With its buttery leather seats and brilliant platinum finish, the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta looked like one sweet ride. Priced at just $3,400, it was an irresistible deal, too.

Unfortunately the online ad exhibited all the signs of a scam: there was no phone number, the car appeared to be on a dealer's lot and the price was one-third of what a model of its vintage should fetch.

To test our theory, we sent a query through the "contact seller" feature on the website. In two hours, the "seller" responded.

"My 2004 Volkswagen Jetta is in great shape, no engine problems, damages or hidden defects. The total price is $3,400 CAD including shipping and handling. The sale will be made through eBay protection program for our safety," read the syntax-riddled email.

Predictably the car was far away, preventing us from inspecting it.

"I have recently moved from Canada to Washington and I took the car with me, that is why I am sending it from here. The car is still registered in Canada, it's E-tested and certified so you won't have to pay any custom taxes."

We bit, agreeing to the price. We supplied a name and Toronto address, as requested. The seller replied quickly, sensing a mark.

"I will contact eBay and I will open a case with them about our deal, and they will contact you with more details, and explain better the whole process."

The eBay name is evoked to create a false sense of security. In reality, eBay does not service transactions beyond its own website.

An email confirmation arrived within an hour. The message was fabricated using the site's logo and a lot of legalese lifted from the eBay website. It claimed the seller was an eBay Motors member in good standing.

The eBay invoice arrived two minutes later. It revealed a number of red flags: the reply-to email address was incorrect, no phone number was shown, none of the hyperlinks directed us to the eBay website, and it specified Western Union to handle the money.

Most suspiciously, the invoice instructed us to make a $3,000 deposit in the name of Edward Reeves, an "eBay Customer Support Agent" in New York.

Some 45 minutes later, the seller emailed again: "eBay informed me that they have contacted you. Please let me know if you received the information from them and when you will be able to make the deposit, because I need to know when to start the delivery process."

We sought to clarify to whom to make the money order, and why the deposit was so large. Sensing our reluctance, the seller assured us the money would be held in escrow by eBay until the car was delivered and met with our approval.

"You need to make the deposit of the eBay agent's name and address. EBay chose the amount of the deposit, but I won't be able to receive the payment until you receive the car and decide that you want to keep it or not."

In reality, the Western Union money transfer would go directly to the bogus seller, who would promptly disappear. The Jetta, a collection of pilfered images, would never materialize.

We received a reminder 24 hours later, wondering if we managed to make the payment. We decided to end communications and submitted a crime tip to the New York Police Department, though it's not known if our tip was pursued.

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Out of curiosity, we later found a 2004 Acura TL luxury sedan online for $4,800 and made an inquiry. A female identity responded this time, but the story had a familiar ring to it.

"The total price is $4,800 CAD including shipping and handling. The sale will be through eBay protection program for our safety. I have recently moved from Canada to Washington after divorce and I took the car with me, that is why I am sending it from here."

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