Where can/do we report "fake autograph" sellers?

[RichardSimon]

When ebay was in its infancy I was disgusted by what I saw on the autograph side.
Complaints to ebay executives went for naught.
I then visited the NYC Dept of Consumer Affairs to make a report about the situation.
They were interested in what I had to say and opened an investigation.
Under my direction, they made two undercover purchases, from two separate sellers that I had pointed out to them.
The two autographs (both fakes of Christy Mathewson) were then sent to the NYC Police Dept. Crime Lab. Forensic examinations (yes forensic ) were conducted on both items. I submitted authentic exemplars for them to work with.
Two weeks later the forensic report stated that both items were forgeries. The Dept of Consumer Affairs then asked me for a list of other crooked sellers. I submitted a list to them and ebay was contacted. A dozen crooked sellers were then removed by ebay.
If people are willing to do something, and you find the right people in law enforcement, then something can be done about crooked sellers.

[travrosty]

ebay turns a blind eye if you try to report items directly, beter chance of playing pickup sticks with your ,well you know.

the next thing the crooks have turned to is to get their items a abc, xyz certificate, then its good forever, and it wouldnt get pulled by the pope if he ran the online auction houses.

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

If people are willing to do something, and you find the right people in law enforcement, then something can be done about crooked sellers..

This is perhaps the most frustrating part. I have yet to find anyone who cares. I don't blame the crooks as much as LE. The crooks are being crooks.

So....

If anyone from the: FDLE, FBI, State Attorney, Sheriff's Dept, Consumer Affairs. or even a *reporter* for gosh sakes, wants to help out, please contact me. It hasn't worked out so well the other way around.

[Duluth Eskimo]

This may fall on deaf ears as most are here because of their autograph interests, but if you think police have time to investigate forged autographs when people are constantly robbing and killing people in large cities you need to think again. Every time we put another person on welfare, we take away from government service that is there to protect us. Police departments are losing investigators every year and many crimes are not able to even be investigated due to lack of staffing. Forgers piss me off as much as the next guy and I am a longtime autograph collector, but cut the police a break as they barely have time to fully investigate a serious crime before the next big one happens.

[travrosty]

theft is theft. they can make time. they dont even have to do any investigating. we know who many forgers and crooked sellers are. all they have to do is go bust them. no one is holding their breath.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by travrosty

theft is theft. they can make time. they dont even have to do any investigating. we know who many forgers and crooked sellers are. all they have to do is go bust them. no one is holding their breath.

This is easy to say, but it is a lot harder to build enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In the case of a small auction house selling a bad Mantle auto, who would you arrest and what exactly would you charge them with? My brother is a district attorney and he cringes at the thought.

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

In the case of a small auction house selling a bad Mantle auto, who would you arrest and what exactly would you charge them with? My brother is a district attorney and he cringes at the thought.

I don't know. Who do they charge when they are sell fake Gucci bags or Rolex watches? What do they charge when someone is selling fake gold or diamonds? Is some fraud /theft acceptable and some not? Or is it determined by the stature of the complainant?

By some measure, it is more agreeable to get scammed with a fake Coach purse. At least it is still functional as a purse. A forged photo is a photo that has been defaced and is now virtually worthless.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by Deertick

I don't know. Who do they charge when they are sell fake Gucci bags or Rolex watches? What do they charge when someone is selling fake gold or diamonds? Is some fraud /theft acceptable and some not? Or is it determined by the stature of the complainant?

By some measure, it is more agreeable to get scammed with a fake Coach purse. At least it is still functional as a purse. A forged photo is a photo that has been defaced and is now virtually worthless.

The thing is, forgery is a crime, but the sellers of these items are not the forgers. There is usually a longer chain of custody. It is of course illegal to fraudulently sell counterfeit goods, but it is a LOT harder to prove the fact with autographs than it is with other material goods (despite what some here state as gospel fact, most everything thrown around here is clearly opinion only). It is therefore also extremely difficult to prove criminal intent on anybody's part. It sucks, but 99.9% of these cases are not worth a prosecutor's time because the required proof is near impossible to provide.

[markf31]

Back to the direct question posed in the OP. You can report the dealing and selling of suspected fake and forged autographs to a number of entities.

First I would confront the business who is selling the suspected fakes and forgeries. Ask if they’re aware the autographs are forgeries or possible forgeries. If they disagree with your opinion, ask if they’re willing to stand behind their own claim to the legitimacy of the autographs in question. Now if you yourself are 100% certain they are selling forgeries, and if it’s a local business owner, you can always leverage pressure on the owner yourself. These steps can only be taken if you’re 100% certain, as the business can always come back at you with a libel/slander suite. You can write open letters in your local newspaper about the business or auction house as well.

Steps to report the company/business can include:
You can always start with your local police department
Write a letter to your local District Attorney and ADA
Write a letter/contact your local and state elected officials
Contact local attorneys who specialize in consumer rights
Contact your local NACA office (National Association of Consumer Advocates)
Contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Contact other local consumer protection agencies
Sometimes the business may be part of small business associations, contact these associations as well with your concerns

Most of the above referenced contacts can be utilized if the potention seller if not local to you as well.

Some due diligence, even extreme due diligence, is needed on your part to provide and site clear examples and very concise and specific information when reporting the business in question. In my experience, the more concise your report is, the more detailed and specific your background information is then the more serious that the above mentioned entities will take and investigate your complaint. And don’t shy away from persistence, not by reporting the same set of facts and instances over and over, but showing and proving that the business in question continually over a period of time engages in the selling of forged autographs. And if you can find fellow collectors in your local area who can also vouch for your reports, and are also willing to join the fight with you, and add their names to the complaints, well that only lends more credability to your complaint.

The process isn't always easy, it can be very time consuming, and it can take years before any results are realized. I believe this puts a lot of people off from reporting even the possability of someone selling forgeries. It takes a lot more than simply going to the police station, filling a report, pointing a finger and screaming that someone is possibly selling forged autographs.

[Duluth Eskimo]

Originally Posted by travrosty

theft is theft. they can make time. they dont even have to do any investigating. we know who many forgers and crooked sellers are. all they have to do is go bust them. no one is holding their breath.

Spoken like a true know it all. You are the same person who has done nothing to learn about the law, but just want to make statements about what they don't do. Any idiot knows that law enforcement, whether it be local, state, or federal do not charge anybody with anything rather the prosecutor decides whether to pursue charges. It is not what you know, it's what you can prove in court. You assume just because "you" say so someone should be convicted of a crime. Kind of like your hatred for third party authentication. Who cares and everyone is sick of hearing you bitch about it, kind of like me and your comments about the law. You may think this is harsh, but you have no idea what you are talking about

[travrosty]

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