Facebook Marketplace redirection scammer

[Elkins45]

I saw a car posted on FB marketplace that appeared to be a really good deal. It was almost on the very edge of believability, like an effective scam should be, but fishing can be fun so I sent a message asking to see the car. A couple of hours later I got this:

Top Condition! Clear Title​

For further details about the car, like a complimentary Carfax report or additional images, please message my daughter. [email protected]​

The car belongs to her, and she’s ready to help you!​

So now I’ve gone from 70% sure to 90% sure it’s a scam, but I decided to use one of my burner email accounts to contact the “daughter.” Here’s the email reply:

One owner car, clean title, has been used by non-smokers, and has not had any pets, being in excellent condition as seen in the attached document. It has recently undergone a complete service.​

Due to professional commitments, I have authorized eBay to manage the sale and shipping. The car is already in their custody and will be listed in 5 days with the 'Buy Now' option at $2,995.​

If you are interested in purchasing the car before it is listed, please send me your contact details (full legal name, address, and phone number) so I can open a ticket with the responsible agent. They will provide you with all the necessary information to complete the transaction.​

Thanks!​

The email came with an attached Carfax report for a vehicle that has spent its entire life in California. I’m a long way from California.

One interesting aspect is because the Carfax has a VIN I was able discover the vehicle is actually sitting on a lot in Mesa, AZ listed for over $12k. The scammer had edited the Carfax report to indicate eBay motors as the seller but all the other entries match up with the report on the actual seller’s website. That’s something I hadn’t seen before, although it doesn’t come as a giant surprise.

 

[NormanBuntz]

AKA Eastern European or West African fraud scheme.

 

[cptbarkey]

You enjoy that kind of thing? Ok.

 

[bullwinkle]

Ever since Craigslist started charging for auto ads, the scammers have all moved to FB Marketplace. There's even more crap on there than eBay!

 

[Elkins45]

You enjoy that kind of thing? Ok.

I like learning new things.

 

[c502cid]

Usually when you see a "deal" like this look at the sellers other ads. The same car/trailer/equipment is listed in multiple cities around the country.

 

[Elkins45]

Usually when you see a "deal" like this look at the sellers other ads. The same car/trailer/equipment is listed in multiple cities around the country.

Not the case here. It’s a long standing account with a history of occasional household sales. My guess is that they are the victim of a password cracking attack and FB takes forever (if ever) to do anything about it.

 

[Rmay635703]

Not the case here. It’s a long standing account with a history of occasional household sales. My guess is that they are the victim of a password cracking attack and FB takes forever (if ever) to do anything about it.

Fbook and other companies pretty much instantly know when someone logs in by remote controlling a device to spoof but usually do nothing about it.

Classic blame the operator situation instead making it hard on the account owner

 

[zzyzzx]

You enjoy that kind of thing? Ok.

There is a YouTube channel that I subscribe to devoted to that is devoted to annoying scammers or getting them shut down: Kitboga

 

[zzyzzx]

One car I was looking at recently, and actually test drove only because it was close to my house, and I hadn't driven that type of car before... They didn't have plates on it, so I could only drive it around the apartment complex parking lot, and of course, they were selling to for someone else... I checked on it every few days for a while and kept finding it for sale in different parts of town as if they kept on moving it. No idea what their scam was. Maybe they thought that they would get a new set of potential buyers if they moved their location every week?

Ended up buying a used one at a Ford dealer that we like a lot. No scamming involved.