is this a scam?

[bgtxn]

this is for a '03 harley fxstd with 4100 miles for $2900.00 ad posted on craigslist.




Have you received the invoice from eBay?
When you receive the eBay invoice please read it carefully so you can understand the entire payment process.
Please let me know when you can transfer the money to eBay so I can make all the arrangements for delivery.
Also I have a friendly advise, don't tell at the Western union office that this is the payment for a Internet purchase or you
send the money to an ebay account/agent, because both of us will be extra charged with some extra fees for making e-commerce. We can avoid paying this money. If the Western union agent ask you, just tell that the money are for a relative/friend.. I will also do the same thing with the shipping so you don't have to pay any fees. I am not willing to spend some useless money, I hope you will understand why I am asking you this.

I will declare to the Logistic Department that you are my cousin, and I have to send the bike over to your home, to keep it there while I'm in Iraq, so I don't have to pay any fees. With the bike you'll receive 2 keys, title, bill of sale and all the bike's documents and manuals.


Let me know...

Thank you!

PS: I usually receive the emails from eBay in my junk folder, so you should check all folders of your email.

[lightfair]

Yes, it's a scam.

Let me see if I can reconstruct what has happened here:

The Harley was posted on Craigslist; and it was unusually cheap. The "seller" tells you that he must sell it quickly because he is in the US Army and about to deply to Iraq. For safety reasons he wants to do the transaction through ebay (perhaps the words "Vehicle Purchase Protection" were used). You are supposed to pay to the ebay Agent by Western Union.

Does the above roughly describe what has happened so far?

I hope you haven't paid yet. What we need now is

- the name and email address used by the scammer
- the email address used in the mails allegedly coming from ebay
- the address where the Western Union transfer was supposed to go to
- any possible web site addresses involved

You may also want to post one or two typical snippets from the scammer's emails; possibly the part where he describes that he must leave for Iraq.

[bgtxn]

this is the name and email address of the seller
gallagher.emily@comcast.net

this is the email address of the ebay invoice
From: eBay (eBay@security-motors-protection.com)

this is the email they sent me: (I removed my name and address)

We also verified and confirmed the seller's ability to deliver the merchandise and meet the terms described in his listing.


Seller Verified Profile

* eBay Member in good standing from 09-26-2006
* Registered e-mail address: gallagher.emily@comcast.net
* Identity and Contact Information Verified.
* Continues to meet strict Membership Criteria.
* Committed to Dispute Resolution and Mediation.
* Purchase Protection Coverage up to $50,000.00


Here's the invoice for your item, bgtxn !

Thanks for your purchase!!
Once payment is received, items are shipped within 48 hours.
Please e-mail the seller with any questions to gallagher.emily@comcast.net

Item Picture Item Title Qty. Price

2003 Harley-Davidson Softail Deuce 1 US $2,900.00

Subtotal:
US $2,900.00
Shipping and handling(Paid by seller):
--
Shipping insurance (Paid by seller):
--


Total:
US $2,900.00

Buyer
Name:
bgtxn
Shipping address:
somewhere in tx
Country:
USA
E-mail address: (removed by moderator)

Seller
Name:
Emily Gallagher
Address:

6101 Wilmett Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817
Country:
USA
E-mail address:
gallagher.emily@comcast.net






Delivery Information
Delivery Start time:
Same day with the payment confirmation.
Service:
3 to 5 days Door to Door
7 days return policy
Yes
Insurance
Yes
Our system has paired your transaction with an available international eBay agent,who will act as a third party in this deal.
This is done automatically by our system, the computer choosing at random from the list of available agents worldwide, in order to
ensure the impartiality of this deal,without inappropriately advantaging neither the seller, nor the buyer.
Next step to be taken: the buyer must make a deposit to the indicated agent in United Kingdom.
Payment must be sent by: WesternUnion.
WesternUnion Money Transfer is the only service that has ultimate authentication of the identity of the receiver of funds.
Several IDs and utility bills are required before the funds are paid. Therefore, no one else but our representative can pick up the money.
Your payments cannot be lost in the mail, like money orders or checks.
You should send the payment as soon as possible,your purchase protection being valid for only 30 days.
The sending of payment by any other arrangements cancels this transaction and your right to get reimbursed.
How to make the payment:

[bgtxn]

this is where they wanted me to send my payment:



1) Click here to locate the nearest WesternUnion office.

2) Make the payment with cash using our Representative details as receiver.


eBay Representative:

Full Name:

Scott Halleen


Street:

110 Marylebone High Street


City/State:

London


Zip Code:
W1U 4RY

Country:

United Kingdom



3) Reply us the following details from the payment receipt:
- Money Transfer Control Number - 10 digits number from the receipt
- Sender's Name and Address
- Receiver's Name (eBay Representative)
- Amount sent

4) After the payment has been made please fax the Western Union receipt at : +1 206-279-1598.
*We strongly recommend that you confirm the payment by both email and fax.


? When payment is received, it will be verified and secured into a non-interest bearing trust account. Payment verification process usually takes less than three hours. After payment is secured, the Seller is authorized to ship vehicle. The seller has three business days to send the buyer and eBay the tracking number of the shipment. If no tracking number is provided, a full refund is immediately sent to the buyer.


IMPORTANT!!!

* Once we receive the payment confirmation, the Seller will start the shipping process. We will hold the payment until you will receive and inspect the vehicle. As soon as we will receive your confirmation we will release the payment to your Seller.


How to complete the payment?
1. The payment must be sent by wire transfer using WesternUnion to our agent.
2. After the payment is made, please send us a copy of the transfer.
3. After the payment is made please reply to this invoice with the WesternUnion Receipt.

Once the payment transfer cleared and our eBay representative confirms the payment, we will instruct the seller to start the shipping process. We will hold the funds until you send us your confirmation that you are satisfied with the product you received. As soon as we receive your confirmation we will release the payment to the seller.
The payment details are confidential and will not be released under any circumstances. Our customer chose this payment method in order to speed up the transaction.

Purchase protection and refund:

The eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection (VPP) is a subsidiary of eBay Inc., dedicated to insuring safe and honest transaction between online buyers and sellers, especially for deals involving large amounts of money. Each of our seller clients is required to open a Purchase Protection Account (PPA) which is managed by VPP department. The amount of the account provides protection up to $50,000 against certain losses associated with some types of fraud.

When a seller initiates a transaction with his/her corresponding buyer, VPP checks the seller's PPA and, if it's value is equal or greater than the transaction price, automatically locks it for a period of 90 days from the day the transaction was started.

Conditions to be met before you may ask for a refund:


1) If the item doesn't after the payment was received;
2) If the merchandise you receive has different specifications than the ones you agreed on;
3) If your merchandise arrives in a much longer period than the one you agreed on (more than 15 days from the payment clearance day);

For situations 2) and 3) you have to send back the merchandise to the seller prior to ask for your refund.

Notice that each of the transaction has a method of payment which is selected by the eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection, taking into account the seller's location and background check. The selected method of payment is always the one which offers the most reliable protection against fraud. Please, be advised that if you did not pay the seller by payment method required by us, your refund request will be declined.

Regards,
eBay Customer Support (Trust and Safety Department)
This e-mail message was sent to you from eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection team, with the full support of the SquareTrade center.

eBay treats your personal information with the utmost care, and our Privacy Policy is designed to protect you and your information. eBay will never ask their users for personal information, such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, pin numbers, passwords, or Social Security numbers in an email. For more information on how to protect your eBay password and your account, please visit User Account Protection.

This eBay notice was sent to (removed by moderator) based on your eBay account preferences and in accordance with our Privacy Policy. To change your notification preferences, click here. If you would like to receive this email in text format, click here

Copyright ?1995-2010 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.
eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc.

[lightfair]

Thanks for the additional information.

security-motors-protection.com is a Google mail domain that has of course nothing to do with ebay.

I'll edit your last two postings to remove your own email address; no need for spambots to pick it up.