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"The Auto Scouts" Busted? $2 Million Forgery Ring Goes Down!

For those of you that remember, I used to expose "The Auto Scouts" forgery eBay accounts all the time.

"The Auto Scouts" were a forgery ring who sold cheap forgeries of every "star" imaginable. Every single day a new eBay ID would pop up selling their crap. They would constantly change their homemade bogus "COA"s, and try to stay "one step ahead of us" on AML. Originally the majority of their eBay accounts were based in Ohio. Eventually they got slightly smarter and changed the locations

My man Tony came across this article today out of Ohio and sent it my way, telling me "The Auto Scouts" have been busted!

"$2 million Ebay sports autograph fraud uncovered in the Valley"

http://www.wfmj.com/story/29910070/2-million-ebay-sports-autograph-...

4 clowns who have scammed over 25,000 people on eBay, profiting over $2 MILLION. Just as I said all along, it was INSANE what these crooks were getting away with. It looks like we indeed did make a difference in this hobby by exposing these clowns.

Tags: auto, ebay, ohio, scam, scouts, the

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Permalink Reply by Richard S. Simon on September 17, 2015 at 1:30pm

I will clarify my remarks from a prior post, I should have said at the bottom of the map of the mainland of the USA. Did not mean to insult Hawaii at all :), I hear it is a beautiful place and a family member just moved there. (might pay a friendly visit there some day).

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on August 28, 2015 at 5:33pm

Great news, great work Ryan! nail these crooks.

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Permalink Reply by Richard S. Simon on August 28, 2015 at 5:48pm

This is what I don't like:

" the four will be placed on probation and are cooperating with the investigation."

Cooperation should not get them probation.

Cooperation should get them one year with Bubba as a roommate instead of two years.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on August 28, 2015 at 6:09pm

Hopefully the authorities are working their way up the food chain. Once they get to the top, then it is slammer time. :-)

I also hope these vermin had to pay huge fines that were high enough to consume all the ill gotten gains over the years.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on August 29, 2015 at 5:41am

This is the best news we've heard in a long, long time!!!

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Permalink Reply by David S on August 29, 2015 at 8:03am

great news!

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Permalink Reply by JBS on August 31, 2015 at 8:22pm

great work!

surprised there isn't more action on this thread considering a forgery ring just got taken down!!!

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Permalink Reply by Terry G. on September 2, 2015 at 12:05pm

Unless they get the actual forgers, it's tantamount to arresting a guy selling a joint on the street-the proverbial needle in a haystack. As these guys appear to be the ones doing the selling, not production, it only stops the flow for a minute. Hope they force eBay to backtrack and reimburse each buyer, and force them to trash the fakes-because we all know it is a never-ending cycle if they they don't.

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Permalink Reply by Rick Meyer on September 2, 2015 at 2:11pm

Nice job staying on this Ryan. Glad these crooks have been busted.

25,000 suckers kept them in business a long time.

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Permalink Reply by Fuddjcal on September 3, 2015 at 10:20am

Now if they would bust the idiots behind the fake after fake with the fake cert from GFA PLASTERED ALL OVER E_BAY right now.

it shows you E bay's commitment to their customers. They don't give a stinky smelly S***. Anyone who does business with e-bay is an idiot. PERIOD. How about standing for something? I stand against Criminals and that's the reason I quit Pay pal and E bay altogether. They promote people getting ripped off and they do not deserve my business. F E BAY