Ford says online Fusion hybrid offer is a hoax

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An e-mail making the rounds on the Internet this morning that says Ford’s offering 500 copies of its new Fusion hybrid for $15,000 each — almost 50% below list — is a hoax, the automaker said.

Employing the sort of fractured English that has become a familiar feature of certain types of Internet scams, the e-mail says:

“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.”

The e-mail is signed “Ford Sales Manager Gary Settles” in Dearborn, Mich., where Ford has its headquarters.

“Unfortunately, the offer is not legitimate and the e-mail is a hoax,” Ford said in a statement. “Also, the sales manager listed in the e-mail is not a company employee.

“Ford recommends that people delete the e-mail and any attachments.”

A spokesman for Ford said the company’s IT department is looking into the matter and added that “we’re getting the word out to dealers as soon as we can that this is not a real offer.”

And for the record, the base MSRP for the 2010 Fusion hybrid is $27,270.

-- Martin Zimmerman