2.1.1 Online Marketplace Scam Sellers

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Related Crime Schemes

A particular instance of this scam may embed one or more of these related schemes.

• Advance Fee Scheme: In an advance fee scheme, the scammer asks for a small upfront fee in advance of providing a larger payout later. In reality, the larger payout never arrives.

• Bait and Switch: A bait and switch is a scheme that makes a promise of one item but delivers a different, lesser-valued item.

• Holding Fee: A scheme in which the victim is asked to pay a holding fee to reserve a product or to hold their spot. The fee is often unwarranted, never reimbursed, or does not lead to any advantage for the victim.

• Only Pay Shipping: A scheme in which the victim is asked to pay shipping for otherwise 'free' products. The products are either not worth the inflated shipping cost, or they never arrive and the whole scheme was to get the victim to pay shipping costs for a non-existent product.

Victim Targeting Context

The scammer may use one or more of the following techniques to reach the victim.

• Advertising: The scammer uses advertising (usually via an online marketplace) to passively reach the victim.

Social Engineering: Psychological Manipulations

The scammer may use one or more of these psychological techniques to accomplish the scam.

• Celebrity: The scammer claims a celebrity endorsement in order to increase trust or interest from the victim.

• Easy Money: The scammer promises easy money or makes appeals designed to leverage victim's greed.

• Scarcity: The scammer claims there is only a limited number of opportunities for reaping the benefits from the scam.

• Urgency: The scammer employs urgency to increase the likelihood that the victim will take action.

Social Engineering: Impersonation Techniques

The scammer may impersonate one or more of the following groups as part of the scam.

• Business or NonProfit: The scammer impersonates a business or nonprofit.

• Catfishing: The scammer creates a fictitious online profile or persona.

• Celebrity: The scammer impersonates a celebrity.

EBNF Definition

AD_2_1_1 = "AD", ("marketplace" | "socialmedia" | "otherAd");

ART_2_1_1 = "ART", ("appMessages" | "image" | "imageAI" | "advertisements" | "socialMediaProfile");

CRIME_2_1_1 = "CRIME", ("advancefee" | "baitswitch" | "holdingfee" | "onlypayshipping");

CTA_2_1_1 = "CTA", ("replyOnApp", "url", "shortURL", "lookalikeURL", "click");

IMP_2_1_1 = "IMP", ("business" | "catfish");

PSY_2_1_1 = "PSY", ("easyMoney" | "scarcity" | "urgency");

Scam_2_1_1 = "Online Marketplace Selling Scam",
    "2.1.1",
    AD_2_1_1, {AD_2_1_1},
    {ART_2_1_1},
    {CRIME_2_1_1},
    {CTA_2_1_1},
	{IMP_2_1_1},
    {PSY_2_1_1},
    "TARGET", ("advertisingTarget");