Selling a car? Look out for this scam

If you’re selling a car online, you might have been approached by a buyer who wants you to pay for a ‘check’ or ‘report’ for them. This is a common scam on places like Facebook Marketplace, and other online marketplaces. Here’s all of the red flags, so that you don’t end up out of pocket.

The scam starts with someone contacting you about the vehicle you have for sale. They might ask about the mileage and the history of the vehicle, whether it has a full or partial record, and also the previous owners that the vehicle has had. At this point, they will suggest that they are seriously interested in purchasing the vehicle; they might ask for your preferred method of payment, as well as your location so that they can pick up the vehicle. 

The potential buyer then requests that you pay for a car inspection report. They might refer to it using an acronym, or a shortened version of the name of the report, to imply that it is something that you should already be aware of. They then send a link to a website which asks for vehicle details, as well as your personal information and payment details. After submitting this, a fake report might be generated. 

The buyer requests a screenshot of the payment, or the report itself, and then stops communicating with you completely.

The report, just like the website, is completely fake. However, the prospective buyer has managed to convince you to (indirectly) provide them with your card details and personal information. Further payments can then be made with your card, and your details can be sold on the dark web.

As the seller of the vehicle, the vehicle must be roadworthy unless you specifically say it is not in the advert. You must not lie about the condition of the vehicle, you must provide the legal documentation, and you must inform the DVLA that you are no longer the owner of the vehicle (you can do this easily online).

However, for private sales, which means the sale of vehicles that are not purchased through a car dealer, the principle of ‘buyer beware’ applies. This means that when a person is purchasing a vehicle, they are doing so with the full knowledge and awareness that they are buying it as seen. It is the buyer’s responsibility to ensure that the vehicle is as it was described in the advertisement, and it is roadworthy (unless it is advertised as not). 

This means that any additional reports on the vehicle should be sought and paid for by the person purchasing the vehicle. It is not the seller’s responsibility to fund any services that attest to the vehicle’s roadworthiness or suitability to be sold.

If you’re selling a vehicle online, here are the signs that you could be speaking to a scammer:

When you’re selling anything online, do not send money to someone that you do not know. If you do send money to a buyer that has vanished, make sure you inform your bank, who can freeze your card and stop any further payments going through.