Fake: Forgery, Lies, & eBay

[amy]

Auctionbytes book review of Fake: Forgery, Lies, & eBay

Ken Walton created some groundbreaking tools for eBay sellers in 2001. Walton also perpetrated the most notorious art fraud in eBay's history involving forgery and shill-bidding with cohorts Ken Fetterman and Scott Beach.

However, Walton kept secret the full extent of his deception regarding his eBay software company, and his not quite "tell-all" book released this month merely glosses over subterfuge relating to HammerTap.

In his new book, "Fake: Forgery, Lies, & eBay. How one man's con game created an international scandal & triggered a nationwide FBI manhunt," Walton details the slippery slope that led him from shill bidding as an "advertising strategy" on eBay to passing off forged paintings as real ones as part of a shill-bidding ring...

full book review: http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m04/i26/s03

[Anita]

I shared that tidbit with the cheerleaders on the Stores Board.  I know they always enjoy a good read. 

[xppman]

You'll probably be burnt at the stake for speaking such
blasphemy against the ebay gods.

I've been lurking and I'm here to tell you even
their staunchest evangelist must know the ship is sinking.

The way they respond with such defensive attitudes and posts tells a lot.

In the back of their own minds they know what's
going on and that scares them.

They are just biding their time and are froze in a panic.
Hoping that the coast guard will come and rescue them.

It's a shame they just can't let go of the railing and jump into
the life boat to save themselves.

Oh well... I say let the bastards drown.

Row fast and row as far away from the suck zone as you can get.

This ship is going down. 

[Anita]

No one responded...Not even to yell at me.    Gosh, the Stores Board is just NO FUN anymore. 
They are all just busy with the search being reverted back after three days.

[Kristijntje]

Wired News has an interview with the book's author today:

Wired News: The story of your Diebenkorn auction broke on the front page of The New York Times in mid-2000. Do you feel the amount of attention your story got was a symptom of the times?

Kenneth Walton: It was on the front page of the Times three days in a row. I'm not sure it would have gotten the same amount of attention today. The scandal occurred right in the wake of the dot-com crash. Everyone's stock portfolios were crashing and the internet had turned from darling to devil overnight.

EBay's stock wasn't crashing, but the press was turning on them as well. Then I came along and gave them the perfect anecdote to go along with the idea that eBay was rampant with fraud.

WN: Was it rampant with fraud?

Walton: It was rampant with my fraud at the time, I suppose. There was and always is a certain amount of fraud that goes on on eBay...

full article: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,7075...chnology_1