"eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection" This Is A Fake, Fake eBay scammed me out of $3005.00 Internet

This is the advertisement on Autotrader.ca:

http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/result/addetailinfo.aspx/?make=Mercedes-Benz&mdl=GLK-Class&cty=TORONTO&prv=Ontario&srcID=19&frnID=6951739&showcpo=ShowCPO

Wow. Looks like an awesome deal right. Wrong! Anything that's too good to be true, isn't...period!

Here is an email exchange with the b***h:

From: Charlotte Curseaden

Date: Thursday, May 9, 2013
Subject: RE: 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4MATIC
To: Joshwa Stein <joshwa.s...

Thanks for your e-mail.
Car is located in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. If you would be able to come over here for the pick up, I shall be very great-full, but if you can't come, I can arrange for home delivery with the Shipping Company(Onsite Shipping) and they will get the vehicle deliver at your doorstep.
(1.) Shipping/Handling
Shipping Time: 3-5 business days after leaving the warehouse. I have managed to obtain a low cost shipping, only$1170 and I presume it would be fair to split the shipping cost(we'll pay $585 each), meaning that the final price will be $15,585Cad You have 15days to test it(You can take it to a mechanic when it arrives before any transactions go through). The shipping time is separate from the 15days to inspect, is a total of 18/2o days from ship to final acceptance. If the vehicle is not as described or not passes your inspection, the vehicle will be collected and you will be fully refunded.
(2.)eBay Process
The sale will be managed through eBay under their Vehicle Purchase Protection Program since they offer the highest rate of safety and reliability during online transactions. As Seller, I'll open an "Sold Item" case with eBay. They will email us the forms which are needed for our deal. Funds must be wired to an authorized eBay account, not directly to my bank account. The funds will be released to me only after the inspection period ends and you agree to purchase.
I have briefly described the eBay transaction steps below:
  (1) Both parties(Buyer and Seller) agree to terms of the transaction(Sale price, Delivery terms)
  (2) Buyer sends money to an authorized eBay account
  (3) eBay verifies the payment
  (4) Seller performs the required services
  (5) Buyer accepts the vehicle and informs eBay about the acceptance
  (6) eBay release the money to Seller
(3.)Method of Payment: Electronic Bank Transfer(EBT)
If you decide to buy the car please include the following information in your next email so I can open a case with eBay and they will notify you about this transaction. Like this you'll be able to talk directly with them and ask all you want to know.
-Ship to name and address (The complete name, address and phone# of the person receiving the vehicle). If the car is to be registered on someone else's name the name and address of the registrant is needed.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.
Charlotte
PS: I'm sorry for the long email but I tried to reach all the points. If I missed something, please do not hesitate to ask me and I will do all my best to explain you again all the process and to answer to all your questions.

The advertisement was intended for Toronto, but conveniently moved to Nova Scotia. I'm still playing with the w***e, exchanging emails. I asked her for an address and contact number.

I am glad I decided to look into a situation on a car I was looking at on Craigslist.  At first when I read the ad posted on craigslist on a 2003 Honda Accord it seemed like a great deal...expecially for the price.  But then after thinking about it and doing some research I luckily found out some additional information that led me to beleive it was a scam.  Thank God I looked into this more and didn't fork out almost $3,000 for something I was never going to receive.  I emailed the contact from the ad and got the following email which seems to match the others under this subject pretty close.

Hello,
I`m Sgt. Matthew Howard You have to know that the 2003 Honda Accord EX 4 Cyl Automatic I am selling is 100% working and great looking, no flaws or dents, no scratches or any kind of damage. The title is clear. It has 37,391 miles. The VIN# is 1HGCM56603A136574.  This vehicle engine runs very, very smooth. No electrical problems on this beauty. This detailed vehicle makes the exterior looks like it just came off the assembly line.
 Options
  CD player Leather seats Sunroof
  Driver airbag Passenger airbag Side airbags
  Anti-lock brakes Air conditioning Cruise control
  Power locks Power seats Power windows
Here are the pics of the car :
http://s760.photobucket.com/albums/xx246/2003hondaiuas8/
(if the above link does not work copy and paste it into a new web browser window)
 
As I know that my current situation is pretty special I want the deal closed only through eBay's Buyer Protection Program in order for you to be 100% protected. You will make the payment to eBay and they will hold the money until you receive the car. ONLY AFTER you receive the car and inspect it (for 10 days) eBay will release the payment to me; in this way we are both protected. Anyway i am sure that if you won`t be satisfied with the car i will surely find another buyer in your area and there will be no need for you to ship the car back.
I am located in London,United Kingdom and I was sent here to improve the military relationships between our country and United Kingdom. One month ago, my wife moved here with me and brought the car with her, but now we have to sell it back in the United States because In order to be able to register this car here, I would have to pay very high import/custom taxes. My final price on it is $ 2850. If you will take it for this price, I am willing to handle the shipping. It will be shipped from here by plane with US Air Military Cargo so it will not cost me anything. You will get it to the nearest airport in your area and then it will be trucked forward to your place. You will receive the car in about 4 days. Please get back to me asap if you decide to buy, and include in your e-mail your full name and address where you want it shipped so I can start the deal with eBay. You will receive all the transaction payment and shipping details from them.
Thank you, and have a nice day,
Matthew and Jessica Howard.
SSgt, USAF1 SOMOS/MXOOA
Maintenance Analysis
DSN 579-1794 Comm 884-1794.

It just really makes me mad that there are people scamming others out of their hard earned money and unfortunately there are many people that are despirate for something they don't take the time to look into it and they end up loosing tons of money that they couldn't afford to loose.  I hope by me posting this and all of you that posted your experiences, helps others out there see that if the deal seems "too good to be true" then it must be "too good to be true".

Thank you for letting me know about this I could of been next!
I too was looking for a pickup truck when I came across a great deal on craigslist. I emailed the person that placed the add letting them know I was interested in seeing the truck. I recieved this reply

 "Hi,
 Thanks for being interested in buying my truck!It`s in perfect condition,no scratches,damages and never been implicated in any accidents.It has only 35662 miles and the price is $2,900.It comes with a new set of winter tires and it has never been smoked in.Because of my divorce settlement,i own this truck and as a woman without driver`s license i don`t need it so i`m trying to get rid of it as soon as possible(that`s why i`m selling it so cheap).We will use eBay`s Vehicle Purchase Protection plan for our both safety,i want only legit transactions.Let me know where are you located and any other details you need about it.

Have a great day!"

    I thought this seems to good, but whats this eBay`s Vehicle Purchase Protection plan thing. I replyed back letting her know I was in the next city not more then 5-6 miles away let me look up this "eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection plan" an get right back with you.

     I soon got a reply which read.



"Hi again,
  I`m located in Indianapolis,IN(the truck is here with me) right now because i got a new job here,the thing is i`m  very busy and i don`t have time to stay and meet with all my potential buyers, that is why i gave to a shipping company that will ship it to the next owner(on my cost), so i'm trying to sell it online under eBay`s protection.Here is how it works :
The sale will be managed through eBay under their Vehicle Purchase Protection program since they offer the highest rate of safety and reliability during online transactions. They act as a neutral third party.
1. I will contact eBay and give all the info about this deal.
2. They will email us the forms which are needed for our deal(invoice, payment instructions, buyer's and seller's protection policy)
3. You will send the money to eBay and they will notify me to ship the truck to your location.
4. After you will inspect the truck and decide to keep it, eBay will forward the funds to me once you have approved them to do so. You will have 5 days to inspect it.
Please reply with your complete name and shipping address in your next email and let me know if you are interested in knowing more details about this purchase so that I can open a transaction at eBay and to move forward with this deal.After that they will contact you with all necessary information about this transaction(terms,buyer protection,payment instructions,invoice,etc.).
P.S. Please don`t forget to send me your full name and address.
P.S. Once i receive your full name and address we can start talking on the phone too,right now i have too many potential buyers and i can`t talk with all of them,i hope you understand."


       I searched "eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection plan" and Ripoff Report was one of the things that came up I seen your file an was amazed, it was like reading from my own email.

Thank you again
Thank you for your report and I thank the makers of Ripoff report

Randy

George Loutey Jr. has confiscated his sister's cnc equipment and tooling
etc., which is valued at approx. 250,000.00 . He gave her shop space in
return for sales leads and when she brought him some lucrative
contracts he locked her shop and will not return her property. He is
operating as Spangler Machine Works, and has attempted to sell her
equipment and is currently using it with out permission. This man,
George Loutey Jr. is a liar, thief and most of all a failure.

I caught this immediately when I searched for divorce records in the area it was originally selling for and couldn't find the name. Then I searched for the email addressed used and caught the scam while searching some of the sentences.

I sent an email about a RAV4 and this is how she responded

 Hi,

Thank you for your interest in buying my car. It's a 2002 TOYOTA RAV4, in perfect condition,never been involved in any accidents. The interior looks great (NO SMOKING). It has a clear title with 96,714 miles ready to be signed and notarized on your name.The total price is $ 2,900 US. I sell the car at this price because I can't enjoy it due to my job (I work as a dealer on a cruise ship) and I just finished the divorce with my husband. About the payment and shipping process I will use only eBay Vehicle Protection Program so we can both be protected.If you are interested in buying my car I need your full name and address so i can continue the transaction(with no further obligation or fees).

Rebecca Perez

After I received her email I responded with

Ha! Do you really think I would fall for this?? I would be happy to meet you in person and give you cash!

I thought for sure "she" wouldn't respond - but she did!

Let me explain.


The car is already at the shipping company in New York sealed and ready for shipping. I have a contract with eBay so this deal must go through them. I'm very busy with my job and I`m left out of town so I can't meet you in person, so this is the reason why I chose to sell my car over the Internet. According with eBay you have 5 days from the time you receive the car to inspect it and decide if you want to keep it or not.

Like I said before I suggest using the security provided by eBay which will hold the cash. In my opinion this is the safest way to handle the transaction. You will have the car for inspection and test drive BEFORE any money is released to me.
 
Look how the eBay transaction works:
 
1. Buyer, seller reach an agreement (price and delivery conditions)
2. Buyer sends money to eBay.
3. eBay confirms to seller that the amount has been received.
4. Seller performs the required services (delivery, insurance).
5. Buyer accepts delivery and informs eBay about the acceptance.
6. eBay releases the money to seller.
 
 
As you can see, you will receive the car BEFORE any money is released to me. You will get the chance to inspect it, test drive it and everything you like while your money is still safely held in eBay's account. ONLY after you confirm to eBay that you agree with the vehicle, they will release the money to me.
 
The car will be delivered directly to your requested address as soon as I will have the payment confirmation from eBay. EBay will hold the money until you will receive, inspect and accept the car.
 
If you want to proceed please send me your full name and address and start the transaction with eBay.

Let me know if you need anything else

Thought it was funny! I responded telling "her" to get a life and a JOB! and bet $100 she would respond again!

Becareful out there! People are very selfish!

First, if someone is brave enough to admit they were scammed and open enough to come forward to help others with their experience - can we refrain from calling them suckers, idiots or ignorant, or otherwise judge them worthy of losing their money?  We don't know their story to know what kind of life experience they have in order to know how to handle situations that come their way.

I saw a similar deal on Craigslist and inquired, receiving an email back similar to the others reported here, but in normal, typically educated Americana language.  The only red flag was the price at that point - and in this economy? ... so far I was curious.    And also curious enough to call a friend experienced in eBay dealings, as well as to google the eBay Protection Program, read through their various links and do some research on it.  I've exchanged several emails with this person to the point that I will see how far I can let her/him/it hang....perhaps I'll even try some form of Tax ID request like one other individual had the wit to try, just to humor myself.  So, go ahead, call me a sucker.  

I ALMOST FELL FOR WHO I BELIEVE IS THE SAME WOMAN.

I FOUND A CAR ON CRAIGLIST AND A WOMAN RESPONDED TO ME SAYING DAT SHE HAD JUST GOTTEN DIVORCED AND SHE GOT THE CAR BUT THAT SHE DIDN'T WANT IT CUS SHE DIDN'T HAVE A DRIVERS LICENSE. I ASKED HER IF I COULD GO SEE THE CAR SINCE THE AD SHE POSTED SAID IT WAS FROM CLARKSVILLE,TN AND IS VERY CLOSE FROM WHERE I LIVE. WELL SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS IN BOISE, ID DAT SHE HAD JUST MOVED TO START A NEW JOB. SURE ENOUGH SHE BROUGHT UP THE WHOLE EBAY PURCHASE PROTECTION PROGRAM SAYING THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY SHE WOULD SELL THE CAR SINCE IT WAS SAFE FOR HER AND MYSELF! WELL I TOTALLY FELL FOR IT BUT STILL FELT KINDA IFFY SINCE I COULDN'T MEET HER AND COULDN'T SEE THE CAR FOR MYSELF SO I TOLD HER TO CALL ME. SHE CALLED ME AND IN BROKEN ENGLISH REASSURED ME DAT IS WAS ALL REAL BLAH BLAH BLAH. SO I TOLD HER TO SEND ME SOME PICS TO MY CELL. SHE TOLD ME SHE COULDN'T SEND ME PICS TO MY CELL CUS HER CELL DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA BUT DAT SHE WOULD GLADLY SEND ME SOME TO MY EMAIL. AFTER TALKING TO HER AND SEEING THE PICS SHE SENT ME I WAS SOLD! I WAS READY TO GET A LOAN THE NEXT DAY AND BUY THE CAR. WELL OUT OF CURIOSITY I GOOGLED EBAY VEHICLE PURCHASE PROETCTION AND WAS SCHOCKED AT ALL THE SITES I CAME UPON TELLING ME IT WAS A SCAM! I'M SO GLAD I DID THAT IF NOT I WOULD'VE LOST 3700 DLLS.

These scammers prey upon the greed an naivete of their victims. You know full well that a 2005 Camry will sell for a hell of a lot more than 2900 unless it has been totally run into the ground. You thought you were getting over on this lady when in fact they were getting over on you. Your thinking you're getting such a great deal here then blinds you to the other 9000 red flags a transaction like this would throw up at a rational human being.

When I was shopping for a Jeep Wrangler I came across A TON of scams like these. It's not hard to know that a car thats selling for $3000 when every other car with comparable make/model/year/mileage is selling for 10-15k is a scam. Open your eyes and think people.

Anyone foolish enough to fall for this crap deserves to be seperated from their money

They are all over auto trader classics & deals on wheels also. This week alone i have responded to 12 ads as i am looking to buy a classic car right now. Every single one of them responded with this ebay buyer protection thing. I responded that i want to pay cash & pick up the car. They all had excuses about why it has to be shipped. I searched one of the sellers emails & she had the same car listed on 28 other classified sites,in 28 differant cities & states!!!

They are offering the car on Craigslist but wanted to complete the transaction through ebay??? that should have tipped you off right there. If you had checked ebays site you would have seen that it says everywhere NOT to respond to offers that are not listen in the auction section of ebay because they are a scam. And NEVER send money through Western Union, you don't really have any recourse.

[quote]Hello,

First I want to thank you for question about the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg V8. The suv is in perfect condition, no damage, perfect shape. It has all the papers and document and I am also the owner. The price is $10,200 including the shipping to your address (only in Canada). The suv is registered in USA on my name and address but currently I am located in Texas, USA, because I just finished the divorce with my husband and i have moved here to my new home with my children's. The transaction will be made through ebay vehicle purchase protection program also the payment will be made through eBay and only after you will receive the suv, I will receive the payment.

If you are interested in buying it please provide me your FULL NAME and ADDRESS so I can initiate the deal through eBay.
I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon.

Thank you,

P.S : If you really want to buy my suv and you are a serious buyer please send me your full name and shipping address and i will handle the border taxes 5%[/qoute]



My God....I can't believe I almost fell for this...I even sent a return email with my addy...not all of it of course...

I'll be contacting auto trader to have them remove the listing...

I got the almost identical e-mail today about a car on Craigslist, it sounded too good to be true and I also noticed the lack of plates on the car...made me suspicious. Nothing in their ad mentioned where the car was. I asked questions in my email to them, they didn't answer any of them. In fact, they seem to use a form letter approach, where they just copy and paste the information (notice the car name is in all CAPS). This was a giveaway to me, since no one would type a letter like this using capital letters for the name of the car.

I hope more people read this and don't get scammed! Dirtbags and scum, all of them!

Here's the letter I got:

>Thanks for replying to my ad. I want you to know the car is in excellent condition with no rust or any kind of damage anywhere and it doesn't need any maintenance. If you want to see the CarFax report I can provide it for you. The odometer shows 90500. My 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY has an automatic transmission and it's very easy to drive even for a beginner.

My price is $3500. I am now in a divorce with my ex and i am in desperate need of money to pay the mortgage on my house in Sandy, UT. That's my only reason for selling it otherwise I wouldn't do it.

The deal will be handled by eBay trough their eBay Vehicle Purchase Program. They will handle the title and money transfer and deliver the car to your location. The best part about this is that you'll get 3 days money back guarantee. If at the end of those 3 days you decide not to keep it you'll get a full refund by them. If you want the CAMRY and if you have the money available all you have to do now is to send me your full name and the shipping address (including city, state, zip). As soon as I hear that from you I will initiate the transaction through them.

The process is very simple and risk free for both of us. At this time the TOYOTA is at my house in Sandy, UT.


2002 TOYOTA CAMRY LE

Year: 2002
Miles: 90500
Transmission:Automatic
Interior: Beige
Exterior: Beige
Title: Clear
Engine: 4 CYLINDER 2.4 LITER

options
AM/FM, Tape, CD
Air Conditioning
Power locks
Power windows
Power mirrors

Thank You

I was approached with the same bogus email, after I inquired about a vehicle at autotrader.com... The response was from a lady in Farmington MO, with the same sad story everyone else recieved. She was trying to sell a 04 Chevy Avalanche for $4900, I knew this was too good to be true, but i had the cash and thought it was a great bargin. My antenna went up when they asked to have the money sent through moneygram to a Vehicle Protection Purchase through ebay.. I've dealt with ebay long enough to realize they only make secure purchases through paypal. I contacted one of their "chat-live" reps over at ebay.com and they confirmed that this was a scam..Fortunately, I was able to discover this before handing over $5000..The email looked so authentic, (ebay logos and everything)...just another spoof email address though...

Larry,

"DD214 tax". That was downright funny right there. That's odd, I don't remember paying any taxes when I was separated from the Air Force. ;)

Last year I had placed a bunch of for sale ads for furniture and electronics on Craig's List. On the first few items I got a ton of scam emails from 'someone in Florida who wanted to pay for the item and shipping, oh and by the way the shippers will come claim the item, and please pay them with the overage I'll send you by check'. You not only got a fake check, you also paid someone to take away your property. Nice scam. I finally started listing my items as 'local sale, cash only'. That seemed to stop the emails from the scammers.

Based on my research on the Phoenix edition of Craig's List, scam auto sales seem to have the following characteristics:

The seller does not specify the place where the car is located. Legitimate sellers usually disclose at least their city, such as Phoenix, Tempe, Glendale, etc.

The price is unusually low compared to Blue Book values.

The listing usually contains photos of a car with the license plate painted over or otherwise missing or obscured. The background is often not local. In Phoenix, for example, a car photo will include background details such as desert trees and plants, stucco homes with tile roofs, and desert mountains on the horizon. Photos I found from scammers on Craig's List appeared to be taken in places like Florida, Iowa, and New England. Not a single one had a visible license plate.

No local telephone number. This is not a sure-fire indication of a scam, but if there is a local phone number the listing not likely a scam.

The body of the listing gives an email address for contacting the seller and the email address is from a give-away site like gmail or hotmail. If this is the only method of contact then this is almost certainly a scam.

From my limited investigation, it appears that at any given moment about three to five percent of the auto listings on Craig's List are out-and-out scams.

To test my theories, I responded to several of the sellers and got similar stories to the original post. I even got one who sent me the same eBay buyer protection information. I warned the seller that the email had not come from eBay and "that someone may be trying to cheat you." I am presently trying to convince one of the scammers that he cannot legally ship the car into Arizona until he pays the "DD214 tax" and I have asked him to send me a money gram because that tax must be paid by the seller.

After finding this thread, I went to my local (Phoenix) Craig's List to see if I could find a scammer. It took about 10 minutes to find an offer to sell a "1990 Nissan 300ZX Fairlady." I know that Nissan used the name Fairlady on some of its products in some markets, but I do not recall it ever being applied to the 300ZX in the US market. Kinda hard to be macho driving something called a Fairlady.

The seller posted pictures of a beautiful yellow car, but the background was definitely nowhere in Arizona. It looked like Florida and there were no license plates on the car. Unlike most postings on CL there was no way to email the seller through CL. The body of the posting had an email address, so I contacted the seller and expressed an interest in the car. Here is the response:

"Hello and sorry for the delay,
I'm in Montana, US right now and I have been very busy for the last couple of days. Anyway, thank you for your interest in buying my car. The car is here with me right now and has US papers, I will deliver it to your place from here and the shipping cost will be supported by me. Reason for sale: my business didn't work out the way I planned. So all that I want to do now is to sell the car at this price, because I need to sell it fast. The title is clean and you will have absolutely no problems with the car.

"Here are some words about the ( 1990 Nissan 300ZX Fairlady , Transmission: Automatic , The Miles: 178400, VIN: jn1rz24axlx013851).

"It is in immaculate condition, rust free, no scratches and hasn't been involved in any accident. The motor runs very well, the interior looks great. This car needs nothing, the title is clear, it is not a salvage one. I want this transaction to go smoothly enough as I am caught in the middle of some very important events and have little time at my disposal. I already have tones of emails so I hope you understand that I need to sort them out. The car is like new, in perfect conditions, no need for additional repairs what so ever. A genuine road runner ready to be yours, but only if you shall understand and you won't make me loose time as it has already happened to me. The price is $3,200. Also, I take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in buying the car , to be sure that I don't waste my time with endless discussions. This way, I shall be assured of the serious intentions. The transaction will be made under Global Payments Inc. buyer protection plan. So, please reply back with your full name and shipping address if you are really interested in purchasing this car so we forward with this deal! Thanks for cooperate and understanding!"

How many clues can you find in this reply that say off-shore scam? Bad English, car offered for sale far from where it is located, offer to ship, buyer protection plan. What more do you need?

My husband was looking for a truck on craigslist, of course a beautiful, looked like new, truck was listed for $2,900.00. He asked me to email the woman offering the truck. Her name was Michele and the responce email I got from her was the very same, word for word as the above.

I have used pay pal many times thru ebay and thought this was what she was talking about. As I kept asking questions about the location of the vehicle and wanting to meet and pay in cash, she always had a reason for not being able to meet. Then she said it was already crated and ready to ship. This got the hair on the back of my neck prickling. I kept hearing the voice "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"

I contacted ebay customer service right away and they said if there is no email on my account from them, it is a scam. They asked me to forward the conformation letter that was made to look like it came from ebay and the invoice that followed to their scam protection address.

Their team was right on it. Within a short time I had an email back from them verifing that the 2 ebay emails I had received were fake. They started crashing all the links from the phony's so that it would be stopped immediately.

They thanked me for contacting them and again were happy I had gone to www.ebay.com rather than following their link. They were great about letting me know what was being done and what to look out for in future.

Again, if you have an ebay account, and you do not receive a verification of any email sent to you from ebay........it isn't from ebay.

PS. another flag was the warning on the top of craigslist, that got me to investigate further.

I just looked on Craig's List in Phoenix and right across the top of the page for auto listings it says:

"Avoid scams and fraud by dealing locally! Beware any deal involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, cashier check, money order, shipping, escrow, or any promise of transaction protection/certification/guarantee."

What more do they need to tell you?

I saw an ad on Craigslist for a Toyota Hybrid for $5500 - I knew it was scam, but thought I would play along with it. I got the exact same email you got. I told her since she was in Arizona (I am in Florida), that I would fly there on the weekend and pay her directly. She (he/it) didn't like that idea, and tried to convince me to let Ebay handle it. When I told her Ebay does NOT handle outside transactions, she stopped emailing me.

This should've been a big red flag for you. Ebay doesn't handle anything but Ebay auctions. They don't have anything to do with Craigslist or any other advertising site. Also, if somebody wants MoneyGram or Western Union, for any kind of payment, it's a SCAM.

And lastly, come on, a 2005 Camry for $2900.00? That should've been your biggest red flag!!!

I saw an ad on Craigslist for a Toyota Hybrid for $5500 - I knew it was scam, but thought I would play along with it. I got the exact same email you got. I told her since she was in Arizona (I am in Florida), that I would fly there on the weekend and pay her directly. She (he/it) didn't like that idea, and tried to convince me to let Ebay handle it. When I told her Ebay does NOT handle outside transactions, she stopped emailing me.

This should've been a big red flag for you. Ebay doesn't handle anything but Ebay auctions. They don't have anything to do with Craigslist or any other advertising site. Also, if somebody wants MoneyGram or Western Union, for any kind of payment, it's a SCAM.

And lastly, come on, a 2005 Camry for $2900.00? That should've been your biggest red flag!!!

I saw an ad on Craigslist for a Toyota Hybrid for $5500 - I knew it was scam, but thought I would play along with it. I got the exact same email you got. I told her since she was in Arizona (I am in Florida), that I would fly there on the weekend and pay her directly. She (he/it) didn't like that idea, and tried to convince me to let Ebay handle it. When I told her Ebay does NOT handle outside transactions, she stopped emailing me.

This should've been a big red flag for you. Ebay doesn't handle anything but Ebay auctions. They don't have anything to do with Craigslist or any other advertising site. Also, if somebody wants MoneyGram or Western Union, for any kind of payment, it's a SCAM.

And lastly, come on, a 2005 Camry for $2900.00? That should've been your biggest red flag!!!

I saw an ad on Craigslist for a Toyota Hybrid for $5500 - I knew it was scam, but thought I would play along with it. I got the exact same email you got. I told her since she was in Arizona (I am in Florida), that I would fly there on the weekend and pay her directly. She (he/it) didn't like that idea, and tried to convince me to let Ebay handle it. When I told her Ebay does NOT handle outside transactions, she stopped emailing me.

This should've been a big red flag for you. Ebay doesn't handle anything but Ebay auctions. They don't have anything to do with Craigslist or any other advertising site. Also, if somebody wants MoneyGram or Western Union, for any kind of payment, it's a SCAM.

And lastly, come on, a 2005 Camry for $2900.00? That should've been your biggest red flag!!!