{"id":4290,"date":"2015-07-07T12:51:02","date_gmt":"2015-07-07T19:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taraval.org\/?p=4290"},"modified":"2015-07-07T14:31:47","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T21:31:47","slug":"beware-of-vehicle-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taraval.org\/?p=4290","title":{"rendered":"Beware of Vehicle Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have been getting a few\u00a0reports of\u00a0scams involving vehicles so please take a moment to review the following information and stay safe! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please beware of buying vehicles on Craigslist or any other online sites, especially when payment is requested before delivery of the vehicle\u00a0or\u00a0item.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In one common scenario;\u00a0the\u00a0victim finds\u00a0a vehicle that they are interested in by viewing postings, the victim and suspect start up a conversation by emailing each other and agreeing on a final price, the suspect then tells\u00a0the victim to pay for the vehicle by purchasing a \u201cPaypal\u201d or another brand of gift card(s) and to send or email a photo of the gift card serial number with the\u00a0security code exposed that the victim was instructed to scratch off. \u00a0Once the photos are sent and money retrieved from the gift cards from information found in the photos,\u00a0there may be discussion\u00a0delivery of the vehicle\u00a0but delivery never happens and\u00a0the victim is unable to get a hold of the suspect after that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>
\n This is a 2011 FBI post but\u00a0the information is\u00a0still relevant:<\/span>
\n \u00a0https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/news\/stories\/2011\/august\/car_081511<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other informations: <\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cPrice Too Good to Be True\u201d scam:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>
\nIn this scam, a prospective buyer sees an attractive-looking car (often a classic or exotic car) for a price well below market value. When the buyer contacts the seller, he or she is notified that the seller and the car is outside of the country and they will arrange for shipment of the car upon receipt of payment, most often via wire transfer (such as Western Union) or bank-to-bank transfer (for very large amounts). When the money is transferred and collected, the \u201cseller\u201d breaks contact, refuses to ship and the buyer is out the money.<\/span><\/p>\n

The “Over Payment” scam:<\/strong><\/span>
\nA legitimate seller posts a car for sale. He or she is then contacted by a prospective \u201cbuyer\u201d (really a scammer) who offers to send a cashier\u2019s check immediately plus overly generous additional funds to cover shipment of the car overseas. When the (fraudulent) check arrives, the seller is instructed to deposit it and wire any\u00a0overage to the \u201cshipper\u201d the suspect has chosen. This is required\u00a0before the (fraudulent) check actually has a chance\u00a0for the victim’s\u00a0bank to\u00a0clear the check and deposit funds into the victims account.\u00a0\u00a0When this is done and the wire transfer or cash picked up, the \u201cbuyer\u201d then breaks contact and the seller is left to pay for both\u00a0the fraudulent check and\u00a0any\u00a0the missing funds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The “Escrow” scams<\/strong><\/span>
\nMany consumers are rightfully wary of sending large amounts of money to someone they\u2019ve never met. Scammers frequently recommend the use of fake \u201cescrow\u201d services that will hold funds involved in the transaction until both parties are satisfied that the transaction has been completed. In a typical scam, a legitimate buyer will be approached by a scammer selling a car (again, often an exotic or classic car priced, but usually priced well below market value). The scam seller will offer to ship the car and that there is no risk of fraud due to the \u201cescrow\u201d service (purportedly eBay, PayPal, or another service). Once the money is transferred, contact is broken (or sometimes additional funds are requested to cover \u201cunforeseen\u201d events). In any case, the legitimate buyer never receives a car and loses their money. \u00a0Be sure to research any suggested “escrow” services before conducting such transactions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tips on how to avoid car-buying scams<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n