Buyers beware of eBay bully

[TexasStooge]

By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8

Lisa and her mother Cindy were once regular and satisfied customers on eBay, the Internet auction site. Now, however, they want their identities and location concealed.

It all started when Cindy's 10-year-old son had an online encounter with a seller registered under the name "Meowsar." The boy had been shopping for comic books online.

Their big mistake was apparently questioning Meowsar's shipping costs.

Then the harassing 3 a.m. phone calls started rolling in.

"[He was] threatening, 'I'm going to kill you; scumbags like you shouldn't be allowed to live,' stuff like that," Lisa recalled. "This is all over comic books. I mean, this is ridiculous."

Lisa and Cindy later learned Meowsar was really 34-year-old Frank Esquitin of Cleburne. Esquitin had an extensive criminal history—including one weapons possession charge—but no violent crimes on his record.

They also learned he had other eBay names and a reputation around the country. "All it takes is a question, and he loses it," Cindy said.

San Diego, Calif. residents Tina Schimke and her husband Dwayne encountered Esquitin online after questioning him about a bicycle he was selling on eBay.

"We were terrorized; he completely terrorized us," Mrs. Schimke said. Within hours, her husband received this threatening and profanity-laced message on his cell phone:

"I know exactly where you *#&$# live. I got your *#&$# address. I got your home phone number. I got your cell phone number. I know exactly where you are right now, *#&$#. I know what you *#&$# drive, and when I get my hands on you I'm gonna rip up that *#&$# Tacoma, too *#&$#, yeah you little *#&$#."

The voicemail message terrified the Schimkes, whose immediate thoughts were about their 17-year-old daughter home alone.

"We were in a movie," Tina Schimke said. "I immediately called her and told her to get out of the house."

Only later did they learn that Esquitin lived 1,100 miles away in Cleburne, Texas.

When News 8 visited Esquitin's house, there was evidence of his interest in bicycles, but no sign of the eBay seller.

He did return one of our phone calls, in which he admitted to having had run-ins with a few customers online.

"These are deadbeats," he said. "They bid on my items and then they don't pay me."

As for his profanity-laced phone message made to Dwayne Schimke in San Diego: "If I threatened him, he must have threatened me first," Esquitin said. "I don't talk to anybody disrespectful unless I get disrespected first."

Esquitin also said Cindy and Lisa were harassing him, and he said he plans to file a restraining order against them.

"I cussed her out, but I didn't threaten her life or nothing," Esquitin said.

But a search on eBay turns up possible evidence of others upset by Esquitin who have posted comments like, "Everyone please keep away from this person."

The online auction site prohibits member-to-member threats in its rules; the punishment ranges from "limits on account privileges to account suspension."

Officials at eBay told News 8 Esquitin is no longer a registered user of the service. But there's some hauntingly familiar language in some content that might tend to suggest he is back.

A complaint filed against Esquitin with the Texas Attorney General is still under investigation, but charges filed by Cindy and Lisa with police were ultimately dropped.

The best tip when dealing with strangers on the Internet is to reveal as little personal information as possible, and print or retain anything you construe as a threat.

[Tstormwatcher]

So how did he get their phone number and name and address?

[Vandora]

So how did he get their phone number and name and address?

When someone needs to ship you what you've won, they easily get your name and address (unless you're a business with a PO box, of course, though many sellers won't ship to PO boxes). Ebay does file phone numbers and I think - I've never needed it, myself - you can get it.

[TexasStooge]

So how did he get their phone number and name and address?

They were giving him Too Much Information.