Man Uses eBay, Deceased Soldiers In Alleged Scam

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- He did not notice, but the 10News I-Team spent time watching Benjamin Anderson loading his Mustang for what looks like a trip.

It's in a nice La Jolla neighborhood near the ocean where the I-Team went looking for Anderson.

Anderson is a salesman who uses the Internet and eBay to do business.

Why did the I-Team launch an investigation of Anderson? A number of his Internet clients working with the I-Team wanted to warn everyone.

Jeanine Raab was shopping for old Life magazines. She said, "I had three people coming for Thanksgiving that were born in 1958 so my theme for Thanksgiving was the 1950s."

Last November, Raab went looking for Life on the Internet. eBay had what she was looking for, and the seller, Anderson, asked that she send only a check or money order for $67.

"I mailed the check," said Raab.

The magazines never arrived, she said. Weeks passed, and Thanksgiving had come and gone. Raab could not get a straight answer.

"He said, 'Oh, I put it in the mail on Tuesday …,'" said Raab.

Raab said she wants her money back from Anderson.

Anderson used to keep a mailbox at Pak Mail in La Jolla, but the owner started getting complaints from across the country. So, he shut the box down.

Employees said although Anderson showed up daily to pick up his checks, they never once saw him ship anything out.

The I-Team's research turns up complaints going back to 2002. There were complaints on Anderson and Apropos Auctions at Web sites like Rip Off Report and Complaints Board.

Victims said Anderson used different e-mail addresses and eBay profiles. He used names like "Macroseller," "Café-King" and "Auction Mania." However, what really has many customers steamed is how low he would go to make a sale.

"The seller had identified himself, itself as Colby Farnan," said victim Dan Schultz of Arizona.

Schultz was trying to buy a vintage Life magazine from the 1970s, paying by check for a magazine that never showed up.

Schultz searched for Colby Farnan through Google and what he discovered disgusted him.

"There was a Colby Farnan memorial on a Web site," said Schultz.

The Web site Schultz found was made to honor Pfc. Colby Farnan, killed by an explosive device in Iraq.

"It just stuck in my craw that he was doing this," said Schultz.

What Anderson was doing, as Schultz would find, was using the names of Americans killed in battle.

"Plug in Derek Argel into Google and the first, second or third hit is a memorial to him on this Web site," said Schultz.

The I-Team found another name used -- Sgt. Foster Pinkston -- who was deceased.

Schultz said, "I felt awful."

Anderson used the same techniques over and over again, and I-Team research found another mail drop he used.

The owner of another mailbox establishment told the I-Team that the U.S. postal inspector was looking for Anderson.

A federal search warrant showed over 200 complaints had been filed against Anderson and Apropos Auctions, which lead the I-Team back to his home in La Jolla.

Neighbors told the I-Team that Anderson had just moved out. He is on the run and there is no telling where he is setting up for business again.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating Anderson and Apropos Auctions.

If you think you have been victimized by Anderson, you are urged to call 877-876-2455 or file a complaint at postalinspectors.uspis.gov.