FOR sale – one cruise liner, in slightly worsefor-
wear condition.
Auction site eBay has today removed a
“spoof listing” in which an advertiser offered
the grounded Costa Concordia for sale.
It was a bit of a bargain with a starting
price of just $1, but the listing warned that
although it had one “careful owner,” some
carpets may need to be replaced and there
was also “some water damage to interior,”
according to the Daily Telegraph.
eBay removed the item once bidding had
reached just over $1000, saying it was not an
appropriate listing.
“eBay does not permit listings that attempt
to profit from human tragedy or suffering,”
according to a company spokesperson.
AND while that one was clearly a joke, Costa
Cruise Lines certainly isn’t laughing at an
attempt by a Hungarian family to profit from
the Concordia catastrophe.
Last weekend rescuers were contacted by
the family who said one of their relatives
had called from the ship before it hit the
rocks on January 13.
This prompted panic, as the person in
question did not appear on any passenger
lists, and suggested the possibility of missing
stowaways on the ship.
However further investigation has revealed
that the so-called “missing person” had
actually been dead for three years.
“Based on officially confirmed information
today it has become clear that claims about
the missing woman were unfounded,” said a
Hungarian foreign ministry statement.
“The person who made the claim about
the missing person turned out to be abusing
the personal data of a person who had died
three years ago,” it added.
