3 Men Charged With Theft In eBay Scam

Three Houston-area men are wanted in connection with a scam involving the popular online auction Web site, eBay and stolen credit cards, officials told Local 2 in an exclusive story Wednesday.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office said Brandon Jewa Hickman, 22, Tommy Charles Carter, 22, and Kiniskiu Dejuan Morris, 22, stole people's credit card numbers and opened several eBay accounts to sell electronics. But officials said the men never had the electronics, so when bidders would win the auction and send payment, the men cashed the checks without sending any merchandise.

Hickman, Carter and Morris are charged with felony theft and are still on the loose.

Officials said that the suspects stole more than $61,000 from eBay customers who paid by check or money order and never received merchandise.

Charlotte Wyman found out she was a victim when auction winners began contacting her.

"I don't even mess with eBay. (Someone said,) 'We bought something from you for 400-something-dollars on eBay and we haven't got our product.' I said, 'Well, it wasn't me because I don't even use a computer or nothing,'" she said.

Her credit card number had been stolen to set up a fraudulent eBay account, officials said.

It's a popular scam.

"People place items for auction on eBay and never provide the item to the buyer," said Valerie Turner of the Harris County District Attorney's Office. "If you are contacted because you bid on an item and you didn't win the bid, but now they want to make a deal with you, do not deal with that person."

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to arrests and convictions in this case.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.