MPD: Man loses $5K in online motorcycle sale scam

A Madison man hoping to buy a Honda motorcycle on an online marketplace was duped out of $5,000, Madison police said.

The man had found a listing for a 2007 Honda Gold Wing on Oodle marketplace, and arranged via email to buy it from seller, Timothy Viking, police said. The seller claimed to be a U.S. Air Force master sergeant living in Minnesota.

The seller told the Madison man they would use eBay’s Vehicle Purchase Protection plan, and that the deal would follow eBay’s rules and policies, according to a release. The seller sent pictures of the motorcycle and told the Madison man it was in immaculate condition.

The Madison man made several payments via PayPal transactions at CVS pharmacies, but the motorcycle did not arrive on June 4 as promised, police said.

According to the release, there is now a warning posted on eBay advising buyers of similar fraud cases.