Man buys photo of Xbox One for $750 in eBay scam

Planning to buy an Xbox One on eBay this holiday season? While the online auction site is likely to have your next-gen console in stock, it's also a place one must exercise caution when sifting through the various auctions. As evidenced by a the story of Nottingham, UK resident Peter Clatworthy, it's pretty easy to get scammed.

Speaking to the Nottingham Post, Clatworthy, 19, revealed that he mistakenly purchased a photo of an Xbox One via eBay for £450 (nearly $750). Clatworthy was expecting to receive a Day One Edition of Microsoft's next-gen system, but instead received a faded, printed photo of an Xbox One with the words "thank you for your purchase" written on the back.

"I was fuming," said Clatworthy, who's a regular user of the auction site. He went on to explain, "It said 'photo' and I was in two minds, but I look at the description and the fact it was in the right category made me think it was genuine." It didn't help that the seller's feedback was universally positive.

Fortunately, PayPal's policy provides coverage of these sorts of situations, so while Clatworthy won't get the new Xbox One console, he'll at least get his money back.

As for the seller, an eBay spokesperson said the site "will take action."

"We don't allow listings which mislead, and will take action against this seller," the rep said (via IGN). "Customers can shop with confidence on eBay as we guarantee you will get your item or your money back. Mr Clatworthy is covered by the eBay money-back guarantee and we will be contacting him to put things right."

What did we learn from all of this? eBay can be a wonderful site, but is unfortunately home to a few bad apples. Make sure you double check and read through all of the fine print on everything you plan on purchasing.