New Jersey State Police have arrested a New Jersey man who allegedly sold fake tickets to Backstreet Boys and Bruce Springsteen concerts through the eBay auction website. William M. Cenneno, 30, of Burlington County, New Jersey, was charged with forgery, theft by deception, wrongful impersonation and creation/possession of false documents.

Cenneno had been under investigation by detectives from New Jersey’s High Technology Crimes and Investigation Support Unit since Oct. 14. On that date, police received a complaint from a California resident who sent money to a New Jersey address for Backstreet Boys tickets offered on an eBay auction. The auction advertised floor tickets to the sold-out Nov. 24 concert at Atlanta’s Phillips Arena. The winning bidder was instructed to pay by money order or bank check; after bank funds cleared, tickets would be overnighted.

The California resident mailed money to the address but never received the tickets. After the first complaint, police received similar complaints from residents of Georgia, Florida, New York, Kentucky, Connecticut and New Jersey. According to Lt. George Joo, the ads had similar wording, but some advertised tickets for Bruce Springsteen concerts and sporting events. Victims lost between $200 and $1000.

Detectives discovered that Cenneno’s eBay listing originated from a computer at the Burlington County Library in New Jersey. Library officials allege he used this computer without their knowledge. Cenneno used an alias (Matt Thomas) and had money sent to a New Jersey hotel under that name.

According to the New Jersey State Police, investigators had Cenneno under surveillance and had obtained a warrant for his arrest. They waited until he left the hotel before arresting him on Oct. 25 while driving on Route 130.

Lt. Joo said that although the fraud was across state lines, the Federal Bureau of Investigation would not be called in.

Cenneno has since been released after posting $20,000 bond.

This is not the first case of fraud to surface on eBay this year. Last January, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs investigated eBay after buyers complained of multiple sales of supposedly one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia. The department and eBay signed a legal agreement on March 16 in which eBay agreed to take reasonable steps to combat fraud.

Last February, a Florida man was sentenced to home detention and probation and ordered to pay over $22,000 restitution for selling non-existent computers on eBay and Up4Sale. After that incident, the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert telling bidders to pay by credit card rather than check and to verify the seller’s identity.

An eBay spokesman said that all sellers must submit their credit card numbers to eBay as part of a recent anti-fraud measure. The spokesman did not know if Cenneno had begun his fraud before the anti-fraud measure was initiated.

The spokesman also said that while eBay had received complaints about the scam, the New Jersey police had not contacted eBay about the investigation. EBay says that it is a ''venue'' for online transactions and is not liable when sellers defraud buyers. Site FAQs encourage users to negotiate among themselves to resolve differences, but if that fails, buyers can file a complaint with eBay within thirty days of the auction or file a complaint with the law enforcement agency which presides over the seller’s location. All eBay buyers are entitled to insurance through Lloyds of London, whose policy has a $25 deductible and maximum coverage of $200.

That policy won’t cover most of the ticket buyers, however, since some spent up to $1000. The eBay spokesman said that buyers spending that much on tickets should use an escrow service. A web-based escrow service is available on the eBay site.

New Jersey police are continuing their investigation of the concert ticket fraud. They ask anyone who sent money to purchase Backstreet Boys or Springsteen tickets through a fraudulent Ebay listing and haven’t received tickets to contact the High Technology Crimes and Investigation Support Unit at (609) 882-2000 ext. 2904

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