ONLINE auction site eBay should take a tougher stance on tackling fraud, a consumer magazine said.

About 130 incidents relating to the website are reported to police each month, according to Computing Which? magazine

The magazine is calling on eBay to be more proactive in identifying counterfeit items offered for sale.

It wants the auction site to warn customers about the dangers of fraud and to crack down on the unlicensed sale of medical products such as contact lenses.

The link to eBay's safety centre should be made more clearly visible on the site, the magazine said.

Jessica Ross, editor of the magazine, said: "Many people see eBay as a bit of fun, like Friends Reunited, and no one's denying that it's quick and easy to use. But there's plenty of opportunity for criminals to cash in too.

"eBay needs to educate people about the dangers of using the site. This 21st Century car boot sale attracts more than a few dodgy characters and gangs can 'earn' huge amounts defrauding everyday eBayers."

Computing Which? said eBay's online money transfer service PayPal was the safest method for customers to pay for goods because it doesn't involve revealing bank details.

Responding to the article, eBay said the number of complaints quoted was "misleading".

The company said in a statement: "The vast majority of the cases relate to transactions that did not take place on eBay.

"We have been led to believe that, in most of the cases, the users were contacted via email - rather than on the eBay site.

"Payments were made using money transfer services such as Western Union, which are banned on eBay because they are not traceable."

eBay employs a team of experts who proactively liaise with the UK police, the company said.

The statement added: "eBay provides its users with a very safe environment in which to trade.

"Over half of all our staff worldwide are involved in frontline customer services, working to make the site secure and to target anyone trying to commit fraud on the site."

eBay advises traders never to buy or sell outside of its official site, to pay using PayPal and to lodge any complaints within 30 days of the transaction.

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