http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2570050,00.html

Breathless reportage from The Times somewhere over there in Ol' Blighty about how one "Eftis Paraskevaides, a former gynaecologist, from Cambridgeshire" is playing Bob's Your Uncle with unsuspecting buyers on by employing shill bids and bidders. As he's told the crack undercover reporters from The Times' Gee Whiz Squad, he expects to remain out of the stirrups of any examination by since he's a "Hogwarts PowerSeller" and is singlehandedly keeping the lights on over there at Ye Olde Auction Site.

Actually thought this might be a parody news site but alas, the statement from at the end of the story shows that this is the real deal we all know. Monte Python had the Ministry of Funny Walks and we've got . Sigh.

From the article:

A spokesman for eBay said he expected that the company would now launch an investigation into Paraskevaides. Anyone caught shill bidding risks a permanent ban.

The spokesman added: “The change to the way bidder IDs are shown has already resulted in a safer environment for users.”

Move along, nothing to see here folks. (BTW, just for decency's sake, keep your crooked gynaecologist cracks, er... comments to e-mail please.)