Possible scam

[luzav_43]

I need your help, not much but just to be sure. So I went on Craig’s list and saw a $1000 Yamaha quad so I contacted the seller thus email no phone. They say eBay has the quad because they are a flight attendant and there job won’t let them sell the quad in person.  So I say okay and I give them the Information they want, address phone,name and some other stuff. So I get a email from (ebay@motors-giftcard-payments.com) saying they have the quad and all this and that so they say to give them GIFT CARD NUMBERS. So this was a alarm. I asked them how would I know that the quad runs so they said “our mechanics inspected the quad and once You have possession of it You will have 5 days to test it out.” Says it’s in California but the craigslist ass is from Delaware, so coast to coast. The seller told me she has free shipping on a item so she will use it on this quad. The emails look legit but looking into it I’m sure it’s a scam. Let me know if u have any more info. 

[jameshen1]

Yes.  A very common and well known scam.  Ebay doesn't hold items or ship items.  They don't require you to pay with gift  cards.  And if you didn't find it on EBay, Ebay is not involved at all.

[ripsmc]

With enough digging you can probably find that scam ad posted in places all across the country.

A few years back I was looking for a small truck. One showed up on CL here in OK. Some digging found that same ad in UT, AZ, TX, LA, GA, SC, TN, and MO. At that point I laughed it off and moved on.

[nunabr0]

Well, I'm glad that the payment via gift cards finally clued you in..... Just the price of the thing, and the fact that would "ship it for free" should have had you already running the other way. I mean, why would anyone in their right mind sell something for a fraction of it's value, and then spend almost what they received for that item to ship it to you? If their "flight attendant" story were true, they could've just taken the thing to the local motorsports shop and have gotten more for it ion 5 minutes. Funny- my cousin is a flight attendant, and she has sold many vehicles; a house, and other things the conventional way with no problem...and never required payment via gift cards! 🙂

[lex-talon]

They say eBay has the quad because they are a flight attendant and there job won’t let them sell the quad in person.  So I say okay and I give them the Information they want, address phone,name and some other stuff. So I get a email from (ebay@motors-giftcard-payments.com) saying they have the quad and all this and that so they say to give them GIFT CARD NUMBERS. So this was a alarm.

Ebay does not have warehouses, BTW. There is no Yamaha quad for sale. Forget about it. Don't give them any Gift card numbers, give them the phone number of your local police dept instead.

[hawkwind5454]

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@nunabr0 wrote:

Well, I'm glad that the payment via gift cards finally clued you in..... Just the price of the thing, and the fact that would "ship it for free" should have had you already running the other way. I mean, why would anyone in their right mind sell something for a fraction of it's value, and then spend almost what they received for that item to ship it to you? 

Scammers would have a much tougher go of it, if people weren't so easily seduced by...-THE CHEAP SIDE-

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[nunabr0]

It's like when you see advertising promoting FREE this and FREE that.....ya say to yourself "Who falls for this? Everyone knows that nothing's free"- and yet, apparently 90% of the population must fall for it, 'cause advertisers (domestic scammers in suits) have used the FREE gimmick for over a century, and continue to, unabated..... Scammers satisfy their own greed by preying upon the greed of their victims.....

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

After all these years, I can't believe people still fall for the: I'm selling this for my father/It's in an ebay warehouse/I'm in the military....and my personal favorite..It's on C/List, but I'm selling it through ebay!  Obviously, it all still works, and is the scammer's positive reinforcement, as they still use it!  Sad--

[jr-41ford]

Save your old, redeemed gift cards and reuse them.

Mix 2 tsp. acrylic paint with 1 tsp. dish soap, apply with brush over the code, allow to dry.

Next time a scammer asks to be paid with gift cards, spend the money on postage and send the scammer the redeemed cards.  Friend of mine did that, told the scammer they must of been ran through a magnetic scanner and demanded his antique toy train set be sent to him immediately. He never got the train, but had a lot of fun with the scammer.

[mr.elmwood]

One just came across the wire this morning. Wedding planner, agreed to a $700 fee, was sent a cheque for $5500 "in error". "Please forward the remaining $4800 to the caterer." She did. Blames her bank. 

[phput93]

Hey I got that same situation just happened to me.. and I've been trying to figure this out all day...

[eburtonlab]

@phput93 

It is a scam.

That is not how eBay works. eBay does not rely on users finding ads on Facebook 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:

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.com, find the vehicle on eBay and complete the checkout process on eBay. You may have to pay a deposit. Then you typically meet the seller to inspect the vehicle and pay the seller.

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.

[atikovi]

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@phput93 wrote:

Hey I got that same situation just happened to me.. and I've been trying to figure this out all day...

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Have you sent any money?

[bonjourami]

Or gift card numbers?