their 770 Internet Tablet which looks great but theres no keyboard :(
Somebody make one, I'm sure I'm not the only person looking for this kind of device!