I’ve been emailed several times by people asking whether or not they were scammed when purchasing used cars on the Craigslist cars for sale website. It’s amazing how many people do not know how to detect a scam on Craigslist. Unfortunately, a few people who asked me for advice were scammed out of thousands of dollars. I feel like it’s my duty to write this post about how to quickly recognize a scam and how to avoid getting ripped off.
Here are the most common ways to recognize that you are dealing with a scammer and not a legitimate seller.
1. The Seller Asks to Ship the Vehicle to You
Usually in this scam, the seller will say that they live out of state and want to ship the vehicle “free of charge” to you. They will state that you will have a week to take a look at the car and if you are not satisfied with the car, then you can ship the car back to them without any penalty. In reality, they’re not going to ship a car to you because there is no car. When a seller tells you that they want to ship the vehicle to you, this is 100% a scam.
2. The Seller Says They Are Going to Use eBAY as an Intermediary
The scammer will say that they are using eBay in order to sell the car because “Craigslist suggest using this method”. Craigslist does not condone using eBAY or does not have any affiliation with eBay whatsoever. Even if you receive an “official” invoice from the seller with an eBAY logo, or eBAY email address, this is still a scam. There are many ways to doctor up an invoice to look official, however; just remember that Craigslist is not affiliated with eBay.
3. If the Price is Too Good to Be True…
If the seller proposes to sell the car way under the car’s actual book value, then this is a scam. You know what they say, “if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is”. Always check the book value of the car compared to the listed price. You can check the book value at Kelly Blue Book.
4. Divorcees and Servicemen Needing to Quickly Sell Their Vehicle
Now sometimes there are legitimate people who desperately need money, but most of the time, sob stories about people getting divorced, deaths in the family, or serviceman needing to quickly sell their vehicle should raise scammer red flags. Many scammers use these types of stories to lure people as they think buyers will be more trusting if the seller is a serviceman. Many scammers will post something like this.
“I have a 2002 BMW for sale for $5000. I need to get rid of this car as fast as possible as I leave for my tour of duty in Iraq next month. I have no way to take care of this car while I’m gone, so I really want to sell it now.”
Here is an actual scam post from Craigslist.
These are just a few variations of the ways scammers will write ads in order to lure people.
5. Posts With Broken English
Have you ever heard of the Nigerian E-Mail Scam? Many times, emails and post written by scammers are people from foreign countries trying to scam you out of your hard earned money. Watch out for any ads with broken or strangly written English.
If you do run across these types of ads within the Craigslist Used Cars for Sale website, please make sure to flag them as spam so that the ad can be deleted. User policing of ads is the best way to get rid of scammers on Craigslist.
6. Inquiry from a Buyer That Lives Far Away
Most scammers will tell you that they live out of state and want to ship their car to you. If they have the inability to meet with you, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE PRICE IS, absolutely do not waste your time dealing with these scumbags and flag the post.
7. Seller Requests Money Order/Cashier’s Check/”Guarantee” to Purchase Your Car
Remember that Craigslist does not deal with wire transfers, cashier’s checks, and does not guarantee any transactions. The transactions are the responsiblity of individual parties. Avoid these scams at all costs, even if you receive an “official” looking email from Craigslist stating that they are guaranteeing your purchase.
If you are a car seller, do not accept buyers that want to send you a Cashier’s Check. These check’s are fake and the information that you give the seller will be used to withdrawal money from your account.
Use These Rules to Avoid Getting Scammed
1. Always Meet the Seller in Person
If nothing else sticks in this post, make sure to remember this rule and this rule only. 99% of scams can be avoided by meeting the person face-to-face.
2. Never Wire Transfer or Use Cashier’s Checks to Make Purchases
Under no circumstances you should ever wire money to a seller. Using cash and/or check is the best way to avoid getting scammed. Also do not receive cashier’s checks as you will be responsible for amount of money lost by the bank by cashing your fake check.
3. Never Buy Buyer Protection
Craigslist is not protect buyers from any transactions. Buying protection is fake and a waste of money.
3. Never Give Out Personal and Financial Information
Never give out your address, social security number, bank account number, credit card number, or any financial information to a potential car buyer or seller.
4. Buy the Car in Person
If you buy the car in person, you will have a chance to inspect the vehicle as well as reassure yourself that the car is legitimate.
How to Safely Purchase Cars on Craigslist
1. Meet in a Public Place During the Day
Scammers and Robbers will refuse to meet you during the day. Try to meet in an area with a lot of people such as a parking lot or shopping mall. You will be surrounded by security cameras and will be able to check out the car without any worries of being robbed. If you are selling your car, do not invite would-be robbers to your house, instead agree to meet in a public area to have the potential buyer to look at your car. If you invite people to come to your house to look at your car, potential robbers will have the ability to check out your house and may come back later to steal your belongings.
2. Tell Your Family or Friends Where You’re Going
Make sure to tell your family or friends that you intend to purchase car and the day/time you are intening to meet with the seller. Better yet, try to bring along a couple of friends to help you take a look at your car. A potential scammer or robber will chicken out if they see that you are not alone.
3. Trust Your Instincts
It’s human nature to detect nature, if you think are you are in a threatening situation, then don’t go through it. Your life is not worth the price of a cheap car.
In Conclusion…
If you follow my tips, then there’s no way that you should still be confused about whether or not the ad that you’re looking at in Craigslist is a scam. Just follow my simple rules and you will never be scammed out of your hard earned money.
I absolutely advocate purchasing cars on Craigslist, but please make sure that you’re safe when you’re doing it. Happy shopping!
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Written by Craig
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