Man Pays $750 for Fake Xbox One in eBay Scam

This story from 2013 examines the unfortunate case of a man who paid an exorbitant amount of money for a fake Xbox One.


Published: December 6, 2013 9:00 AM /

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A promotional shot of the original Xbox One from an official trailer

Typically, when a new generation of consoles launches, some buyers will try to sell their console online in an effort to take advantage of the machines' low availability in order to make a profit. However, some go further and try to take advantage of the system, tricking users into false purchases.

19-year-old Peter Clatworthy, of Nottingham, UK, attempted to purchase a Day One Edition of the Xbox One from a seller on eBay, but instead received a printed photo of the console's box, losing out on $750.

Peter Clatworthy holding up his photo of the Xbox One, courtesy of the Nottingham Post
Image courtesy of the Nottingham Post.

Clatworthy is a regular user of the site, and he didn't expect the positively-reviewed seller to do such a thing. 

It said 'photo' and I was in two minds, but I looked at the description and the fact it was in the right category made me think it was genuine.

Though this type of occurrence is quite unfortunate, Clatworthy will get his money back thanks to PayPal's coverage of these kinds of situations. As an eBay spokesperson explains:

We don't allow listings which mislead, and will take action against this seller. 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.

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I'm a college student and aspiring video game journalist. My hobbies include excessively listening to the Persona 4 soundtrack, being super straight-… More about JohnPaul