Friends and family, be warned that there are many types of scams being run in Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Last year, when I was looking for a car, I often encountered people who refused to provide photos of the engine and inside of the vehicle they're selling, and many more who refused to provide the VIN. Some became belligerent and said to come with cash in hand if I wanted to see the VIN. This kind of behavior, along with other signs like refusing to meet somewhere public or allow you to take the car to be inspected by a mechanic, are signs that you're going to get ripped off - or robbed.
As a matter of safety, anyone who refuses to provide complete photos, or provides photos that are dubious (e.g. they may look like they were taken of a car straight from the factory), should be viewed as suspect. Never go to meet someone with cash, always arrange to meet in a public place and do the transaction at your credit union so that the title can be notarized at the same time as the money and car, keys and title change hands. A pre-signed title cannot be notarized as a notary public is required to witness the signature!
However, I've come across a new scam involving the NAME of ebay.
I'm looking for a car again because the transmission on my car is dying. Yesterday, I ran across a couple of cars that were listed recently for very low prices. Both cars only had one photo posted. One was listed by Hand of God Outreach, which is a non-profit. When I contacted them, I got this response:
Hello. I posted this suv for my aunt so please contact her at ( [email protected] ) for more pics and details 2007 Honda CRV - $16OO .Thanks"
The other is listed by a community, Save Barnes & Noble at University. When I asked them by PM in Facebook, including requesting photos of all sides and the interior, plus the VIN, I got a suspiciously similar response:
I have posted 2009 Honda Accord EX 4-Door Sedan for my aunt. Please contact my aunt direct by email for all details: ( Pictures, miles etc.. ) [email protected]
Keep in mind that I found, by coincidence, both listings on the same day, and the responses came on the same day.
I then emailed both accounts, requesting further information on the condition of the car, photos and the VIN.
Paula Evans identified herself as a divorced woman who's moved back in with her parents and won it in the divorce.
Alice Wilson identified herself as a USAF Staff Sargeant who's been promoted and transferred to Alaska, and doesn't want her car to rot away in the garage.
They both claim that the transaction will be protected by ebay. Alice claims she'll handle the delivery, that it should arrive in 2-3 days, and I'll have 5 days to test drive it. Paula claims that ebay will handle the transaction, including free shipping and 5 days to test it. Both criminals provided photos of cars in EXCELLENT condition - cars that would easily sell for at least $6,000 each, and the CRV might sell for as much as $12,000. Neither person, despite repeated requests, has provided the VIN or the ebay URL.
This sort of scam has been around since at least 2014. You can use the article ebay: Recognizing phishing phone calls and emails to help inform yourself and also to get contact info for ebay. Once I was sure about these listings on Facebook, I reported the Accord listing to FB, but the CRV listing had already been removed after I'd viewed it yesterday and isn't available. I also sent some of the email info to ebay for them to follow up on if needed.
When someone says that a third party is involved, but doesn't provide any proof up front, such as the URL (which would make sense to give because you can't get ebay protection without an ebay listing), that's a clear sign of fraud. When they start promising free delivery of a vehicle, with a 5-day trial period before their receive your money, even if they don't say it's backed by ebay, that's definitely fraud unless you're already paying a high price for the vehicle.
As desperate as I am to replace my dying car, I'm not interested in getting ripped off again like I was with the one I bought last Autumn on FB. That time, the family seemed so very nice, the car looked nice and I overlooked the signs of problems, I made the mistake of trusting them and their mechanic, and I got screwed. $2,000 down the drain!
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