Locked
Discussion interactions are currently paused.
Car scam
I was sent this link to purchase a car I found on Marketplace. It looks 100% like a convincing page on EBay. I got with customer service to check its validity and was told it was not. Posting to share how good these scams can be:
[potentially hazardous link removed]
10 comments
hedd-4
·1 year agoI too was trying to purchase a vehicle off of market place and was fed some story about eBay holding it because it was shipped to Montana and yada yada yada..... people really disappoint me.
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoHopefully you caught on before you gave the scammers any money. A good general rule is that if you did not find the item on eBay, you are not purchasing it via eBay (it does confuse the issue a little that eBay is now placing sponsored ads in Facebook Marketplace search results, but those should be clearly labeled and will take you directly to an eBay listing).
Also, this is an old thread and the mods will probably close it, although in this case I’d say the information is still accurate. Often old threads have outdated information, though, which is why the moderators shut them down after a while (though usually only once someone comments on them again).
mudshark61369
·1 year agoFor the benefit of newer members not aware of the scam other things to look for on Craigs' Marketplace etc. besides low prices and sob stories, are:
eBay does not have any holding, storage facilities.
eBay itself does not offer any kind of Free shipping service, especially for vehicles.
An ebay item number that is not 12 characters long without hyphens (123456789123) The numbers given on scam listings or the supposed ebay protection letters/invoices are often 11 or 13 characters long.
eBay does not offer vehicle protection for any listing not found on ebay itself.
eBay listings are not allowed to have contact info, phone #s or email addresses, on a listing page.
ittybitnot
·1 year ago@amaschoe-90
Congratulate yourself for not being another victim. It is truly sad to see those that paid with gift cards or sent deposits via a P2P cash app program come here to ask if they have been scammed after the fact.
FWIW, it is not just cars, trailers, or other vehicles. I have seen phony ads for patio furniture, playground equipment, and the "downsizing" stories showing top rated products that don't exist in any true sense other than the photos. Rental houses and apartments are not excluded either. Google and google lens are often helpful to see many of these ads with the same pictures and text posted on Marketplace et al by different sellers, in several different states, and/or where they have lifted their phony pictures. eBay is not immune from "sellers" of products that don't exist either. It takes a little time and practice, but they CAN be spotted.
It is a despicable thing that these people do to the uninformed and often the most needy.
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoIf you clicked that link, I would scan your system.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoThank you for your effort to help others by showing "how good these scams can be".
Judging from previous reports here, going back probably to the very beginning of eBay, these scams don't really have to be good for people to fall for them. The minute a shopper on CL or Facebook Marketplace sees that 2020 Toyota Camry for $1250, any common sense he might bring to the situation just flies out the window.
When shopping on other sites, not eBay, in addition to the unbelievably low prices listed for vehicles, another red flag is "the transaction will go through eBay for your protection". Why would eBay offer any kind of buyer protection for a sale that is not actually going through eBay?
Then there is always a sob story: wife selling husband's vehicle after his death or after a divorce, flight attendant who travels so much he has no time for the car, and, my favorite, member of the Armed Forces being deployed.
If none of the above stops the shopper dead in his tracks, how about the offer to have the car delivered to the buyer at the seller's expense for a trial period? Who, with any brains, sends a valuable vehicle to a total stranger?
Could go on and on. Again, glad you stopped before sending the gift card numbers. Oh, that's another red flag, eBay gift cards can only be used to purchase something actually listed for sale on eBay. And also, they are non-refundable and untraceable.
canwill-15
·1 year agoThank you so much you confirmed for me the scam they were trying to run on me!!!
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoThis is not a new scam.
It is well known and aimed at desperate people who are not aware of the perils of internet scammers.
Buying a car you have never seen is not usually a prudent course of action. Buying it from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist is often not a prudent course of action. This is the point where I say that when you buy eyeball to eyeball from a used car dealer, you are usually safer. I recognize that is an outrageous statement, but its true.
gator08041971
·2 years agobay229.bz...
ROFL
Have to admit, I have seen in the past few years an increasing level of detail and accuracy that would fool a lot of people at a first glance. And those that are not aware of or may not realize they are being scammed would easily fall for it. And not just eBay. I have had convincing e-mails from a number of sources that look legit if you don't know what to look for or use that service already and know how to verify.
I had a lady contact me today (I do IT work) that had gotten an e-mail stating it was a receipt for a PayPal payment for something in BTC no less.
It was completely bogus, but she didn't know how to tell, and even questioned how I know. I had to pull up real PayPal e-mail receipts that I had to show her the differences.
All I can say is, remain vigilant, never accept anything at face value and always verify through known means. Never click a link in an e-mail, open an attachment, or call a number shown!
gosimus
·2 years ago@amaschoe-90
< It looks 100% like a convincing page on EBay >
The scammers wouldn't get very far using unconvincing methods, would they. You didn't need to ask customer service* – you can just look at the URL (the site address) and see that it isn't eBay. If the vehicle isn't listed on eBay, and the ad says the purchase will be "handled through eBay" then it's a scam. And when they say that payment must be made with gift cards, well, that's the last nail in the coffin. Congratulations on being sharp enough not to get taken to the cleaners.
* Wondering how you spoke with customer service. The only actual way to do that, is to go to the eBay Help pages, then through a topic, get into a chat and use the word "Agent" until you get one.
The phone numbers you find on the internet are not actual eBay numbers. The best case when you call one of them is that you reach a third-party pay for help site. The worst is when you reach a scammer who persuades you to give her/him your credit card number. Bad medicine.