Should i trust craigslist to buy a car

The seller never would talk to her so I advised her take it to a mechanic. Many flags on this sale. I just had a strange text encounter with a guy I believe was trying to scam us. This guy screamed red flag from the begging so I blocked him from contacting me but I wanted others to know so it would prevent this from happening to others. This is the second car that I post for sale on graiglist and the second time that some one contact me asking for a car history report for the car when I took the time to add a picture of the report on the post.

They always came with the same line ooo go to this wed-side that it is cheaper , and when I see the report I will buy the car. Please let me know. This is not so much a scam because I received cash when I sold my car, but it does strike me as a bit annoying in hindsight:. I post an ad for my Mazda MPV for 2,, a bit under what equivalent cars are selling, based on the fact that there are a few rust spots on the hood that will need to be addressed.

Also, I simply wanted to sell it fast. Someone calls me within 10 minutes of my ad being posted very anxious to buy it. He says he needs to get a cheap family car as his wife is expecting. He shows up within an hour, likes the car, but changes his tune and lowballs me with a 1, dollar offer. We negotiate and get to 1, They never register the car in their own name — when they sell it, they tell the buyer that the name on the title yours is a friend or relative who is mysteriously not available.

I encountered Two different scammers with same exact stories im reading here while buying a dodge truck on craigslist. I notified craigslist and it just gets reposted under a different ad the next day. Same contact number that refers you to email. Its June and these same scams are still being used so apparently nothing is being done to stop it. Sad story — I actually wanted to buy a car from a guy on Craigslist that lives out of town.

I had hoped to drive to his town, check out the car, and if I like it, buy it. He says he will only take cash or I have to open up a new back account at his bank, so we can transfer funds directly and in person. Seems silly to open up a whole new bank account just to buy a used car. But how does one actually get 15k in cash now days? Scammer: Thanks for being interested in buying my Mazda 3 S. Anyway, thank you for your interest in buying the car. Why is the price so low? I own this car at divorce, and I had to move with my new job.

So all that I want to do now is to sell the car at this price, because I need to sell it fast. It has 91, original miles. I want this transaction to go smoothly enough as I am caught in the middle of some very important events and have little time at my disposal. This way, I shall be assured of the serious intentions. Scammer: Please give me a little time to explain you the process of this transaction. The car is located in Omaha, at the shipping company, ready to be delivered. The car will arrive at your address in working days.

The shipping cost is included in the total price of the car! You will have 5 days to test it and inspect it. After I will have all this details I will forward them to eBay Motors and I will proceed this transaction. Waiting your email with the requested details. I have stumbled across a new scam on Craigslist. If it is not an outright phishing scam, it is seriously deceitful and despicable sucker bait by moneylenders.

All of a sudden, several cars popped up in the Craigslist search. One red flag listing cited a number of performance enhancements to the car, yet claimed This, from — supposedly — a used car dealer; how would they know??? The ad gives a two step process for seeing the car: 1, go online and apply for a loan.

In other words, there is no place to take an approval number in order to actually see the car. There is no way to link information about a particular car to the loan application process.

At first glance, they do seem to be offering real cars at a real dealership, but a second glance reveals that they are actually selling loans, using the idea of owning a certain kind of car to bait the unwary. Anyone who genuinely has a real car to sell in a legitimate transaction has little interest in how you get the money. Even if a large part of their profit is in grossly overpriced loans, the cars in the ads are overpriced, to begin with, and they would turn a profit in a cash transaction.

I have a truck for sale on Craigslist. I have a guy that texted me from out of state that wants to buy the truck. Says he is going to send a certified check from his bank over night and then he would work shipping details out with his shipper after I have cash in hand.

Just happened today. Selling a car for my boss who is an auto mechanic. He then asks for a picture of the pink slip which we give to him because he says the bank asked him for a copy so they could do a background check or something. My boss insists on me sending a picture to him because we have other vehicles to sell. He then calls me back after i tell my boss about the deal sounding fishy. Problem solved right? Has any body tried to inquire about a vehicle for sale on craigslist and have the seller tell you a company called Autoracle sales and consignment is handling everything for them?

Their site looks very legit. I have searched for info on this company and cant find anything bad. You cant see vehicle,you have to pay up front, first miles shipping free,Can inspect car when it arrives and refuse if it isnt up to par,You have 7 days to return for a full refund. I put an ad on CL to sell a car. I received a message from a guy. After i cash the check. I felt it is very strange.

How come he does not even take a look at the car and just send me a check. Did anyone encountered something like this before? I think I just did Alan. Listed an old BMW and got a text asking if I am still selling it. Area code was 2 hrs away from me but he said he would send me a certified check and he would send movers to pick it up, asking me to send my name and address for the check. I said if you are so close why not come look at the car?

Response was he was from NY, I am in the southwest. Number turns out to be a google voice number. I had a friend who was about to have his truck taken. I tried to warn him and he became negative like I was ruining his deal and the life of this guys cousin for whom he was buying it for.

Three weeks later was actually fired and left crying, possibly his credit was affected. Our company reqires all bills paid.. My husband got scammed he saw a car on craigslist in Texas, we live in New Mexico. Seven months later the supposed owner said it was stolen.

Our car got impounded, and the middle guy we purchased from turned out to have a fake ID with the owners name which we had a pic of. I think they were together on the scam but now I am out my money plus the money used to fix this vehicle and the car is being returned to the supposed original owner because Texas police say we were sold a stolen vehicle.

Even though the original owner waited to report the vehicle stolen and changed his story around several times. Is this a scam? Received a text message from someone this person has never given me a name out of state, who wants to buy the car. He proposes sending me a certified check for over the purchase price and I am to give his shipper the difference. He has my name, address and cell phone number. Should I get out of this?? Break contact with this person immediately!! Also go to youtube and search on overpayment scams.

These are always scams and come with the same attached emotional stories. They have agreed to meet in person. I am using a google voice number and will turn it off when this transaction is done. The sellers have to protect themselves as well. He is saying he is out of state and is getting the car for his mom. Which is a Saab 93 turbo.

He is saying he is in the us air Force. Needed my address to send the check with the amount. He is telling me it will not bounce and I will cash it before he picks the car up … Hmm?? They will send a bank check to my address, with additional funds for the pickup agent.

I take out my selling price and give the pickup agent the remainder. No one comes to pick up the vehicle until the bank check clears. I have cabled my vehicle to another vehicle so it cannot be winched onto a trailer. I am selling a car and received a text from someone who says his mechanic wants a history report so he wants the VIN.

Is this a safe thing to do or will I be giving too much information? How do I now if this is the real deal or am i being scarmed. Please any help will be helpful! Took my name and address. Anyone had this happen. I feel this is a scam. I am selling a car on CL. I told the buyer I was satisfied with his offer.

He has promised to wire deposit tomorrow and I will get the rest when he picks up the car early next week. He is in a hurry and pushy. He text and said he would start the paperwork and asked me to send a copy of the title and pics of any other paperwork or documents I have on the car, plus the address where the car is and my address and the address of where the car is.

I have it at my brothers so it can be covered from the elements. I put the skids on the deal after his request. He also said it would be easier to conduct the rest of our communication through email instead of text. I can see no reason why he would need the copy of the title. I am going to call DMV tomorrow for advise as well since it is an out of state sale.

Thank you in advance. Which surprises me. Any advice before I call them. I had someone do this to me with a set of wheels I was selling. He was from Dallas out of town for me and was willing to give me more than I asked. I accepted his offer and he mailed me a check first class. I think they expect people to do a mobile deposit of their check but I took it to the bank. The cashier said he could tell it was a fake check before I handed it to him. Be careful. Some good info and comments.

Any help would be appreciated. I received an almost instant reply from someone called Donna, who referred me to her mother, Sharon. Further conversation on email, with many nice images of the car, Sharon told me that car is located in Offutt ABF, Nebraska; and I need to send her money first following which car will be sent to me by post via eBay, and I will need to pay to her first.

This sound fishy to me, and then I read through discussions on this page. It alerted me further. Since then, I did not receive any further communication from these scammers.

So, here is another way to check out if they are scammer, to ask for your friend confirming the condition of the vehicle. You can even pretend to have a friend over there. If it is a genuine offer, there should not be any trouble; otherwise you will know the true nature. I hope this tip is helpful to the readers. I never bother to see what the actual scam is but I have an idea that once I email them I would get a long blown out story of hardship as ya all describe.

I tell them in the ad , reply with something intellectual and most honest people will…ex.. HI, id like to come see your car, etc.. He says he plans on driving it back to Minnesota.

He sounded extremely knowledgeable about cars. He sounds so close to legit, but still there are a couple of things off. Please, could someone give me some advice. This sounds suspicious, anyone heard of this: I answered a craigslist ad.

The person who contacted me said he was a small car dealer, not a private seller. I went to see the car in an office building parking lot. I asked where he got the car and who it was registered to. They have texted me saying to email them for more info..

So this is more car related. My boyfriend is trying to sell his set of 4 tires and listed them on Craigslist. Within a couple of days he got an offer from a man wanting to buy his tires full list price. However, this man lives in New York and my boyfriend is in Mississippi, which I thought was weird. Additionally, the man is sending a check that is getting here tomorrow and then is supposedly sending a moving truck to pick them up on Saturday. Why would they suggest some scheme with parts payments?

Most probably there is no car at all, and they are just trying to swindle some money from you. Only real information can help you to get the deal you want.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Fake Test Drive A test drive is a time when you feel the car. If a price is significantly lower than it should be. The reason for such prices is one — to get more attention. Bigger chance to cheat someone. Seller is in another country. The most popular one is to lie that the seller is in the military. No phone number. Maybe there are some honest sellers who want to hide their phone numbers.

The seller chose the escrow service. Be very attentive when paying, scammers create entire sites that look almost identical to PayPal and similar. Money to another country. Ask for a longer test drive; a seller who refuses might have something to hide. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation.

Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news. Marissa Laliberte. Craigslist is a popular place to go to for used vehicles, but that doesn't mean everyone posting a for-sale car is acting neighborly.

While there are plenty of genuine people looking to sell, there are also scammers looking to get your money. We asked experts which scams to watch out for when buying a car on Craigslist, and this is what they said.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Related wikiHows How to. How to. Expert Interview. More References About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: December 31, Categories: Featured Articles Craigslist. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. Then will ship for free via the Military to wherever you want, red flag two. Then E-Bay will insure the deal.

Asked to see listing at E-Bay Then I saw this online and confirmed it was a scam, thanks! Rated this article:. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Is this article up to date?

Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Ray Baumann Aug 23, Robertson May 30, Both seemed a little off; nothing huge, just seemed strange, so I did some research. This article helped. Laura McNatt Aug 3, I decided to do some research and I'm glad I did. The seller was using tactics 1, 4, and 5. So glad I came across this post! Amy Romero Sep 7, It seemed too good to be true.

Military deployment.