Se vende Ford a mitad de precio

Scam email purporting to come from Ford Motor Company offers an opportunity to purchase a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid vehicle at half price ($15,500).

Description: Email hoax / Scam
Circulating since: May 2009
Status: False / Fraudulent

Email example as posted on the Internet, May 14, 2009:

From: Ford Motor Company <news@ford.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009
Subject: Ford Motor Company

OFFERS: Ford Fusion HYBRID Model 2010

Dear Mr/Ms,

Due to the World Economy Recession, Ford Motor Company, Inc undergo a statistic fall in Sales and result in a drastic financial crisis this last season.

The United States Government has given us the opportunity to bounce back on our feet, but unfortunately we have not achieved the fund necessary.

Therefore, we offer you the opportunity to purchase a very good Auto at half of the price. We decided to pull the sales of 500 cars at a very low price for us to aquire the capital needed to bounce back in business and to use this medium to increase the scale of our valued customers.

We offer Ford Fusion HYBRID Model 2010:
Pricing Information: $15,500
Vehicle Features:
Transmission: Aisin Powersplit eCVT Auto
Package: HYBRID
Model: High Version
Engine: 2.5L Atkinson I4 Exterior: White Platinum Tri-Coat Met
Interior: Charcoal Black
VIN: 3FADP0L34AR136254 (more information in the file attached)

The payment shall be made in installments through the bank at 1 month after signing the contract.

If you are interested in this offer please fill out the contact form, A representative will contact you about this vehicle within five business day.

Sincerely,
Gary Settles,
Ford Sales Manager
Ford Motor Company
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126

Analysis: Ford Motor Company has labeled the above message a hoax, though it's more accurately termed a scam, since it was issued in an attempt to con people out of their money, or out of their personal information, or both.

It was apparently mass-emailed from a single source, which makes its method of transmission more akin to that of 419 scams and commercial spam.

In any case, the "offer" of a Ford Fusion Hybrid automobile for half price did not originate from Ford Motor Company itself, which released a statement saying no such program exists:

STATEMENT ON FORD FUSION HYBRID EMAIL HOAX

An email claiming Ford Motor Company is offering 2010 Fusion Hybrids for $15,000 each as part of a special program is not legitimate. The email sender does not represent Ford and no such program exists. We recommend people receiving the email delete it without opening the attachment.

According to Autobloggreen.com, Gary Settles, the Ford employee whose signature line appears at the bottom of the message does exist, though he is a local sales manager for a dealership in Lexington, Kentucky, not a corporate officer. Mr. Settles denies writing the message and says he has no idea who did.