But then I decided to google parts of the e-mail and found this on help.com:
I saw a car on craigslist and I responded.. I am from northern California, and the following email just came in//////Hi, thanks for e-mailing us. First of all we would like to inform you about the location of the vehicle Columbus, Ohio. The car it’s in excellent shape inside-out, always garage kept, never smoked in. It has 82,xxx miles, no mechanical problems, dings, dents or scratches. There are no liens on the car and it has a clean title. We are selling it so we can pay off the mortgage as soon as possible. My husband is a DAS Shipping Company employee and he can deliver the car for free anywhere in the United States.
The transaction will be managed by eBay, so everything will go smooth. You will receive the car for inspection without making any payment to me. Very simple and safe we can complete this deal in no time. If you want me to reserve the car for you and also give you more details about this deal, just let me know. Final price $2,400.00 (shipping included).
All the best to you and your family,
Gloria & Albert

Look how similar those two ads are – even the names signed (It’s a scam):
One car in OHIO and another in FLORIDA…
BIG SCAM!
Watch out for Gloria&ALbert and gmiller282@gmail.com.
By the way, the ads are 2 months apart.

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

2001 Ford Escape Scam

Thanks for replying to my ad. I’m in a hurry to find a buyer because I have a family emergency and I need to sell it before October 4th. My name is Cindy. I’m an Air Force Tech Sergeant stationed at the Elmendorf AF Base, Anchorage, Alaska. The vehicle is here with me.

I’m the original owner. It has no damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects. It is in immaculate condition, meticulously maintained and hasn’t been involved in any accident…I do have the title, clear, under my name. Non-smoker. It is rust free, salt free and has a clean undercarriage (see pics).

This 2000 Nissan Maxima SE has a 3.0L V6 Gasoline Engine, 4 DR Sedan, 5 Spd Automatic, AC, Bose sound, leather seats, cruise control and much more. As you can see, it is immaculate. Premium sound, premium wheels, premium car. You will love it, everything works, ready to go! Clean carfax no accidents.
This Maxima is in exceptional condition inside and out and it has a clean title. Mileage 90,200. Extra Keys and more…

Here you can find more pictures of the vehicle: https://picasaweb.google.com/107012256554898935551/September242011
(if the above link does not work copy and paste it into a new web browser window).

It is still available for sale if interested, price as stated in the ad $1,590, including shipping from Alaska and delivery to your home address.

So if you decide to buy this car or need further information please get back to me as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Tech. Sgt. Cindy Maxwell

She then wrote:
Hi again,

As I’ve told you, at this moment I am in Alaska in a military base. I do a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or call whenever I want. The reason I’m selling this vehicle way below market value, is because I would like to help ease the burden of my sisters medical expenses, which she has acquired due to a serious illness.

The shipping will take 3 to 5 days and it’s not a problem because I will have the vehicle shipped by an Air Force cargo plane so there won’t be any additional shipping costs. Also I will arrange for a truck to transport the vehicle to your home address. You will receive it along with all the documents including title, bill of sale, 2 set of keys, full service records and more. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like eBay because I already prearranged the whole process with them. The vehicle is located in their warehouse in Anchorage (sealed and ready for delivery). The money must be sent first to an eBay Attorney and will be kept safe until the buyer receives and inspects the vehicle. Please take into consideration that I will get paid only after you receive the car and make sure everything is as agreed.

If you are still interested just send me your full name and shipping address. I will forward your info to eBay and they will notify you about our deal. They will let you know what you have to do for the payment. Like this you’ll be able to talk directly with them and ask all you want to know.

I will appreciate an answer as soon as possible.

Regards
Cindy Maxwell

Then she wrote:
Hi,

I got your info and I will initiate the transaction through ebay,they will let you know what you have to do for the payment.Get back to me as soon as you receive their invoice.You should hear from them within 48 hours.

Then she replied:
Hi,

I’ve asked eBay to send the invoice to ************** . Can you please check your email. It may occur that your e-mail doesn’t support HTML language. So please check all folders,junk messages too, the invoice may have ended there because of the ever increasing filters of the e-mails nowadays.Get back to me once you receive it to let you know what the next step is.If you don’t hear from them in 5 hours let me know and i’ll ask them to resend it.

When I looked I found that she wanted me to send my money to:

Spain eBay Motors Attorney:
Name: Mikaela Santos
Address: Calle Serrano, 112
City/State: Madrid
Zip Code: 28006
Country: Spain, Europe

Then I search her on google and found this site, with the same Cindy Maxwell trying to sell someone else a different car, with a similar sob story, but within the same context.

I just hope no one else falls for this.

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

CINDY MAXWELL

I would like to share some information I’ve found concerning the eBay Vehicle Protection Program through various channels on the internet. My goal is not to produce a culprit as I do not have that final answer, instead I hope that this post can be instrumental to the victims and watchdogs who report the crimes and are trying to prevent further scams. I will do my best to organize the information for you all here, but remember all the relevant information WILL be found here even if it is not organized in the best way. If you have reported a crime to ic3.gov using this information and IF it is relevant to your situation, then add additional information to your complaint using the password emailed to you as it will increase the likelihood of your complaint being investigated.

First, the email sent from scammers posing as “eBay motors” came from a domain that intends to impersonate the real eBay. There may be variations but, it is mainly “motors-ebay.com” and if you look at sites such as this (http://whois.domaintools.com/motors-ebay.com) there is an owner’s name.

This is their information:

Name: Jay Chow

Address: 515 anting road

3 floor

shanghai

Shanghai,20112

Telephone: +86.5123211

Remember to check the email interactions you’ve had with the fake eBay Motors domain, you can do so by checking the email and clicking on “details” or something similar in your email client. The email address may look like this: “donotreply@motors-ebay.com.” Next, the domain name is what comes after the “@.”

Second, if one searches for the person and their address there are several things come up. The first is that the physical address that the domain and a variation of it is registered with is connected to “Brose” an international engineering company (http://www.brose.com/ww/en/pub/company/international_locations/engineering_sales/shanghai.htm).

Now, the address for the eBay Motors domain is different from the one on the Brose website. But if you look at this other fraudulent domain (http://www.v3whois.com/w/beautifulagany.com) it shares the same address as Brose, except that the owner is Jay Chow.

This is unusual. I’ve tried to contact the company about this case of a scammer squatting on the physical address of their reputable business. I was not contacted back about the situation. You would think a company would be more concerned about being connected to fraudulent activity, but I was unable to get acknowledgment from several people, or email addresses from that company.

Is this one of those facade companies that are used to legitimize large amounts of money that cannot be explain legally? I wanted someone from the company to hopefully deny any connection to “Jay Chow” and hoped that they would try to report the list of sites incorrectly attributed to their physical address, but did not get this.

Also, here is a paypal complaint by a customer who claimed to have been scammed by a “Jay Chow” over a PSP electronic device:

(https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/How-to-use-PayPal/buyer-received-crap-and-seller-rejoice/m-p/33077)

Third, there is a roundabout process that one must do to report these websites to get more information. The “motors-ebay.com” had domain owner information protection by (privacyprotect.org). Now, what you have to do is fill out the form you see on the right hand side of this page, but the only way for them to confirm that domain is used for fraud requires JPEG picture files of the emails. But, there is no space to upload these picture files on the form, so it automatically results in a rejection to release the owner’s confirmation. The solution is to respond to the rejection email with the JPEG pictures attached as it is replied to “abuse@privacyprotect.org.” Since, the information is now public (http://whois.domaintools.com/motors-ebay.com) it does not matter.

But, the actual domain hosting site for “motors-ebay” is REGISTERMATRIX (http://www.registermatrix.com/domain.php). In a similar roundabout way you have to report the fraudulent activity of the domain to them because they are the one’s hosting the site. But, you have to fill out a form that is very similar to (privacyprotect.org), which does not allow you to provide JPEG picture files, which will automatically result in rejection because textual information from the emails is not sufficient evidence. The bigger problem with reporting the fraudulent activity to this site is that they say they will NOT contact you about the status of whether the information was acceptable or not and whether they believe that the site is acting in a fraudulent manner. I reported it to them several weeks ago and it seems that there was no action taken, consider this in contrast to privacyprotect.org’s acceptance by releasing the contact information. To be realistic, if they eliminated this client, they would lose a paying customer (who pays with your funds) and to convince REGISTERMATRIX of the severity of the problem, it may require that more people will have to report it to them. Then, they will realize that keeping one client is not wise if quite a few of FTS community members know of their illegal activity.

Fourth, “Jay Chow” provides (domains@mediaelite.biz) as his email address in the contact information, this address is shared with an “Alex Do” on another site like:

http://www.who.is/whois/wwwsportitalia.com/

Lastly, I hope this will help the community. It takes a community to attack the root of the problem. Other activities, such as reporting the fraudulent ads on Craiglist, are equally important, but if you have the involvement to report or further investigate the root of the problem in ways I have overlooked and did not realize you can lessen the frequency of those CL ads! I will try to keep up with this post and answer more relevant question for the next week or two. Let’s get involved!

Also, your personal situation does NOT need to be outlined in replies to this post. The most important thing to do is to continue adding relevant information to your ic3.gov complaint using the password sent to your email address. If you are involved but do not have a complaint to add to, you can help by facilitating information that can help others when reporting their complaints.

Thanks FTS community members, you and your site are impressive!

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

eBay VPP Domain Owner request

Second Email:
Hello again,
Thank you for your consideration and God bless you.
I`m located in Great Falls, MT (the bike is here with me) right now because me and my wife 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).
 I will make the deal only to eBay. I am a member of the eBay buyer protection program and using this service you will get a 7 days testing period after delivery. During that 7 days testing period I will not be getting any money. I need to know if you are interested in buying it so I can ask eBay to send you the details on how this works.
  If interested please include in your next email your contact info for eBay ( full name,  full address and phone # ) so we can get things started.
 
Thanks and have a great day !

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

John Clerkin is a SCAM!!

(click on thumbnail for the full-size image)

Here is the e-mail response I received:

Hi, First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my Lawn
Mower (2008 John Deere 757 ZTrak Lawn Mower ). I sell it at this price
($ 2,300 ) because i just finished the divorce with my husband. It has
only 134 hours!!!The Lawn Mower is paid off.I bought it new and has
only been adult ridden and garage kept. This Lawn Mower runs as good as
a new one and has no dings, dents, or scratches. in this moment has low
hours 134 hours .12 mph ground speed, climbs hills and turns on a
dime.  Kawasaki 25-horsepower V-Twin engine, tires are like brand new,
no dents, no damage, used very little on blue grass lawn.  This is a
Commercial Grade zero-turn lawn mower preferred by professionals and
farmers. The divorce has finished 6 months ago and the Lawn Mower is
mine now. After the divorce I was forced to buy a new house. Following
the financial crisis I can’t afford to pay the bank and I decided to
sell the Lawn Mower. It has only been adult ridden and garage kept. As
you can see by the pictures it is in excellent condition. The Lawn
Mower is located in Bismarck North Dakota, if you want to buy it. I’m
very busy with my job and I’m out of town so I can’t meet in person
with you so this is the reason why I chose to sell my Lawn Mower over
the Internet.Regarding the payment I request only secure pay, I prefer
the payment to be done using eBay services (I will receive the payment
only after you receive and inspect the Lawn Mower and only if you agree
to buy it). We will use a safe payment method because I am affiliated
at eBay and I have a purchase protection account.The vehicle was listed for sale
in an auction on eBay but I have removed the add because of some
‘serious’ buyers . They promissed they will buy the vehicle from me but
they proved not to have the money to pay for it .The list price is
$2,300. I will pay for shipping and handling(the loan of my previous
buyer didn’t get approved and he paid the shipping costs) so there
won’t be any additional shipping costs). If you are interested in
buying it please provide me your full name and address for shipping so
I can initiate the deal through eBay. I will wait your answer (if you
are interested to buy) very soon.

Newton Teana Lorias

I started to search for “craigslist ebay buyer protection divorce” to see if it was a scam because putting ebay in there seemed fishy. My suspicions were correct and there are several other similar incidents.

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

Craigslist Scam: John Deere 757 ZTrak Lawn Mower

While searching for a vehicle on Craigs List I came across this nearly too good to be true listing for an immaculate Expedition.  I found it listed on several different cities listings.  When I emailed to inquire about the vehicle this was the response I got.

Hello, 
 The car it’s still available, has 18,583 miles, automatic transmission. It’s in perfect condition, no engine problems (8 Cylinder Gasoline), no accidents/liens/loans. Exterior no scratches, never been repainted, interior no rips/tears/stains, never smoked inside. I have all the car’s manuals, 2 spare of keys, clean title, documents. This Ford Expedition was my son’s car, he loved it very much, but he didn’t enjoy it…He died in a bike accident 9 months ago and now…I don’t need it anymore. It brings very bad memories to me and I want to get rid of it….The price is $3,800.00.
 Me and my husband travel a lot with our business and we want to make this deal through eBay’s Vehicle Purchase Protection Program. I just need your full name, full shipping address, along with your home/cell # so I can open a case (with no further obligation or fees). eBay will contact you with all the Transaction/shipping details you will need.
We hope to hear soon from you.

For more pictures copy or click the following link:
http://s1188.photobucket.com/albums/z412/2000-Ford-Expedition-Eddie-Bauer-Edtion/

May God Bless you Every Day,
Jessica & Martin Brown

P.S: Here’s the VIN # 1FMPU18L1YLA06242 so you can run a CARFAX Report just to make sure you know exactly what you’re buying!!!

After that sappy response I emailed :

Jessica,

I got back on the internet and looked at the pictures on the link from your email.  I actually had your add printed out.  I seen it was listed on both the Kansas City and Des Moines Craigs List links.  Where exactally is the Expedition located or where could I meet you to look at it?  We are willing to drive to you to view it.  I don’t understand the ebay Protection thing, so I would like to speak to you via phone.

  I appreciate your serious intentions in making the deal on the spot, however we decided to post the car on several cities so we can sell it faster. I also choose to use the services of eBay Purchase Protection Program (Buyer Protection Plan) as they provide the most reliable assistance in which regards the on-line sales.
  Let me tell you that my car is located in Morrow, Georgia right now at DAS( Dependable Auto Shippers ) and eBay Purchase Protection offers you a 10 days inspection period and also an Agent will assist you during this period (time of 10 days) with all that you need. The shipping will be made by DAS-Auto Shippers in a sealed container with their 3 days door-to-door Program. Also you will have to decide if you want to keep the car only after your 10 days inspection period. I will have to pay for the shipping prior to get my car shipped and also if you decide that you don’t want to keep my car I will have to make arrangements so I can get my car back. There are no hidden fees or something like that. You will receive the car with the clean title already signed on your name, bill of sale, two spare of keys, & all the paper work.

So let me know if you would like to register you as my client and start the process asap! If so, I will need your full name, full shipping address along with your home/cell # so we can get the ball rolling. After I will register you as my client, they will contact you by e-mail and also by phone with all the information that you need!
 
Very respectfully,
Jessica & Martin Brown

  Let me explain you now how this eBay Purchase Protection Program works. First I have to open a case with your name and your address. After that, they will contact you with an Invoice and also by phone( The Agent who handle our Transaction will assist you during this period ).  You will have to pay for the car price directly to them, not to me and they will keep the funds until you decide if you want to keep the car or not ( the 10 day inspection period ).
  I will have to make a reservation at DAS and pay prior to have the car shipped. In 2 to 4 working days the car will arrive at your home address with the original title, bill of sale, plates, paper work, etc. After you test it, check it by a mechanic, you will have to announce them that you want to keep the car or not! If YES you will have just to register the car on your name…if NO I will have to pay for the shipping again and get my car back! There are no hidden fees or something like that!
Let me know.

Thanks a lot!
Jessica & Martin Brown

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

Craigs List 2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer Edition: Jessica is up to something!!!!

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in purchasing my 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4WD. The truck is in perfect condition – like new! If you decide to buy it, you’ll receive all the papers, owner manuals, keys, a buy-sell contract already signed by me and the clear title. For this transaction I want to use ebay because I want to provide you a fast and very secure way. They will handle the transaction for me. You will make the payment to ebay and they will hold the money until you receive and inspect the truck.ONLY AFTER you receive and inspect it (you have 5 days for inspection) ebay will release the payment to me. The inspection time period will begin as soon as you receive the truck at your address. Meanwhile eBay will hold the money into a trust account. So, this is not a blind transaction, you can see the truck before you decide to buy it. This way we are both protected : i will know that i have a serious buyer who has the money to pay me and you will be able to see and inspect the truck before buying it.
The truck is priced to sell quickly and the final price that I’m asking for it is $5,500 including shipping and handling costs. My husband died 3 months ago and I along with my daughter decided to sell the house and move to my parents. I can’t afford to take days off my work for this sale so i’m trying to sell it online.
If you are really interested in purchasing the truck please send me your full name, shipping address and your phone number. Ebay will give you all the details regarding the shipping and payment.I will appreciate an answer as soon as possible.

Regards!
Briana

2. My reply back:
Good afternoon,

I’m very sorry to hear that you and your daughter endured such a loss.

Are you in the Richmond area? I realize you want to use eBay, but if you are close, I could provide a cashier’s check from either Bank of Central Virginia or USAA Bank (I’m a retired Marine). This would save you money on shipping, as well as the eBay fees.

We purchased a vechicle two years ago and met the seller at his bank. His bank verified the check and only then did he sign over the title.

Just an option if you are relatively close to the Richmond area.

God Bless,

3. The Scammer’s Reply:
Hello again,
The truck is at eBay’s shipping center in Fairport NY and from there it will be shipped to my buyer’s address. It has been listed for sale in an auction on eBay but I have removed the add because of some ‘serious’ buyers . They promissed they will buy it from me but they proved not to have the money to pay for it.I have registered the truck with eBay’s Vehicle Protection Program and they work only with das auto shippers, so a local pick-up is not an option.This transaction is covered by ebay’s purchase protection program up to 20,000 USD and if something goes wrong in this transaction you will be fully refunded. In the invoice you will have the details on how to make a refundable payment and shipping back the truck will be my concern. I strongly assure you it will not be the case for a refund. I have used the eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection in the past and all my transaction ended succesfully. You pay to eBay and they will transfer the funds to me only after you get the truck. Shipping will be door to door, to your home address, somebody must be home when the truck arrives.I apologize if it seems like I’m pushing on this deal but I really want to be sure that everything is clarified
before any further steps. Please let me know if some of the terms don’t fit you or if you have other questions. I’m a serious seller and I prefer to deal with a serious buyer.
If you wish to proceed with the purchase, please provide me your full name and shipping address so I can initiate the deal through eBay right away.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.

4. My reply:
Good afternoon,

No worries. I’ll contact my bank for a loan – the only issue there is with the time to process it. I’ll find out how the transaction would work going through eBay.

I am definitely interested, but I also understand that the first one with they payment gets the truck. I decided just last evening to get another truck, and haven’t even discussed this in detail with my wife.

I do appreciate your explaining the eBay Vehicle Purchase program – I had not heard of that until now. Since this ad populated in the “Richmond” area of Craig’s List, I surmised the truck was nearby. I wouldn’t normally make a large purchase ‘sight unseen’, but the eBay guarantee provides a measure of protection.

5. It was at this point that I started having second thoughts and did a quick search online for “Ebay Vehicle Protection Plan Scam”. Just 30 seconds of due diligence on my part saved me $5500 and an a$$-whoopin’ from my wife.

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

2005 Toyota Tacoma 4WD, $5500, by bbriana653@gmail.com

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

Craigslist Scam jennifer.lewis2001@gmail.com

Troy,

I still have a few questions. I was wondering why you are selling your car? Also, why you weren’t just selling it locally near the area you live? Would it be possible for me to check the car out?

Thanks,
Jodie
(just sent this e-mail out, thank goodness I looked more into it)
—————————-

From: troydeneau67@live.com
To: jodi3_is@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: about e320
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:00:07 -0700

Hi again,

I want to tell you that we will use eBay services (VPP) in this transaction in order for both of us to be 100% protected and insured by them pay any additional fees( shipping and handling) only 4000 $ firm .As soon as we have a settlement I ‘ll ship the car to your address along with all the paperwork and you will have time to check the records and condition.I want to finish this deal through eBay Protection Program.You will receive the car for inspection before you make any payment to me. They will hold ( A DEPOSIT YOU HAVE TO SEND TO THEM ) and release it to me only after you will receive, inspect and agree to keep the benz . I will give you 10 inspection days.I will start the shipping in the same day with the payment confirmation from eBay.The delivery process will take 3-5 days depending of your location.If you are interested please let me know and i’ll contact eBay to open a case to them. I just need your approval to send your email address to them so they can contact you regarding this transaction.

Thanks Troy

PS: Here are some pics attached. VIN: wdbuf65jx3a312330

From: jodi3_is@hotmail.com
To: troydeneau67@live.com
Subject: RE: about e320
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:18:44 +0000

Hi,

Could I get more photos of the car, and do you have a carfax? Since you are all the way in oregon, it would be hard for me to look at the car before hand. Also, could I know when the most recent check up was? How tires are? And if there still is still warranty on it, etc.

Thanks,
Jodie
From: troydeneau67@live.com
To: jodi3_is@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: about e320
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:47:10 -0700

Hi again,

I have listed the Mercedes on several locations as I wanted to attract more interested buyers.The car is already in a shipping company in Wood Village, OR packed and ready to go. DELIVERY IS AVAILABLE only if you want to use eBay services (Vehicle Protection Program) in this transaction in order for both of us to be 100% protected and insured by them ( shipping will be included in the starting price 4000 usd).Please contact me if you are interested and i’ll explain you how the transaction process work thru eBay services.If you need any additional photos or info please ask.

Thanks Troy

From: jodi3_is@hotmail.com
To: troydeneau67@live.com
Subject: RE: about e320
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:40:08 +0000

Troy,

Everything sounds great! Do you have a carfax and when was the most recent check up? How are the tires? And is there still any warranty on it, etc. Also where are you located?

Thanks

From: troydeneau67@live.com
To: jodi3_is@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: about e320
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:47:57 -0700

Hello,

Sorry for the late answer.My E320 Mercedes Benz is in great shape, no engine problems, damages or hidden defects, no rust at all, no work needs to be done.It has a 6 Cylinder 3.2 Liter engine with 67,000 miles, is an automatic ,Interior color: gray , Exterior color: white. Has never involved in any accidents.It was always garaged and never smoked in.The price is $4,000 . If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to email me as I will gladly answer your questions.

Thanks

From: jodi3_is@hotmail.com
To: troydeneau67@live.com
Subject: about e320
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:39:39 +0000

hi! i was on craigslist and saw your ad, and i was wondering why it was such a low price considering it’s such a nice car? has it been in any accidents, etc? thankyou.

jodie

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

Craigslist 2003 Mercedes e320 Ebay VPP Scam

Scam reported at FightTheScams.com

Jeffrey Davis (jeffreydaviis@msn.com) – Honda CRV SUV 2002 – $3900 (los angeles) Craigslist