Internet fraud is common, and there are many types that can affect people. Sometimes, you can get caught up in a scam or make mistakes that make it appear that you’re acting fraudulently. If that happens, you need to make sure you defend yourself immediately.
How could you appear to be a fraud when you aren’t trying to be? If you are selling an item on a site like eBay and forget to mail it to the buyer, then the buyer may believe that you were scamming him or her and report you to the website. If that cost the buyer a significant amount of money, the buyer could choose to pursue charges against you for theft and fraud.
You might also be accused of this if the package you sent doesn’t make it to its destination. It’s no secret that some mail items go missing; make sure you always get a copy of the tracking number, so you can deliver the number to the buyer and prove that you did send the item. If you don’t have this and the buyer accuses you of fraud, you may have a difficult time defending yourself; the websites are designed to protect buyers, not sellers. You’d need to prove that you mailed the item in some way; if you couldn’t, it would be more likely that you’d need to refund the purchase price to the buyer or face more legal trouble down the line.
If you’re accused of this kind of Internet crime, it’s important to look into all your legal options; you need to protect yourself, or you could be charged for a crime you never intended to commit.
Source: The Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Internet Fraud,” accessed June 14, 2016