Four men charged with wire fraud and conspiring to commit wire fraud related to a scheme to post non-existent items for sale on eBay were arraigned today in federal court in Atlanta on internet fraud charges.

Three other defendants have also been charged.

According to U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias, from July 2003 through October 2006, at least 215 victims paid the defendants approximately $539,000 for non-existent merchandise posted on eBay, such as custom-styled car tires and rims, and, in a few instances, vehicles. The purchasers paid for the merchandise by wire transfer or by Western Union, but the defendants allegedly never sent any merchandise.

The Atlanta Division of the FBI began investigating the fraud ring based on numerous complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Posted: 02|18|07 at 12:04 pm. Filed under: US News.