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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: auction site ( 2 ), car auction, online auction, Scams ( 1,393 ), used car   

  Avoid online vehicle auction scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Before we get started with today’s topic, I wanted to bring you this article from the New York Times about the ongoing Zelle scams. The article is a good overview about the Zelle scams that we’ve discussed in the past. If you’d like to see stories about the Zelle scam that go into further detail, you can read are posts about it here.

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  When you think of online auction sites, you almost assuredly think about eBay. The platform has been an internet stalwart for over 25 years. While eBay has its own issues with scammers, today we’re going to discuss online auctions that are less than reputable. Many of these auctions are for various types of vehicles, from cars to boats to RVs. Others will offer high-priced or hard to get electronic items. However, many of these auctions are just after your money and your information.

  For example, you may see an ad on social media for an online car auctions that claims to be associated with a government agency. Very often, these phony auctions claim to represent a county sheriff’s office or possibly a state police barracks. Some will even claim to be run by a federal investigative agency. While some of these agencies do often hold seized car auctions, they don’t happen as often as the ad listings would have you believe.

  The scam will set out to rip you off in two ways. The first is, the scammers will ask you for a copy of your driver’s license as part of the registration process. The scammers may even claim they need your license to discourage false bids. The next part of the scam is to take your money. No matter what vehicle you bid on, you’ll receive a message that your bid won. More than likely, you’ll be asked to pay the auctioneer through the usual scammer means, like a cashier’s check or money transfer. Once the scammers get your money, they disappear, and now you’re out of hundreds or thousands of dollars and the car never even existed.

  The best way to avoid this scam is to do your research on the auction before giving your information or committing to any bids. If the auction claims to be a government auction, contact that agency to make sure the auction is legitimate. In other cases, research the auction’s history first. You can do a web search with the name of the auction company along with words like review, scam, or complaint. Lastly, if the auction wants bidders to pay in unusual means, like those mentioned above and others like cryptocurrency, walk away.

   

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  Geebo 8:01 am on May 10, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: eBay ( 16 ), eBay Motors ( 5 ), gift cards ( 102 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), used car   

  Offices of scammers are a thing 

  

  By Greg Collier

  eBay Motors works almost exactly like regular eBay does. You find a vehicle you want, you make the payment, and it’s up to you and the seller to arrange delivery of the vehicle. eBay Motors does not have its own delivery service. Neither do they contract out to third-party vehicle delivery services. Despite multiple warnings from eBay itself on their website, scammers have continually convinced victims that not only does eBay deliver vehicles, but you have to pay for the vehicle in eBay gift cards.

  This recently happened to a victim in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. She found a vehicle for sale on another platform. When she reached out to the seller, she received emails that looked like they had been sent by eBay Motors. The emails claimed that the purchase would be protected by an eBay Motors guarantee. All that she would need to do is pay for the vehicle using eBay gift cards. While eBay Motors does have financial protections in regard to fraudulent sales, that’s only if the vehicle is sold through their platform. As with a number of email scams, anyone can add an official-looking logo to their email to make it appear as if it had come from a legitimate source.

  What sort of surprised us about this story is what an AARP spokesperson said about the proliferation of scams like this, When we think of scam rings, we tend to think of shady people that are constantly on the move to prevent apprehension. However, the AARP spokesperson says that there are offices operating as businesses that are just scam operations. She says that leads are bought from other businesses and employees are given bonuses for successfully scamming a victim. That goes a long way in showing just how organized these scammers can be.

  https://youtu.be/Zrl-c_rirHs

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 3, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: car title ( 2 ), craigslist ( 129 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 64 ), OfferUp ( 23 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), texas ( 22 ), used car   

  Used car scam plagues Texas county 

  

  Harris County in Texas is one of the largest county’s in the country. It doesn’t hurt that it contains Houston the 4th largest city in the country. Due to its large and culturally diverse population, Harris County has become susceptible to a scam where victims are losing thousands of dollars at a time.

  Scammers are listing stolen vehicles for sale on platforms like Craigslist, OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace. When the buyer goes to purchase the vehicle, all the paperwork looks legitimate including the car title. When the buyer goes to the DMV to put the car in their name, they find out that the vehicle has been reported stolen. Meanwhile, the scammers are long gone with the victim’s money. Harris County investigators say that they’ve investigated at least 125 of these fake title scams in the past year. There may even be more victims, but the scammers seem to be targeting members of the Latino community. Some of these victims may be undocumented and are fearful of going to the police. The Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office has stated they will not ask for anyone’s immigration status if they’re reporting a crime.

  There are a number of ways you can protect yourself from this scam. The first is checking the vehicle’s VIN through one of the many services that will give you a car history. In some states, including Texas, you can check with the state’s DMV website to find this information. You can also ask to have the seller meet you at a local police department parking lot to make the exchange. If the seller does not want to meet you there it’s advisable not to make the transaction. Some police departments can even tell you if the VIN has been changed on the vehicle. Lastly, ask the seller to come with you to the DMV while you get the title changed. Again, if they refuse, the vehicle may be stolen.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on January 25, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist ( 129 ), rental car ( 6 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), texas ( 22 ), used car   

  Man loses $28,000 in Craigslist truck scam 

  

  A man in Lubbock, Texas recently found himself out of close to $29,000 after he bought a truck he found on Craigslist. The transaction had every indication of being a scam, but that’s only if you know what to look for.

  First off, the vehicle was being listed at $6,000 below market value. Scammers often list vehicles at these prices to lure in potential victims. The seller claimed that she was getting rid of the truck because it was owned by her son who passed away. Scammers often use some tale of heartbreak to not only prey on a victim’s emotion, but to also explain why the vehicle is being sold at such a loss.

  The seller was said to have provided the man with legitimate looking documentation that matched up with information he was given. The seller provided a title and other paperwork that appeared to correspond with the vehicle’s VIN. The man was even provided with a CARFAX report that made the vehicle appear as if it was being sold by the legitimate owner. The seller insisted that the man pay in cash.

  When the man went to the DMV to transfer the title, he was told that the truck was stolen and belonged to a rental car company in Houston. The truck had been rented with a stolen credit card and never returned. All the documentation that the man had been provided with were all legitimate looking counterfeits.

  If you’re going to buy a vehicle from an online listing, don’t be taken in by a too good to be true price. Do your research and make sure the car isn’t stolen or being misrepresented in any way. Taking the seller’s word at face value can often lead to a substantial loss of money.

  The best way to protect yourself in a situation like this is to meet the seller at the DMV and have them go with you to transfer the title. If the sale is legitimate, they should have no problem with extending this courtesy to you.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 4, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook Marketplace ( 64 ), impersonation scam ( 149 ), romance scam ( 71 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), social security ( 29 ), used car   

  A reminder that some scams never go away 

  

  While we haven’t seen any new developments in scams today, we thought we’d help you brush up on some of the old classics. As always, just because these scams are being reported from different parts of the country, they can likely be applied to your region if they show up near you.

  Always be careful when buying a car online, especially if the price is too good to pass up. A woman in Oklahoma found what she thought was a great deal on a car for her son on Facebook Marketplace. The seller claimed the price was so cheap because her husband died and she also happened to be deploying with the military. On top of that, the seller asked for payment in gift cards and that the car will be shipped by eBay. Always be wary of any sob stories that come with bargains. Also, be suspicious if payment is requested in gift cards or some other untraceable form of payment. And keep in mind that eBay does not ship vehicles even if the vehicle is purchased on eBay.

  Social Security scams are abundant but the one that seems to be the most popular these days is what we call the impersonation scam. A man in Pennsylvania received a call from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. The man was told that his Social Security number had been compromised. The scammer recited the man’s name, age, address, and the last four digits of his Social Security number and then asked the man to verify that information. Thankfully, the man recognized it as a scam and hung up. The SSA usually only communicates with recipients through the mail and would already have the information that the scammer was trying to verify.

  Lastly, a woman in Tennessee was taken in a romance scam recently. She met a man on a dating site. The man said that he had to go to Singapore for work but once he got there the man supposedly contracted COVID and was in ICU. The man said he needed money to be treated. Then a ‘friend’ of the man said that he needed to fly out to Singapore to help the first man so she paid for the plane ticket. She later found out that the pictures being used by the scammers were two evangelists from Brazil. Never send money to someone you haven’t met face to face. Romance scammers will go to great lengths in convincing their victims they’re in a relationship.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 16, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Scams ( 1,393 ), Tesla ( 3 ), used car   

  The police often can’t help with online fraud 

  

  A man from Glendale, Arizona really had his heart set on buying a Tesla. He even went to a car classifieds site that has a pretty stellar reputation. However, even the best sites can have a scammer or two in their midst and the victim of this story happened to run into one of them.

  The car supposedly being put up for sale was not local to Glendale. The Tesla was also listed at a bargain of a price. Of course, the reduced price had a story to go along with it. The seller claimed he was getting rid of the car because he was a pilot and moving to Canada for training. Unfortunately, the victim wired $30,000 to the scammer and never received the Tesla of his dreams.

  This man was not to be undaunted though. Even with his financial loss, he still had it in his mind that he was still going to purchase a Tesla. He either ran into the same scammer online or another scammer who using the same Canadian pilot story.

  Both times, the victim notified his local police and was rather abruptly told “We do not have the time or resources to go out and proactively pursue other fraud schemes on the internet.”

  While the Glendale Police have since apologized to the man for their reaction to his request, that is, unfortunately, the case for most people who are defrauded on the internet. The majority of these fraudsters live and operate overseas which leaves U.S. law enforcement little power to apprehend these scammers. However, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t report online fraud to your local police so they could at least warn the local community of fraud happening in their area.

  Also, always avoid any potential sale that comes with a story about why the item is at such a reduced price. You should also never buy a car without inspecting it yourself or by a trusted mechanic before making the purchase. And lastly, never pay for any item online with a form of payment that can’t be traced like gift cards or wire transfers.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 6, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cars ( 12 ), eBay Motors ( 5 ), gift cards ( 102 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), used car   

  Used car scams continue to find victims 

  

  Even with many of us traveling less frequently than we used to, there are still those in the market for a vehicle. While many scammers may have rejected used-car scams in favor of scams more favorable to current crises, that doesn’t mean that used car scams aren’t still being pulled. It even seems that used car scams have been on a recent uptick all around the country.

  These scams can even affect seasoned professionals like a used car dealer. One man from Arkansas found some vehicles online that he wanted to have for his lot. The vehicles were for sale in St. Louis. The seller supposedly had the titles and the vehicle history reports showed the vehicles as being legitimate. However, after the car dealer sold those vehicles to other lots, they came back as stolen. It seems that sometimes police reports can take weeks or months to process which will delay such discrepancies from showing up on vehicle histories like CarFax. In a case like this, it’s recommended that you match the seller’s driver’s license information with the name on the title.

  In Texas, a man found a truck for sale on a social media marketplace. The seller of the truck claimed to be from Montana and was not only selling the truck at a bargain price because her husband died but that she was also deploying with the military. The seller then said that the vehicle would be delivered by eBay even though that’s not where the vehicle was being sold. All the buyer would have to do is send the seller eBay gift cards. This particular scam sends up a number of red flags. When a seller claims either a death in the family or military deployment as wanting to get rid of the vehicle there’s a good chance the sale could be a scam. This scammer put both of those stories out. Also, eBay may be a platform to sell vehicles but they do not ship them. Lastly, gift cards should never be used in a purchase like this as they are virtually untraceable once they land in the hands of scammers.

  Lastly in New Mexico, a woman fell for a similar scam. She had also found a car she needed on a social media marketplace. Her seller told her that her son just died and was also being shipped by eBay. Again, eBay gift cards were requested as payment. Once she sent the $1400 in gift cards the seller disappeared.

  You can never be too careful when shopping for a used car. However, if you keep some of these tips in mind they could go a long way in helping you avoid a scam.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 18, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cars ( 12 ), covid-19 ( 48 ), craigslist ( 129 ), eBay Motors ( 5 ), gift cards ( 102 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), used car   

  Scammers are still using COVID in car scam 

  

  Even though some restrictions have been lifted, scammers are still using the current COVID-19 pandemic to their advantage. In the case of used car sales, they’re using it as an excuse to either not show the car or to not allow you to take a test drive.

  For example, a mother was recently looking for a car so she could shop for groceries and take her kids to the doctor. She was shopping for cars on craigslist. She says that she found a used 2008 Honda in her price range for $1200. Unbeknown to the mother of two, the red flags started almost immediately.

  First, the seller said that they were looking to sell the car as soon as possible because her son had passed away. The seller then added that they didn’t want to do any in-person transactions because of COVID-19.

  The woman was then instructed to go to a website that purported to be eBay Motors. The website instructed the woman to buy the car’s price in eBay gift cards to purchase the vehicle. The woman bought the $1200 in gift cards and gave the card numbers to the seller.

  As you might have already guessed, the seller made off with the woman’s money and the car never existed and the eBay Motors website was a phony website that was specifically designed for the scam.

  The red flags are easy to spot if you know what to look for. The first red flag was that the car was priced well below market value. This is how scammers lure you in at first. Then the scammer had a sob story as to why they were selling the car so cheaply. This often involves a story about a death, an illness, or someone shipping off to the military but it can take almost any form. This is used to tug on the buyer’s heartstrings to lull them further into a false sense of security.

  The use of COVID-19 in the scam is a believable cover as to why the buyer can’t see the car before purchase.

  Another common red flag was the use of eBay Motors. If you find a car on one platform and the seller directs you to eBay Motors saying that eBay are handling the shipping then it’s more than likely a scam. eBay Motors does not do any shipping of vehicles.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrl-c_rirHs

  Lastly, the final red flag was the use of gift cards as payment. Gift cards can be drained of their funds almost immediately with the scammers disappearing with the money.

  Hopefully, now you’re forewarned with knowledge on how to recognize such a scam so you don’t lose your money.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 22, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: flight attendant, moneygram ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), used car, wire fraud ( 21 )   

  Beware of flight attendants selling cars 

  

  In Wisconsin, the Better Business Bureau is warning residents there about an ongoing scam involving the online sale of used cars. Scammers will post an ad online for an in-demand car. Sometimes it will be a classic car while other times it will be a modern car at a too good to be believed price. The scammer will claim to be local but currently out of the local area. In the Wisconsin case, the scammers are claiming to be a flight attendant who is currently out of town, going through a divorce and needs to move the car fast. In the more common version of this scam, the scammers will pose as members of the military who are stationed overseas.

  In any case, the scammer will tell you that the car is being held by a shipping or logistics company and that you need to pay the shipping company. They’ll then instruct you to make the payment through wire transfer services like Moneygram or Western Union. The scammers will often use the name of legitimate shipping companies to make the transaction seem more legitimate but once the money is wired the person pretending to be the seller disappears with your money. In all likelihood, the car being advertised never existed.

  When shopping for a vehicle online, you should automatically stop dealing with a seller if they give you a story about being out of town and unable to show the vehicle. Even if they say they can’t show the vehicle due to coronavirus concerns you should stop dealing with them. Also, you should never wire money to someone you don’t personally know. Money transfers are one of the standard tools used by scammers due to the fact they can use them to take your money and vanish into the wind.

  So hopefully, the next time you’re searching for a car to buy, you won’t waste your time dealing with a con artist.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 15, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: eBay ( 16 ), eBay Motors ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,393 ), used car   

  Used car scams have this one thing in common 

  

  With so many states reopening and taxpayers are flush with cash from their stimulus checks many consumers are looking to purchase a new vehicle.

  eBay has been selling vehicles on its platform for over a decade now. eBay Motors can be a good place to search if you’re looking for a specific make and model of vehicle. eBay even has a Vehicle Protection Plan that will cover certain losses associated with fraud. However, con artists are using eBay’s name and branding to rip off people looking to purchase a new vehicle.

  Within the past week there have been a number of reports of used car scams that have had an eBay element to them. Please keep in mind that eBay is not actually involved in any of these scams.

  In Louisiana, the Better Business Bureau there is warning consumers about purchasing cars where an online ad promises the eBay Vehicle Protection Plan. They’re saying that if you see the promise of the Vehicle Protection Plan on any other platform besides eBay, like craigslist, there’s a good likelihood that the ad could be a scam.

  In another scam that seems to be occurring in multiple locations across the country, scammers are asking for payment in eBay gift cards for vehicles that don’t exist. In Virginia, scammers are said to be using emails with official-looking eBay branding to lure unsuspecting victims into paying for vehicles with eBay gift cards. A similar scam is also taking place in Omaha, Nebraska where a couple lost $4500 after trying to pay for a motorcycle with eBay gift cards.

  Anybody with a half-decent knowledge of computers can claim that their vehicle is protected by eBay’s Vehicle Protection Plan or make their email look like it’s from eBay. So unless you’re actually shopping on eBay, those promises and branding are more than likely nothing more than stolen assets. Also, gift cards are the currency of scammers since they’re virtually untraceable once the serial numbers are given out. If someone online ever asks you to make any payment using any kind of gift card, there’s a high probability you’re being scammed.