The online world is trickier than most of us realize. Combine that with the growing popularity of purchasing vehicles online – from economical used vehicles to one-of-a-kind muscle car – and you have the makings of a car buying scam. In response, hiring a secured vehicle agent to help navigate online vehicle transactions is a worthwhile consideration. Saves you worry and quite possibly your money.
One scam that the services of a secure car buying agent can help you avoid is the fake escrow account. It is built on friendly emails, a familiar, bonding story, and a below-market asking price.
When the following tips add up, you might be looking at a car selling scam:
- Unusually low price and a reasonable sounding sob story – They’ve hooked you with a sad tale that seems to explain the low asking price.
- The seller is “momentarily” out of the country due to a military deployment or another likely story.
- Your initial contact is through eBay, craigslist or another digital car market platform. From there, you begin an independent, friendly email correspondence outside this platform, supposedly to avoid buyer and seller fees.
- Emails from the seller are generic, addressed to “Dear Sir or Madam”, with grammar and spelling mistakes.
- They recommend an escrow service that they’ve used before with no trouble. This escrow website is professional, and secure looking.
These are all solid signs that you might be dealing with a scammer.
Can a Secured Car Buying Agent Help?
If you are still interested in the vehicle, consult with a secure vehicle purchasing agent. They provide real protection by doing the in-person work for you. If your buyer gets spooked, you’ve already saved money.
We all think we’re smarter than the scammers. But there are thousands of them spending thousands of hours on how to scam you. It’s their profession so to speak. On-line car buying is the way of the future but put protections in place now to keep your money safe.
