How to SPOT a FORGERY on EBAY

How to SPOT a FORGERY on EBAY

This auction is for a printed or email version of the following information:

How to spot a forgery on Ebay and frequently asked question on what to do if you have been the victim of a forgery scam. Near the bottom you will find the studio and celebrity contact information to report forgery crimes.

The police, FBI and Professional Autographed Dealers Association estimates

that 90-98% of the A-list Hollywood Celebrity autographs on Ebay are FORGERIES or are in some way counterfeit. There is now a firestorm of 20,000-30,000 forgeries, counterfeits and illegal copyrighted items being sold every few weeks! It has become a multimillion dollar business.

How to spot a forgery on Ebay: If you are buying on Ebay you are probably buying a forgery so WATCH OUT.

Beware of Ebay Dealers with a GOOD feedback rating. That’s right a GOOD feedback rating! The FBI warns that most forgery dealers have good feedback ratings often in the thousands. Just because a dealer shows a good feedback rating does NOT mean the item is authentic, all it means is the dealer has sent out an item in a timely manner. Forgers are very manipulative and will use good customer service to mask the fact they are selling forgeries.

Beware of Dealers with a lot of inventory. Celebrities sign a very limited number of items every year. Dealers who claim to have dozens or even hundreds of items from the same celebrity or film production are most likely selling forgeries. Forgery Dealers are very clever so watch out.

Beware of dealers selling items like scripts or photos that are REPRINTS or COPIES. First, many of theses items are copies of forgeries and Second, most of the items are ILLEGAL copies of copyrighted motion picture and television photos and scripts. If you buy one of these items it is just like buying a bootleg copy of a movie, it’s illegal and you could be held liable so stay away from these dealers. If you want to buy an authorized script copy contact the studio to purchase an authentic copy (not an illegal one).

WATCH OUT for Listing Tricks: Watch out for listing tricks that sellers use to get out of legal responsibility for selling you a forgery. If an item says “Autographed Photo of Angelina Jolie” They are not claiming the item is SIGNED BY Angelina, they are only claiming that somebody signed it.

Watch out for fuzzy photos and unclear signatures: There are problems with both clear and fuzzy photos. A clever forger may show a picture of an authentic autograph and sell you a false one. Other dealers buy directly from forgers who come close enough to the real signature that they proudly display the forgery with a crystal clear photo. But a dealer who won’t even show a clear photo or clear signature is definitely suspect and probably avoided.

Watch out for TRICK Certificates of Authenticity: COA’s can be printed on any paper by anyone unless the COA specifically holds legal claims that the item is real and the person takes legal responsibility if it is otherwise the COA is just a trick and false sense of security. Insist that a COA has a live signature and the person claiming legal responsibility’s name is printed clearly under the signature. Make sure the COA states that the item is a legal original autograph signed BY the celebrity in question and that further the photo and or script the signature is printed on is authorized by copyright and trademark laws and by the owner of the trademark.

Don’t buy from dealers who will NOT allow you to authenticate the item before you send the money: Make sure the seller has a notice in their listing that allows winning bidders to authenticate the item before the buyer send payment. A seller who does not offer this service is probably trying to trick you into buying the item. A money back guarantee is not enough because a forger will make off with your money.

Google Ebay Seller forgery lists: Consumer Advocates have set up lists of Ebay sellers who are thought to be selling forgeries. Check out the lists and make sure you aren’t buying from one. X-LIST ect . . .

IF YOU MUST BUY AN AUTOGRAPH ON EBAY:

FIND A LEGITIMATE AND PROFESSIONAL DEALER: If you must have an autograph, consider buying only from authentic autograph dealers who are governed by strict association such as the Professional Autograph Dealers Association. Many of these dealers sell on Ebay and they are actual professionals trained to identify authentic signatures.

HAVE THE ITEM AUTHENTICATED BEFORE YOU BUY: Bid only on items that allow you to authenticate the item before you make payment. If they will not let you authenticate the item, they may be trying to trick you into buying or bidding on a forgery. Ebay rules favor the SELLER even when the seller is trying to peddle a forgery. If you bid on an item and find out it is a forgery, EBAY and the Seller may try to force to you to buy the forgery anyway because you bid so watch out and buy only from sellers who allow you to authenticate the item first and cancel the sale if it is not authentic.

GET A LEGALLY BINDING CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY: Make sure the dealer provides an original Certificate of Authenticity (COA) claiming the item is an authentic original autograph signed by the actual celebrity and that the photo or script is an authorized copyright. Make sure the COA also contains a real signature of someone willing to take legal responsibility and their name is clearly printed under their signature. The COA should also contain the name, address and phone number of the COA issuer.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Patrick Stewart, Meg Ryan, JK Rowling Wes Craven and many other celebrities are telling their fans and the general public NOT to buy anything on Ebay claiming to have their autograph because it is highly unlikely the items are authentic and Ebay currently does not have any system in place to prevent forgeries from being listed.

WHAT DO I DO IF I PURCHASED A FORGERY OR ILLEGAL COPYRIGHTED ITEM?

It can be very frustrating to find out that you have been scammed and to watch the scammers continue to make money off other victims but taking the following steps WILL help stop forgeries so take heart your voice will make a difference and there is a chance you can get your money back. If you can take all the following steps:

1)      Immediately contact the police and file a report. Your local police department is required to take the report and they will be forwarded to the district of the seller. DO NOT let the police department tell you only to report it to EBay because Ebay does not have the authority to press criminal charges. If criminal charges are brought the seller may be required to pay restitution and refund all the victims money. A criminal court order can NOT be bankrupted so it is a legal judgment that the convicted criminal is required to pay.

2)      After filing a police report then report the incident to EBay’s Fraud Department and submit the police report number.

3)      Leave negative feedback on the seller to warn other buyers.

4)      Contact the studio and celebrity and provide the police report number.

5)      Contact Pay Pal or your Credit Card and initiate a dispute to get your money back.

Finally, in your letters to the studios and celebrities formally request that they implement a forgery prevention program. The FBI has suggested a forgery prevention program to the studios and celebrities using a tamperproof holographic label and it will virtually SHUT DOWN forgeries and illegal copies. It only costs a few pennies but the studios and celebrities are waiting for the public to show interest in forgery prevention so your voice definitely makes a difference.

To Contact the CELEBRITIES regarding forgeries address to:

Screen Actors Guild

Forgery Prevention

Alan Rosenberg; President
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036-3600
FAX NUMBER: (323) 549-6677

FBI Contact Information:

Forgery Program is called Operation Bullpen
san.diego@ic.fbi.gov
Telephone: (858) 565-1255

Here is the contact information for the studios:

Make sure to address to the LEGAL DEPARTMENTS:

STUDIOS

DREAMWORKS SKG
www.dreamworks.com
1000 Flower St.
Glendale, CA 91201
Phone 818-695-5000

METRO GOLDWYN MAYER (MGM)
www.mgm.com
10250 Constellation Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone 310-449-3000

MIRAMAX FILMS (LA)
www.miramax.com
8439 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone 323-822-4100

MIRAMAX FILMS (NY)
www.miramax.com
375 Greenwich St.
New York, NY 10013-2338
Phone 212-941-3800

NEW LINE CINEMA (LA)
www.newlinecinema.com
116 N. Robertson, Ste. 400
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone 310-854-5811

NEW LINE CINEMA (NY)
www.newlinecinema.com
888 Seventh Ave., 20th Fl.
New York, NY 10106
Phone 212-649-4900

PARAMOUNT PICTURES
www.paramount.com
5555 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3197
Phone 323-956-5000

SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
www.sony.com
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232-3195
Phone 310-244-4000

TURNER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
www.turner.com
1050 Techwood Dr. NW
Atlanta, GA 30318-5604
Phone 404-827-1500

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
www.fox.com
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone 310-369-1000

UNIVERSAL
www.universalstudios.com
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608
Phone 818-777-1000

VIACOM ENTERTAINMENT GROUP (LA)
www.viacom.com
5555 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone 323-956-5000

WALT DISNEY COMPANY, THE
www.disney.com
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521
Phone 818-560-1000

WARNER BROS. STUDIOS
www.warnerbros.com
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
Phone 818-954-6000

NETWORKS

ABC ENTERTAINMENT
www.abc.com 500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521
Phone 818-460-7777

CBS ENTERTAINMENT
www.cbs.com 7800 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036-2188
Phone 323-575-2345

COMEDY CENTRAL
www.comedycentral.com
1775 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Phone 212-767-8600

FOX
www.fox.com
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone 310-369-1000

HBO (LA)
www.hbo.com
2049 Century Park East, Ste. 3600
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone 310-201-9200

HBO (NY)
www.hbo.com
1100 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone 212-512-1000

MTV NETWORKS (LA)
www.mtv.com
2600 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone 310-752-8000

MTV NETWORKS (NY)
www.mtv.com
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
Phone 212-258-8000

NBC ENTERTAINMENT
www.nbc.com
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA 91523-0001
Phone 818-840-4444

NICKELODEON/NICK AT NITE/TV LAND
www.nickatnitestvland.com/
1515 Broadway, 38th Fl.
New York, NY 10036
Phone 212-258-7500

PBS
1320 Braddock Place
www.pbs.org
Alexandria, VA 22314-1698
Phone 703-739-5000

SHOWTIME NETWORKS, INC. (LA)
www.sho.com
10880 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1600
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone 310-234-5200