Avoiding Craigslist Scams
Scams Continued......
Craigslist Car Scam:
Many people use Craigslist and other online sites to sell their
cars. Unfortunately this can be a big COME AND GET ME sign for
scammers. The Craigslist scam artist is waiting for you. When you put your car up for sale never use your real
phone number, email, or home address on the information you give. In
fact casual buyers whether in person or on the web should never be
given the opportunity of seeing the vehicle title until there is a
real commitment to buy and the money is on the table. The vehicle
title has all your personal information and should be saved for the
last minute. I'm not saying that if someone asks you if you have
clear and legal title that you should dance around the issue. No!
You answer any reasonable questions about the title, but the actual
seeing, holding, touching of the title is only for the serious buyer
not any random scammer.
Since I already discussed this in another post I wont go into great
details but I will reiterate a few item just to keep this mater
clear in your minds. This time I want to look at it from the point
of the Seller.
To avoid scams when selling your car:
* Meet the buyer in a public place with lots of traffic.
* Never meet at night. You wouldn't be the first person to be hit
over the head and shoved in the trunk while the perp takes off with
you and the car. Eventually you will suffocate and are more
manageable and easily disposable out in the woods, forest, etc.
* Never meet the buyer alone. Have someone follow you there in
another vehicle and with a cell phone ready to call 911. Have them
stay out of site but able to see you. The buyer doesn't need to know
where your friend is this way they (your friend) can follow you on a
test drive and make sure everything goes according to plan. Why do
you think at every car dealer when you go for a test drive they
photo copy your drivers license and leave it behind at the
dealership. Cars do get stolen from test drives.
* Never show up with title in hand. Just too easy, I think you can
figure this one out. If the buyer wants you to take the title make
sure you leave it with your buddy in the other car.
* Never accept as payment a cashiers check, money order, or anything
other than cash. Cashiers checks, and money orders can easily be
forged and you can loose the car and the money.
Another scam is where they over pay for the car or give you a third
party check. They over pay for the car and later ask you to pay them
back because they made out the money order to the wrong amount. If
you do so you are an idiot! They will take the car, the money, and
the money order will eventually prove to be fraudulent.
What about third party checks?
Buyer says, "I have a check from my work, (friend, neighbor, insert
your favorite term here), and I want to buy your car with that and
the remainder I'll pay cash". This is done to convince you that they
are honest. This way they can get a car for just a couple of hundred
bucks total since the fraudulent check they just gave you is worth
$0. The really brazen ones with have a third party check that is for
more than the car is worth (see above money order scam). For example
it's their paycheck but it's for $500 over the agreed price of the
car. So they sign their paycheck over to you and you pay them the
overage money. It's a bogus check even if
it looks legit. Even if it has a legit company name like Xerox,
Boeing, Staples, (insert your favorite company name here). Never
accept a third party check. If you fell for this scam you just PAID
some guy to steal your car. Wow, if you hadn't read my article you
might have fallen for that. What a sucker you would have been!
Even for legitimate transactions always get a receipt and document the transaction to protect yourself and the other person if they are legit.
Craigslist Scams continued.......
