Police Log: A Volvo At The Center Of Internet Fraud

On Thursday, Aug. 5, at 6:36 p.m., Belmont Police officers took a report from a Trowbridge Street resident for a case of possible Internet fraud.

The resident said he believed he had purchased a Volvo automobile on eBay, the popular on-line auction and shopping website. He had sent the seller $2,900 through the company's payment system. The San Jose, Calif.-based firm has recently made a major push into auto sales through its eBay Motors site.

After sending the money, the Belmont man was informed by someone reportedly from the company that he would need to send an additional $1,500 as a warranty that would be returned to him "if the car was not damaged." The man had by then sent $4,400 for the Volvo.

After waiting and not hearing from the seller or eBay, the resident phoned the company. After a quick check, the firm believed the man was a victim of a fraudulent seller who was misrepresenting the company in the transaction to lend legitimacy to the deal. He was told to keep all transactions and E-mails and report the incident to local police.