Comments on: scam ebay vehicle purchase program

By: mila

mila — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:49:03 +0000

We recently inquired about a 2004 Volkswagen Passat 4Motion – $4800 on craigslist from seller Doug Gravessen / doug.gravessen@companymilus.net.
I asked about mileage on the vehicle and this is the email I received :
Hi,
I am selling this car because I am being dispatched to the Gulf of Aden.
I will be there for more than a year. I’ve cut the price because I must sell before September 30th.
The car is in great condition, no rust, no scratches, no electrical or mechanical problems. I have a clean title ready to be signed.
It is still available for sale if interested, price as stated in the ad .
The car is in the Montana area, in case it gets sold I will take care of shipping.
Let me know if you are interested, email back.

2004 Volkswagen Passat 4Motion
VIN: WVWTH63BX4P248808
Mileage: 60,262 miles
Body type: Sedan
Engine: 2.8L V6 FI DOHC 30V
Exterior color: Black
Interior color: Anthracite Leather Interior
Transmission: Automatic
Fuel type: Gasoline
Wheel Drive: All Wheel Drive

I expressed interest & this was 2nd reply:

His reply:
I am sorry, but as I told you I am not at home, I am stuck here in a military base for my physicals and I cannot receive calls nor leave, hope you understand the situation. It’s a bit hard to control this myself, that’s why I can only do this through eBay. I am tax free, that’s why I offered free shipping, all I need is an address where you want it delivered. I am a member of the eBay Buyer Protection Program and using this service you will get you a 3 days testing period after delivery. So please if interested email me your full name, address and phone number and I will ask eBay to send you an invoice regarding the terms and conditions of this transaction.
Thanks

Thanks to websites like this and people reporting these jerks I knew what to look for if it were a scam i.e ebay buyer protection program & luckily our B.S alarms have sounded loud & clear. We are going to buy locally where we can actually test drive the vehicle and have some protection. Craigslist is just too risky!

By: rebecca7500

rebecca7500 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:36:24 +0000

We almost fell for it too! Of course it is too good to be true. These people need to be brought down.

By: bandit1581

bandit1581 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:09:27 +0000

Thank you so much! My husband almost just fell for the exact deal, until I showed him this!

By: maureen

maureen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:36:00 +0000

Sept. 2, 2009 – reporting this scam found last night on ebay.
Beware of this email address! thomasmardem5@gmail.com

Hello,

I’m SGT Thomas Mardem. This 2005 Honda Accord EX-L is in perfect working condition.
This vehicle engine runs very, very smooth. No electrical or
mechanical problems on this beauty. This detailed vehicle makes the
exterior looks like it just came off the assembly line. The car has
63,500 miles.

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 you inspect it (for 15 days) eBay will send the money to me; in
this way we are both protected. If the car is not suitable for you
from any reason, your money will be fully refundable and I will take
the car back on my expenses. I’m sure it won’t be the case because it’s a state of
art looking and working vehicle. I am located in Canada and I was sent
here with my department. One week ago my wife moved here with me and
brought the car with her, but now we have to sell it back in the
US because we can’t register it here; it has US specs and
everything, and registering it here in Canada will take forever. My
final price on it is $2,800 USD. 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 your address.

Click on the link below for more pics & info about the car:
http://2005accord.page.tl/

Please get back to me asap if you want to move forward, 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.

Best Regards,
Thomas and Rachel Mardem

By: bestsofar

bestsofar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:43:30 +0000

Thank You so much for posting! I just inquired about this exact car on Craigslist. Same seller Cathy Mayers exact email response about her divorce. I assume this posting is on an auto reply or something. I flagged the ad on craigslist. I don’t know if they will take it down. I am so glad I took a minute to research this ” ebay vehicle purchase program ” which lead me here and I get to keep my $2800!!!!