Rossen Reports: New scam warning for car buyers
The Better Business Bureau is warning of a new scam involving fake vehicle listings, many of them on popular sites like eBay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
The scammers claim to be selling cars for a bargain using stolen or fake pictures. Then, they ask you to pay through a fake shipping or escrow company.
The BBB says it is nearly impossible to get your money back in these situations, so look out for the following red flags.
- The car is significantly below market value (if the price is too good to be true, it probably is)
- The seller won’t let you see the car in person before sending money
- The seller tries to make you pay on a platform separate from where the vehicle is listed
The BBB also warns that scammers are creating fake VIN (vehicle identification number) report websites claiming to operate like Carfax, a legitimate service used to look up accident reports and other information about the vehicle you want to buy.
To avoid falling victim to scammers, you can view the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System list of publicly-approved VIN lookup websites here.
You can read the full BBB report on online car-buying scams here.