Darien Victim Tries To Buy SUV With Gift Cards, Gets Scammed: PD

DARIEN, CT — A Darien resident, who tried to buy a Ford Explorer from an ad on Craigslist, was scammed out of $1,600 after he was told by the seller to pay for the vehicle using eBay gift cards, according to Darien police.

After corresponding with the seller, the victim received an invoice for the vehicle at the victim's email address.

"At the direction of the invoice, the [victim] purchased eight eBay gift cards, each one for $200," stated Darien Police Det. James Palmieri. "The card numbers from the gift cards were provided as payment for the vehicle. In response, the seller informed him that the vehicle had been moved to an address in Omaha, NE and that he needed to pay an additional $1,000 for shipping
insurance. The complainant, becoming suspicious, declined to make that payment."

Soon after, the victim contacted police. The complainant never received the vehicle, and has not been able to make contact with the alleged seller.