Cheap Cars on Craigslist – Scam Alert
Is it possible to find find cheap cars online at Craigslist.com or other online automobile classified ad sites?
Yes ….. maybe, sometimes, and no.
While it is certainly possible to find bargain car deals online, it requires an extra bit of caution when doing so.
There are certainly people who are trying to sell cars cheap because 1) they are desperate and need to raise money fast, 2) they haven’t done their research and don’t really know what their car is worth, 3) the car has serious problems or has been wrecked and repaired, but they don’t mention it in their ad, 4) the car is stolen and they don’t actually have the title (although they’ll make some excuse for the reason they don’t have it), 5) the car is a salvage (totaled) vehicle but with a clean title (allowable in some states), or 6) it’s a scam.
There is a common car-selling scam that is now costing innocent people millions of dollars. People get sucked in every day by the promise of a cheap car, lose their money, and never get the car. You don’t hear much about it because the victims are too embarassed to speak up and law enforcement can’t catch the criminals, who are nearly always in another country. It rarely makes the newspaper or local news.
Here’s how the scam works.
You find a nice car on Craigslist (or other online car classified ad website) with a beautiful picture, enticing description, and an unbelievable price. The low (but not too low) price gets your attention. You contact the seller by email and ask for more details.
The “seller” responds with a nice polite email and explains that he/she has had some personal problems, needs to sell the car right away, and may be in the Armed Services, are in another country, or have some other story. They promise that the car is in great condition and will be shipped to you (free) and that you’ll have 3-5 days to try it out and return it (free) if you don’t like it. They tell you the money transaction will be handled by “eBay’s Protection Plan” or something similar, to make you comfortable that they won’t take your money before you accept the car. He (or “she”) will exchange enough friendly emails with you to make you think you are dealing with a real seller.
What’s wrong with this deal?
First, the “seller” (scammer) doesn’t own or have the car. He snagged a picture and VIN somewhere on the Internet to put in his ad. Second, he’ll ask you to send money to “eBay” or a phony escrow account. eBay has no such program for cars not purchased directly from their web site and the escrow account is the scammer’s personal bank account. Third, your money disappears and you never see the “cheap” car. The criminals almost never get found or caught because they know how not to leave a trail, and they move fast, usually in other countries.
So, if you are looking for cheap used cars for sale, be VERY careful when shopping online at sites such as Craigslist, Autotrader, and other automotive classified ad sites, including newspaper sites. “Cheap” might cost you a lot of money if you get caught in the trap.
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