There are several Russian sellers now on ebay that are offering "Original" photos of the German leader that are complete Frauds. Some of these Sellers use a Ukraine address, but I've seen the same photos being offered from other locations in Europe including Germany. Some of these so called "originals" have familiar markings on the back which are found on authentic photos from Russian Museums and archives so they appear to be legitimate in the scans, but they are not. If you buy one of these Fakes you will find that when they arrive that they look and feel much different than a real photograph does. Both surfaces (front and back) feel the same, without the gloss that you expect to find on the surface of a real photograph. Even photos with a matte finish normally have some gloss or smoothness to the photo surface, but these do not. Another common trait of these Fake sellers is using private auctions, which prevent other members from warning the prospective Buyer. There's no reason to do this if you have nothing to hide...period! I don't think ebay is in any hurry to crack down on these fraudulent merchants so it's entirely up to honest Buyers and Sellers to alert each other to these scams.
Guide created: 01/20/08 (updated 12/27/08)
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