Is this a used car scam?
TLDR: Is ebay@online-center-support dot com actually from eBay? Has anyone bought a car with a refundable escrow deposit on eBay?
I am taking a short-term position in Southern California for less than 6 months, and I want a car during that time. Renting a car for that long would be at least 5k, so I wanted to buy a cheap car for around 2k or less and just sell it when I leave so my main cost is just the gas and insurance. I don't need a great car just one that runs for about 6 months. I have never bought a car before, but I was looking on fb marketplace.
I contacted a seller who gave me her sister's email. The car was $800 with only 80k miles on it and I asked why and she said because her husband died and she is just trying to get rid of it ASAP because she is leaving the country. She then said the car is through eBay with the VPP, and I was sent the attached email from ebay@online-center-support dot com , and the car will be shipped to me free of charge and I have 5 days to inspect it and send it back if it doesn't meet the listing specifications.
Some exact text:
>"How does it work exactly? To complete your Refundable Escrow Deposit, contact our eBay Support Department by replying to this email and tell us when you are ready to make the payment to receive payment instructions for your transaction."
>"No eBay Account needed for VPP protection. A registered account is not required to complete this secure settlement. This protocol is activated at no extra cost and applies automatically to all high-priority escrow deposits made via the Direct-Clearing Network (Greendot transfer), with no registration necessary. Payment Instructions: 3 Simple Steps to Secure Your Purchase To complete your Refundable Escrow Deposit, please follow the official eBay Managed Cash-In protocol (partnered with Green Dot Financial Services). This service is available at over 60,000 locations, including Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, and Rite Aid."
>"STEP 1 Request Your Secure Barcode! Please reply directly to this invoice message specifying the retail store where you intend to complete the deposit (Walmart, Walgreens or CVS). Since each retailer requires specific encryption, our system will generate unique, store-specific Transaction Barcodes linked to your VPP Escrow file and send them to you immediately. Note: Generated barcodes remain active for exactly 60 minutes. This window is strictly enforced to secure your pre-allocated shipping slotand fixed insurance rate."
Note: the typo of slotand
I asked if I could see the eBay listing, but the seller said to contact the email if I had any questions, which seems super weird to me. I couldn't find the listing from a regular Google search, but granted I didn't look that hard since there are so many cars on eBay.
I am unsure if this is a real email address like if I ask questions if I will just be talking to a scammer. If it is real, then I will contact them to send me the listing to make sure the information she gave me is also what is on the listing. If this is real it seems like a great situation and I will happily pay for an inspection before committing to the car, but I can't find this sort of thing online, and I find it odd that I went from FB to email to eBay. Especially because eBay does not honor VPP for transactions made through platforms other than eBay.
Too good to be true? What should I do?