A good SJ Mercury News Story: eBay & SJ police team up to convict fraudsters

The San Jose Mercury News story Busting an Internet fraud ring: DOGGED POLICE WORK SENDS 4 TO PRISON would make the start of a great summer novel about how a smart, out-of-the-box-thinking, persevering good-guy detective brought a couple of sleazy, internet thieves to justice.  It would be a fun read, if only it weren't true, and if only the thieves hadn't been stealing from eBay members. 

As Elise Ackerman reports, two internet thieves in the Bay Area were tracked down and eventually apprehended and convicted.  As you read about these "kids" who had many advantages others only dream of and who still stooped to such low-life practices as identity theft and other types of stealing, you may get the same feeling I did... Truth is stranger (or more "arresting") than fiction. 

On the bright side, though, the article does a great job of highlighting San Jose Police Detective Mike Niehoff. He represents the many diligent, hard-working detectives out there. These people are often the unsung heroes, so it's great to have stories like this give them a bit of recognition. Niehoff worked closely with Jeremy Roybal, one of our own Fraud Investigators, to nail this case. And that should make the eBay Community feel good, too -- to know eBay has crackerjack detectives who work along side law enforcement on cases like these and who share the long hours, give of their resources and information, and share their expertise to help keep the whole marketplace safe. 

Jeremy Roybal is a Fraud Investigator on Mike Rou's Global Law Enforcement team at eBay. The SJ Mercury News story doesn't mention Jeremy by name, but he worked very closely with Detective Niehoff in helping to convict the infamous Ma brothers.  In fact, building relationships with detectives like Niehoff and others around the world is a huge part of their jobs.  These relationships come in handy when there is a case to solve, as it did in this case.

The Chatter team paid Mike and Jeremy a visit so they could talk a little bit about what they do, and about this case in particular.  In the video, Mike reminds people to familiarize yourself with tips and resources available on the Security & Resolution Center , and to learn about other successful police cases by checking the Police Blotter, which gets updated every 6 weeks or so.

We're proud of Jeremy and Mike -- thank you for all you do to keep the eBay marketplace safe!