Posted By:
todd (nolemmings)The card looks fake all the way around to me. It looks too white--all of the e135s I've owned and the vast majority of what I've seen are creamier colored. Leon's right about holding it in your hand to check, although I have a reprint set where the gloss is even. That set carries a reprint line in the bottom right corner of the reverse--does your card show erasure there?
I'd try the paypal route first. For one thing, it's not entirely accurate to claim fraud just because the card is fake or reprinted. It's misrepresentation, but the key is whether he knew it was fake and advertised it othwerwise anyway. If not, you could still assert a civil claim for negligent misrepresentation or breach of implied warranty, but you won't get anywhere with a criminal claim. Also, my experience at least in AZ is that no law enforcement agency is going to spend much (or any) time chasing down a few hundred dollar loss, unless you can show them (rather convincingly) that there's a pattern of criminal activity and not isolated conduct.
Good luck!