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Date Posted: 10:17:50 01/07/04 Wed
Author: Doobie
Subject: Former Mobile man charged in connection with eBay scam



Former Mobile man charged in connection with eBay scam

Postal inspectors claim Scott Winingear bilked at least 20 people out of nearly $20,000

01/07/04

By JOE DANBORN
Staff Reporter


U.S. postal inspectors arrested a former Mobile man Tuesday morning in Louisville, Ky., on one count of mail fraud in connection with an online auction scam involving nearly $20,000 in laptop computers that were never delivered to the people who paid for them.


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Scott A. Winingear, who is in his late 20s or early 30s, was arrested without incident at a home where he was staying, according to Postal Inspector Mike Willis. He was due for an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in Louisville either late Tuesday or today, Willis said. It was not clear when he would return to Mobile to face the charge.

Investigators have identified at least 20 victims in the case, from locations across the country and one in Canada, according to an affidavit Willis filed in federal court in Mobile in September. Each person lost $850 to $900, the prices Winingear posted on the Internet auction site eBay.com using the name of his roommate, Timothy J. Walsh, the affidavit states.

Walsh has not been charged, authorities said.

According to the affidavit, Winingear advertised new Toshiba laptops for sale in late March and early April. Buyers sent checks and money orders made out to "T.J. Walsh" at a post office box in Mobile, the affidavit states.

Buyers and sellers on eBay accrue feedback ratings based on postings from other customers who have done business with them. The system is designed to identify users with questionable transaction records.

"Our review of eBay records disclosed that Scott A. Winingear established positive feedback for his (eBay) identity by making small purchases from other eBay participants prior to beginning the laptop scheme," Willis wrote in the affidavit. "Additionally, he partially controlled his own feedback and posted favorable comments about himself by using multiple eBay usernames."

All of the money the customers sent was deposited into a personal savings account at Hancock Bank of Mississippi's branch in Biloxi, an account that listed Walsh's name and a St. Petersburg, Fla., address, according to the affidavit. Soon after it was deposited, the money was withdrawn via ATMs, and Walsh and Winingear moved out of their apartment on Old Government Street in Midtown, Willis stated in the affidavit.

Investigators began looking into the case in June, after WKRG-TV Channel 5 reporter Bill Riales told them of complaints from several of the people who sent money to Walsh, the affidavit states.

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