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Common
Car Dealer Scams
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Buying
and selling a car can be risky if you are not aware of some
of the car scams going around the Internet. Beware of car buyer
scams by always keeping your guard up. If a deal seems too good
to be true, it probably is. Below are a few of the car buying scams
people have fallen victim to.
Check
& money transfer scams (buyer version & seller version)
Distant
buyer offers a high-value
(but
fake!) cashier's check
in exchange for your car.
- value of cashier's check often
far exceeds your item - buyer asks you to wire the balance via
money transfer service
- banks will often cash
these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK
FAILS TO CLEAR
- scam often involves a 3rd party
(shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, client,
etc.)
Distant
seller requests payment
via Western
Union or MoneyGram:
- seller often claims that an MTCN
or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your
money - this is FALSE, once you've wired money, it is GONE.
- common countries currently include:
Romania, Ukraine, Spain, UK, Italy, Nigeria
- deal often seems too good to be
true
Distant
seller offers to send
you a cashier's
check and then have
you wire money:
- this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience
- the cashier's check is always FAKE
- sometimes accompanies an offer
of merchandise, sometimes not
- scammer often asks for your name,
address, etc for printing on the fake check
- deal often seems too good to be
true
Distant
seller suggests use
of an online
escrow service.
- most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT,
operated by scammers
- for more info, do a google search
on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud"
- if you must do business with a
distant seller, insist on a legitimate service, such as www.escrow.com
- Always log directly to escrow.com.
Do not link to a page sent by the other party, it may be a fake
site designed to look like Escrow.com
Distant
seller asks for a partial
payment upfront, after which he will ship goods
- he says he trusts you with the
partial payment
- he may say he has already shipped
the goods
- deal often sounds too good to be
true
Where to get
help or more information
Fraud
Victim Assistance Excellent fraud victim advocacy site with
many resources.
Transparency
International Comprehensive international coalition against
corruption of all types.
Scam-o-rama
Hundreds of scams from start to finish. Also news, commentary, and
links.
Crimes-of-Persuasion
This page deals specifically with auto purchasing using forged checks.
Read (and weep) about some people who got sucked in. Far-ranging
web site.
Scambuster
(UK) "Gilbert Murray" strings the scammers along,
getting them involved in the most ridiculous situations and making
them do the most ridiculous things. Very funny.
419 Eater
Letters, lots of scams, baiting tips, photos of scammers, audio
files, links, FAQs.
Adopt
A Lad (Ireland) Sean Patrick's excellent scam baiting site
with 8 scams, links, and lotsa other fun stuff.
Nigerian
419 Fraud (UK) Fighting back at Nigerian 419 advance fee
fraud scammers. Tons of good stuff here. |
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