Crime & Safety

Summit Man Indicted on Fraud Charges for Alleged eBay Scam

David D'Aries allegedly used eBay to defraud hundreds of sellers of items totaling over $148,000.

A Summit man who allegedly used eBay to defraud sellers of close to $150,000 was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

From June 2007 through October 2012, David D’Aries, 50, is accused of devising a scheme to defraud individuals worldwide by posing as three different bidders, including his deceased father, to purchase rare and antique foreign banknotes on eBay, according to the Fishman's office.

As the winning bidder in approximately 400 eBay transactions, D'Aries allegedly paid using PayPal or credit cards, received the item from the eBay seller via the United States mail or other commercial interstate carrier, and then falsely reported to various credit card companies that the item was never received from the seller or was an unauthorized charge. D’Aries had the items shipped to his home or to a Chatham post office box belonging to his father, who died in 2011.

The indictment alleges losses to eBay/Paypal, credit card companies and the various banknote sellers totaled $148,356.29. D'Aries unsuccessfully tried to defraud other eBay sellers of an additional $10,372.37 but was refused refunds by his credit card companies, according to the indictment. 

D'Aries was charged by complaint with one count of mail fraud in June and surrendered to law enforcement. During a search of his home, police found several thousand foreign banknotes and 165 pieces of mail from around the world addressed to D’Aries and his aliases, the indictment stated. 

At the time of D'Aries' arrest, Fishman credited inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates in Newark with the investigation leading to the arrest. He also thanked the Summit Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office for their roles in the case.

D’Aries faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.


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