Is this a common scam?
Discussion
I am selling a car on autotrader and I got the below message. Firstly - I am assuming this is a scam. Secondly - even if it weren't, I do not have the spare time to travel hundreds of miles to sell a car... but was just interested to know: is this is a common thing and if so, how the scam plays out? Message below:
Hi Im very interested in purchasing your car subject to an inspection at my local garage. I live at Clitheroe Lancashire and would be happy to pay for you to drive it up and cover all costs including your return with or without the car. (could drop you of at Preston railway station). I would pay you in advance your travel costs, whatever we agree is a reasonable figure. If the car is sound and i will pay the purchase price you are asking less any return costs. However, id still pay for your train ticket back. So that your not out of pocket for having to drive up to me. The reason i cannot drive down to you is this would be my first car and i do not have the skills to check it out myself.
Look forward to hearing from you Thank you <<name>> <<phone number>> <<postcode>>
Hi Im very interested in purchasing your car subject to an inspection at my local garage. I live at Clitheroe Lancashire and would be happy to pay for you to drive it up and cover all costs including your return with or without the car. (could drop you of at Preston railway station). I would pay you in advance your travel costs, whatever we agree is a reasonable figure. If the car is sound and i will pay the purchase price you are asking less any return costs. However, id still pay for your train ticket back. So that your not out of pocket for having to drive up to me. The reason i cannot drive down to you is this would be my first car and i do not have the skills to check it out myself.
Look forward to hearing from you Thank you <<name>> <<phone number>> <<postcode>>
You drive there...the garage (his mate) identifies numerous made up faults and then you get low balled as they have you on the back foot.
Your travel costs are not covered (not the return anyway), because you are trying to "rip us off bruv".
That is what i suspect would happen, however, i am a cynic and it may be someone who is genuine.
Either way, not worth the hassle.
Your travel costs are not covered (not the return anyway), because you are trying to "rip us off bruv".
That is what i suspect would happen, however, i am a cynic and it may be someone who is genuine.
Either way, not worth the hassle.
I would say scam for a number of reasons not least of which are the contradictions.
Also there is a station in Clitheroe.
As to what the scam is not sure though although I assume that will play out along the lines of PayPal payment when you are there ie psychological desire not to return home with the car.
Personally I wouldn’t be responding.
Also there is a station in Clitheroe.
As to what the scam is not sure though although I assume that will play out along the lines of PayPal payment when you are there ie psychological desire not to return home with the car.
Personally I wouldn’t be responding.
Alarm bells
Veiled threats where you find yourself in a trading estate on the edge of Clitheroe with a now broken car.
- "Purchasing your car subject to an inspection at my local garage" - aka a mate who will find 50 things wrong with it and maybe it breaks down there (fuse removed, etc)
- Clitheroe has a train station
- "I would pay you in advance your travel costs, whatever we agree is a reasonable figure". Yeah, right
- "The reason i cannot drive down to you is this would be my first car and i do not have the skills to check it out myself" - who buys their first car from hundreds of miles away?
Veiled threats where you find yourself in a trading estate on the edge of Clitheroe with a now broken car.
Scam. If someone really wants your car, they will come to you. They will pay a deposit and get the train down.
I've sold a lot of cars (and bought a lot).
I'd ignore that contact without thought. Even if he's genuine, he's a "nuisance buyer" - he's putting hurdles up for you to jump before he's even seen the car.
BTW - I've got a car on AT at the mo and I got a scam call within 24 hours. Someone claiming to be from AT and saying I got double charged for the add and he was their to rectify it". Was quite convincing for a min or two , then it all fell apart, and its a very very common scam.
Phone rings, greeted with automated message "You are being contacted by someone interested in your car from autotrader, we will connect you now" - alarm 1- surely thats a notification for customers/leads, ringing me, not AT staff?
- "Hi, AT here, double billed, blah blah .. etc etc". - got my interest because my 1st payment for the ad seemed to go through but then i got the payment screen again, and made a 2nd attempt, which worked, so cautiously I ran with it a bit more....
- "would you like the refund to yoru account as a credit, or to your payment card?" - alarm 2 - why would I want it on account when its an unlimited run-till-sold ad? - "put it back on my payment card ".
- "need to do security, your address sir?", "27, YP7 9GA" - "and the rest of your address?" - alarm - companies only ever want the 1st line and your post code - he wanted the lot.
- "Now, which card do you want it back on?", I replied, " the one you charged me on".
- "which one was that?", "you know, you charged it, I'm not giving you my card number from an unsolicited call"
- "since covid we are working from home and don't keep card transaction details due to GDPR"
- "If you let me have the 1st 4 digits I can tell you which card", "ok, 5301"
- "so you know we are really AT I can tell you that's a mastercard sir, what's the rest of the number?".
- me -" I'm not going to give you the full card number. You email me and I'll call AT back on their published phone number".
I knew at this stage it was 100% a scam. I was fairly sure already but wanted to see how far it would go. I take cards in by business and you can tell which cards are which from the 1st 4 digits alone. That and the fact I have access to Sagepay online portal where I can see every card transaction and refund whatever I want without ever needing to speak to the customer.
So many people must fall for it. He was smooth, fast, English, well spoken. When I asked him to email me he started blathering on about how he really was from AT and I had to tell him to stop talking!
I've sold a lot of cars (and bought a lot).
I'd ignore that contact without thought. Even if he's genuine, he's a "nuisance buyer" - he's putting hurdles up for you to jump before he's even seen the car.
BTW - I've got a car on AT at the mo and I got a scam call within 24 hours. Someone claiming to be from AT and saying I got double charged for the add and he was their to rectify it". Was quite convincing for a min or two , then it all fell apart, and its a very very common scam.
Phone rings, greeted with automated message "You are being contacted by someone interested in your car from autotrader, we will connect you now" - alarm 1- surely thats a notification for customers/leads, ringing me, not AT staff?
- "Hi, AT here, double billed, blah blah .. etc etc". - got my interest because my 1st payment for the ad seemed to go through but then i got the payment screen again, and made a 2nd attempt, which worked, so cautiously I ran with it a bit more....
- "would you like the refund to yoru account as a credit, or to your payment card?" - alarm 2 - why would I want it on account when its an unlimited run-till-sold ad? - "put it back on my payment card ".
- "need to do security, your address sir?", "27, YP7 9GA" - "and the rest of your address?" - alarm - companies only ever want the 1st line and your post code - he wanted the lot.
- "Now, which card do you want it back on?", I replied, " the one you charged me on".
- "which one was that?", "you know, you charged it, I'm not giving you my card number from an unsolicited call"
- "since covid we are working from home and don't keep card transaction details due to GDPR"
- "If you let me have the 1st 4 digits I can tell you which card", "ok, 5301"
- "so you know we are really AT I can tell you that's a mastercard sir, what's the rest of the number?".
- me -" I'm not going to give you the full card number. You email me and I'll call AT back on their published phone number".
I knew at this stage it was 100% a scam. I was fairly sure already but wanted to see how far it would go. I take cards in by business and you can tell which cards are which from the 1st 4 digits alone. That and the fact I have access to Sagepay online portal where I can see every card transaction and refund whatever I want without ever needing to speak to the customer.
So many people must fall for it. He was smooth, fast, English, well spoken. When I asked him to email me he started blathering on about how he really was from AT and I had to tell him to stop talking!
k off
It is a relatively "rare" car (Toyota MR2) so the distance in itself is not a red flag.
I replied to the message as curiosity got the better of me. I advised on paying for an inspection from RAC or similar, assuming they'd ignore me. He then called to ask a few questions and I have to say I'm fairly convinced this is a young person who just doesn't understand how things work.
Not practical (or profitable) for me though regardless.
I replied to the message as curiosity got the better of me. I advised on paying for an inspection from RAC or similar, assuming they'd ignore me. He then called to ask a few questions and I have to say I'm fairly convinced this is a young person who just doesn't understand how things work.
Not practical (or profitable) for me though regardless.
sixor8 said:
I sold a quite rare Honda Prelude coupe last year and a chap drove down from Glasgow 300 miles with a trailer to collect it. If anybody REALLY wants it, they'd come to you. Double-checking condition with conversation, extra photos and video are OK, but drive to them? Never....
I sold a £12,000 Westfield to someone in Scotland, from Somerset, and he paid me £12k, and sent a lorry for the car, unseen. If they want it, they will come (sort of!).Even more astonishing, a Frenchman paid me £13,500 for another Westie, direct to my bank, to then fly over and drive home. Realised France won't allow it due to emissions, and asked for a refund (which i duly gave) - he didn't even know my phone number, let alone address . ALL he had was my email and bank account no. and name.
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