It was the golden age of eBay. Optimistic bidders went online to the world's largest flea market, ready to spend cash on everything from garden gnomes to Mercedes convertibles. Among them were art collectors willing to spend big money on unseen paintings, hoping to buy valuable pieces of art at below-market prices. EBay also attracted the occasional con artist unable to resist the temptation of abusing a system that prided itself on being "based on trust." Walton--once a lawyer bound by the ethics of his profession--was seduced by just such a con artist and, eventually, became one himself. What started out as a satisfying exercise in reselling thrift store paintings in order to pay back student loans and mounting credit card debt soon became an addiction to the subtle deception of luring unsuspecting bidders into overpaying for paintings of questionable origins.--From publisher description.
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