FB Marketplace Scam?

[yourluckybargains]

After a diligent search on FB Marketplace, I messaged the seller of a 2014 Nissan Maxima SV listed for $1,400.  She replied with an email address which I quickly wrote to.  Here's her response:

" My name is Clara and I'm emailing you regarding the 2014 Nissan Maxima SV that I have for sale. It is in perfect condition, with no need for any additional repairs. Flawless exterior condition, no scratches and no dents. It has never been involved in an accident. The interior is in excellent condition. I have a Clear Title. Great mileage: 73,463, Engine: V6 3.5L and the automatic transmission shifts perfectly. 

The price for the vehicle is $1,400 (including delivery and handling to your address).

I’m selling this vehicle because my child of only 21 years died 2 months ago in a bike accident, the vehicle belonged to my son and it brings back bad memories and that’s the reason I want to sell it.

I travel a lot with my job and I want to make this deal through eBay Payments Protection. So if you’re interested in purchasing the vehicle just reply to me with your full name, full address and phone number, so I can notify eBay. Once that is done, they will contact you by email in the next hours to explain the entire procedure.

Here are some pictures with the car: 

https://www.ebayphotogallery.com/zdjecia/2014-nissan-maxima-sv/10698978/1

God Bless you and your family!"

I replied to the above message with my contact info, then got a reply as thus:

"I've received your details and I'll start the official procedure. eBay will contact you about this by email, you'll receive important guidelines + instructions from eBay tomorrow morning. I will also do the last checks so I can be ready with the shipping when they will approve the transaction. At this point the vehicle is reserved for you.    

Thank you!"

Did some checking and found out the market value of said vehicle is $5000 to $8000. Also noticed the car is no longer listed on FB.  

How to proceed?

[lacemaker3]

Scam. 100% Scam, no shadow of a doubt.

That is not an eBay URL link, the pictures are not on eBay. eBay doesn't have any vehicle warehouses, anywhere.

The price is too good to be true. It would probably cost more than the purchase price just to ship it to you.

No one, ever, anywhere, is going to ship a vehicle to you at their own expense, and then ship it back again if you decide you don't want it.

[yourluckybargains]

Thanks for your swift reply.  Wonder if I should just play along to see how far they take this **bleep**, then maybe turn the tables on them somehow?  Already forwarded emails to spoof@ebay.com.  Don't know how to notify FB though, since listing is gone now, as "car has been reserved for me".

[eburtonlab · Accepted solution]

Beware scammers who advertise on other sites and tell you that the transaction will be handled through eBay.

That is not how eBay works. eBay does not rely on users finding ads on Facebook or other sites and sending contact information to a seller. Likely the seller will send a phony "invoice" that appears to be from eBay but is not, asking you to pay with gift cards to have the vehicle shipped to you for a free evaluation period.

eBay has no warehouse and does not ship vehicles. eBay does not handle such transactions or provide "vehicle protection orders". Scammers often promise those things, though. Any phone number you may receive on such an "invoice" does not connect to eBay, but to the scammer.

Anyone that asks you to purchase gift cards or to send card codes to them to complete a transaction is trying to take advantage of you. Anyone asking for a gift card is looking for a gift at your expense. Once anyone else knows the code, your money will be gone and you will have no recourse.

See here for some info about avoiding such scams (US links):

https://pages.motors.ebay.com/buy/security/index.html

https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes/online-vehicle-sale-fraud

The only way to purchase a vehicle on eBay is to sign in to eBay, find the vehicle on eBay and complete the checkout process on eBay, so that the item appears in your Purchase History. Then you typically meet the seller to inspect the vehicle, pay the seller, and collect the keys, title and vehicle.

If you encountered an ad on another site, contact that site to have the ad removed. eBay is not involved with any ads listed on sites other than eBay itself.

[lacemaker3]

---

@yourluckybargains wrote:

Thanks for your swift reply.  Wonder if I should just play along to see how far they take this **bleep**, then maybe turn the tables on them somehow?  Already forwarded emails to spoof@ebay.com.  Don't know how to notify FB though, since listing is gone now, as "car has been reserved for me".

---

There's not much point. They are doing the same thing to multiple other people. And they are probably also being exploited and potentially trafficked. They don't get much benefit, aside from staying alive.

These are gangs, and the ones actually doing the scamming are usually low-level, desperate, hungry people, in third-world countries. I just read a news article this morning about a scammer, who was offered a bed and one meal a day by the "boss" in return for half the take. If he wasn't able to get money from the scammee, he was beaten and sometimes given food that made him sick. It's modern slavery.

Obviously, this doesn't make it right. But personally, I would just walk away, not try to get revenge.

[fab_finds4u]

$5,000 to $8,000?  Where is that?

Don't you mean $ 18,000?

 In my neck of the woods a 2014 Maxima SV starts at $7,900 CarGurus, $13,995 CarFax, and $15,998 CarMax. All with much higher milage. 

That low price was bait. You bit. You should have known right away the price was too good to be true and not even bothered to contact them.

[yourluckybargains]

---

@fab_finds4u wrote:

That low price was bait. You bit. 

NO I did NOT "bite".  I bothered to check it out before paying one red cent of my hard-earned money!

[fab_finds4u]

You DID bite when you gave them your name and contact info. Otherwise you wouldn't have that fake invoice and come here asking how to proceed.

[yourluckybargains]

Ok, maybe I did nibble a bit.  What potential consequences for sharing my contact info?  PS:  I came here BEFORE the fake invoice arrived.  PPS:  Should I let the "seller" know I am onto them to deter improper use of my contact info?

[yourluckybargains]

How do scammers convert eBay gift cards to cash once they receive images of s scratched off backs with numbers exposed?

[eburtonlab]

How do scammers convert eBay gift cards to cash once they receive images of s scratched off backs with numbers exposed?

The use the gift card numbers to buy things that can be immediately resold.

[yourluckybargains]

It seems strange to me that eBay keeps no record of who bought which card numbers and who ultimately ends up using them.  Even though GIFT cards are usually meant to be given away, it still seems like large lump sum transfers should trigger extra scrutiny, especially when the buyer has emails and bogus invoices to prove their claims.

[femmefan1946]

Her name isn't Clara.

She isn't female.

There never was a child.

There is no car.

Don't send money. If you already sent money contact paypal or your credit card company for a refund.

If you paid with a gift card you will not be able to get your money back.

[femmefan1946]

Never use a gift card online.

Only in a B&M store with a posted refund policy.

They are plastic money.

And once you hand over cash you have difficulty getting it back.

[yourluckybargains]

Sent NO money but did disclose my contact info, including address and phone number.