Hi Everyone,

A while back I posted that I was considering selling my ride, and it's now up on Autotrader. However, now that it is, I've been subjected to all kinds of illiterate scammers. Question I'd like to pose to the forum: what's the best form of payment on used cars these days? It's unrealistic to expect someone to pay cash, but I'm so leery of certified checks since that's all the rage on the scams these days. Personal checks don't seem much better, and even services like Paypal are subject to having funds reversed. I wasn't sure if it would make sense to setup a new bank account to have any funds wired in, and then instantly wire them to a separate account so the possible crooks can't wire them back out once they have the routing numbers. Or is there a way to have my bank verify the check and the funds with the other bank if I wind up taking a certified check?

I know I'm being super paranoid, but would like to know what others have done to safeguard themselves. Here's a little bedtime reading on one of the scam emails I've received (relevant price info removed, as I'm not using this post as a springboard to sell my car)

******************************

Thanks for your response to my enquiry.I have viewed the pixs at the ad,it's real good ,to be honest,I have viewed the pixs at the ad and I also wish to complete the payment soon so i can assume the new owner of the car.

Actually I bought a car from a seller in Atlanta GA at the price of $40,490 and i sent payment to him,on getting to the pick up,my shipper agent discovered that the car has had wrecked on the front door (driver's side) and the seller did not inform me of this so i had to cancel the transaction.I hope this car has never had any accident before?

I have informed him that I have seen another car with the price is lesser and have instructed him that he will be sending the funds to you and he have accepted,though he told me that his bank only allow a refund payment on a check so he will be sending the whole funds to you,again he said that he will deduct $200 from the total funds as the listening expences since he will place the car back to the Ad.

Since your's is cheaper for $XX,XXX, i will use the difference of $XX,000 on the payment to offset shipping charges of the vehicle,tractor and other articles i bought in States and other expences.

Please email me the following info so that he can send you the funds, my shipper agent will contact you for the pickup as soon as you receive the payment.

(1) Payment Name (2) Direct contact phone number (3) Mailing Address for delivery of the payment.

Please note that,you will western union the difference to my agent as soon as you receive the payment so that he can use it to handle the shippment.

Thanks as I look forward to hearing from you soon. My information. I'm a Canadian citizen based in london,I have a 2yrs contract with british AirWays but my family are there in Canada.

110 mooreside rd,
BR1 5ET,
Downnham, Kent,
London.
+447031861169
..............................................
439 PL JACQUES CARTIER
MONTREAL, QC H2Y 3B3
CANADA

 

Dude, contrary to what Ali G sez, me thinks they be speakin english in Canada and in the UK...word!

Send that phone an SMS and see if he responds, that does look like a valid UK phone, although he could be just about anywhere in the world with a UK numbered mobile. My .02 just walk away from anyone outside the country, accept only a certified check, and for goodness sake wait till the bank clears it before signing the car over. Yes even with a certified check, I would wait until it clears.

 

Doh. Anytime they're sending you more money than you're asking and wanting you to wire the difference, it's a scam. One of the most prevalent. Any complicated payment mechanism is most likely a scam.

Cash or Cashier's Check.

Go to sites like Edmunds.com and Autotrader.com and read their advice and tips on selling a used car, paying attention to the parts on finalizing a sale and fraud prevention.

 

Here's a suggestion. Think about questions you would have if you were BUYING this car (i.e. condition, service records, damage history, etc.). When this type of inquiry is directed at YOU, the other person is genuinely interested in the vehicle, not the transaction. You should be able to determine via communications, if they are as wary of you (and they should be if they do not know you or the vehicle and this is a big ticket item) as you are of them.

Demand a bank draft/certified check as payment. Contact the bank on which the check is drawn to ascertain its validity before releasing the vehicle. Again, a bona fide buyer should have no problem w/this if they are honest.

Additionally, try to deal w/some one local who wants to see the car "in the metal" (I would!). This provides an opportunity to evaluate them as a buyer.

Good luck!

 

Let me see, how do you spell S C A M? I would only accept a bank check, cash or perhaps a check from an approved loan company.

 

Yep, that was one of the samples of one of the more blatant scams I received. More or less replied that the car is in good shape, minus the blood in the trunk from the last scammer who tried to eff with me.

Some of the other scams were not as transparent (trying to buy below the asking price, but the ph # was bogus and the emails were from free accounts).

I'd obviously prefer to find a local buyer, just trying to figure out how to make sure bank checks are valid. That's the heart of all of these scams - fraudulent bank checks.

 

The last time I sold a car privately, we met at a bank. The person buying the car had a bank rep. draw me out a cashier's check. I then signed over the title and handed over the keys. There is no other way I would sell a car to a private party.

"Let the seller (and buyer) be ware"

 

Keep in mind that even certified cheques and cahiers' cheques can be forged. If they are drawn on a bank in your own country, your bank can verify funds immediately by contacting the originating bank.

That's why these scams all operate from outside the country on the premise of someone buying your car for a foreign client. Even though your bank may cash their cheque, two weeks later your bank finds out that it was forged when it won't clear at the overseas institution and they have every right to take the money back from your account at that point. By that time you have either given up the car, or more likely given some cash to the scammer by Western Union. The scammers usually don't even want the car, just some cash - they will call it shipping costs, money they owe the local agent, an error in the cheque amount, etc.

When I sold my last car through Autotrader.ca I got more of these scam phone calls and emails than legitimate contacts.

Craig

 

i've been in the same predicament selling my nissan altima on e-bay. it's fully modded and a 13 second show and race car. i had someone win the auction and it met my reserve but his address was in massachusetts but his other paypal was over in florida. he refused to pay up and definitely read scam all over it. no matter where you go people will try to scam. definitely get a bank check only and wait till it clears (cashiers checks some can be fake) or cash and make sure you have the money marker to make sure the bills are real.