8 EBay Sellers Admit to Phony Bids

By MICHAEL GORMLEY
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Eight eBay sellers were ordered to pay nearly $90,000 in
restitution and fines after admitting they bid up products online to inflate
the prices.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said more than 120 people will receive
restitution in the settlement of the three cases, which wrapped up last week in
state courts.

Spokesman Darren Dopp said the cases stemmed from specific complaints, but the
office has not conducted a broad investigation of the online auction industry
and doesn't know how widespread the practice of phony bidding is.