- eBay CEO scandal landed the famous e-commerce website in hot waters.
- Ina and David Steiner, a couple subjected to threats and strange deliveries, including live spiders, cockroaches, a funeral wreath, and a bloody pig mask, have fought back against eBay.
- They filed a civil suit against eBay and former executives.
eBay CEO scandal landed the famous e-commerce website in hot waters.
Despite being put through the most difficult time of their life, Ina and David Steiner, a couple who were subjected to threats and strange deliveries, including live spiders, cockroaches, a funeral wreath, and a bloody pig mask, have continued to fight back against eBay.
They filed a civil suit against eBay and former executives and are waiting for the results of an ongoing investigation into the auction site by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The Steiners run EcommerceBytes, a news website focused on the e-commerce industry, from their home, where they have worked together for over 20 years. They have over 600,000 readers, including e-commerce executives who read their articles closely.
The harassment began on August 8, 2019, when they started receiving strange emails and newsletters they had never signed up for, followed by harassment on Twitter.
Three days later, they received a strange call about a wet specimen, which turned out to be a pig fetus.
The harassment continued with p*rnography being sent to their neighbors and their home being listed as the site of yard sales and s*x parties on social media.
When a book about surviving the loss of a spouse was delivered to their doorstep and addressed to David Steiner, they saw it as a death threat.
The delivery of an expensive funeral wreath only confirmed their fears that the cyberstalkers were planning to hurt or kill Ina.
Ina Steiner described the cyberstalking as “corporate terrorism” because they felt terrorized, and it was very calculated and vicious.
They are determined to fight back and seek justice against eBay and the former executives responsible for the cyberstalking campaign.
The Steiners were bombarded with packages and threats for three weeks, despite their installation of security cameras and police investigation.
They even resorted to sleeping in separate rooms to ensure that someone could call the police or escape if an intruder broke in. The fear they felt was especially acute at night.
David Steiner noticed that he was being followed by a van and later a car, which made them even more afraid to leave the house.
The van’s license plate number was traced back to a rental agency where an eBay employee named Veronica Zea had rented it.
The FBI took over the case and found that several eBay employees and contractors, including Zea, were involved in a “campaign of terror” against the Steiners.
The plan was hatched in April 2019 at eBay, where then-CEO Devin Wenig shared a link to a post-Ina had written about his annual pay.
eBay’s chief communications officer, Steve Wymer, responded by saying, “We are going to crush this lady,” and Wenig later texted, “Take her down.”
Seven eBay employees, including two former cops and a former nanny, all pleaded guilty to stalking or cyberstalking charges. Baugh was sentenced to five years in prison, and Zea was sentenced to a year of home confinement and probation.
However, eBay has not been charged with any crimes. Wenig resigned from eBay in September 2019 with a $57 million exit package.
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