BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A woman was scammed out of $20,000 trying to buy a motor home online. The crook convinced the victim to use a Web site "protection" program, but that turned out to be part of the scam.

The victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity, spotted an RV she liked on a reputable Web site, RVTraderOnline.com.

"I got an e-mail back from this William Dunford, saying that he would deal with me," the victim said of her initial interactions with the seller.

The victim said the seller then sent her another e-mail, suggesting how to handle the transaction.

"For the safety of both of us, it would be better if we went through the eBay Vehicle Purchase Protection Program," he wrote her.

The seller e-mailed back information, including a case number. It all looked official and very thorough, the victim said.

The seller told the victim she should send $20,000 by wire transfer to a bank account where an escrow account would be set up.

"They will hold the money until the RV is delivered to you with properly executed title," read the e-mail the victim got. "You have 10 days for the inspection period. If the RV is not like described, you will have to ship it back in 30 business days on (sic) my expense, but I am sure that you will love it."

The victim was told if she agreed, she should send her name and shipping address. Next, she got instructions for wiring the funds to a Bank of America account in Las Vegas.

After that, she got an e-mail stating that her fax with the transfer papers under her eBay account number had been received.

The victim got a bad feeling about everything soon after she wired the money to the account in Las Vegas.

"He was supposed to hold the money until I got the motor home, but within an hour of making the wire transfer, he went there (and) made two withdrawals from that account," she said. "My money was gone."

The victim discovered all that when she went back to her bank, Kern Federal Credit Union, asking for help. Bank President/CEO DeAnn Straub told said Kern Federal did everything they could to protect their member.

Straub said they verified the information about the account in Las Vegas, checking the destination and routing, and who it was going to. They also checked the information against a government criminal activity watch list.

No red flags popped up.

Straub said they would have been more cautious if they knew there was some online aspect to the transaction. After the victim came back with her suspicions the bank tried to freeze her funds, but it was too late.

Also after the fact, the victim checked into the eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection. It is a legitimate program run by eBay, and after contacting it, the victim got a response.

"Thanks for forwarding the suspicious e-mail you received," read the reply. "The e-mail is a spoof, also known as "phishing," e-mail. It didn't come from eBay. Our Trust & Safety team is working to disable any Web site it links to."

At the Better Business Bureau, spokeswoman Connie Alarcon also suspects this scammer created the e-mail the victim got that looked so much like it actually came from eBay.

"With technology the way that it is right now, he could copy and paste any logo on there from any reputable company and make that consumer feel comfortable enough to say, 'I'm going to be OK with this,'" Alarcon commented.

The BBB spokeswoman said consumers have to carefully check any transaction done online.

"What she really needs to do is be proactive, to the research, ask the questions," Alarcon said.

And with a big purchase like a vehicle, Alarcon said buyers should do even more research.

"You're ready to wire $20,000, why would would you not have something in hand guaranteeing you from DMV a clear title?"

The victim's bank has put her in touch with the Secret Service office in Fresno. That's the agency that investigates crimes involving money wire transfers.

The victim hopes her bad experience could be a warning to others, but she's pretty sure she's simply lost all that money.

"It hurts," the victim said. "We saved and saved for years. My husband is retirement age. We wanted a nice vehicle to drive in, and the money is gone."