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Rise in Online Car Scams

Rise in Online Car Scams

Posted by Shane Teskey on 20 January 2012 in Ask the Experts, Featured, How we've helped, Used Car Buying Tips

At Motorcheck we receive a steady stream of comments from consumers who feel that they might have stumbled across an internet scam. However this year we’re seeing an increase in one particular kind of scam that we want to draw your attention to.

This fraud involves a seemingly genuine vehicle that has been advertised at a fantastic price. The ad will contain pictures of what we call a ‘Ghost Vehicle’. This is a car that was once genuinely advertised and the fraudster stole the pictures for later use in a fake ad.

The fraudster may even purchase a Motorcheck report for the vehicle and publish a link to it for the unsuspecting buyer to view. Normally the ‘Ghost Vehicle’ will have a very good record with Motorcheck which can give buyers the false impression that the ad is genuine.

At Motorcheck we use a variety of methods to identify these reports. If you see this page when attempting to view a report you’ve seen mentioned in an online ad you can be fairly certain that the vehicle being advertised is being used as part of an elaborate scam.

There are of course other ways of identifying a scam which every buyer should be aware of.

Top 5 Indications of an Online Scam

Is the price too good to be true? Most scammers will attract your attention by advertising a ‘Ghost Vehicle’ well below its market value.
Are any of the contact details suspect? Fraudulent ads will usually have a phone number that’s missing a digit or not available. The email address will be from a free email provider like Gmail or Yahoo and any attempts to make contact by phone will usually be rejected.
Does the seller have an elaborate payment process? A typical online scammer will never actually show you the car. Their goal is to convince you to make a deposit or payment via Western Union, Ebay or Paypal without actually having seen the car.
Does the seller have difficulty using English grammer? A common trait with fraudsters can be poor grammer and multiple spelling mistakes. Most of the perpetrators operate from outside Ireland and English may not be their mother tongue.
Does the Motorcheck report show a large number of recent enquiries? If a car has a positive history check yet there have been a large number of enquiries (more than 5) over the past month we recommend caution. There must be some reason why the car hasn’t sold that Motorcheck is not aware of and an online scam can be one of them.

Further Checks

For further advice from Motorcheck on how to identify and avoid car related scams click here.

Boards.ie also have a popular scam thread on their motor forum

If you think you have come across a car related scam or would like our advice on any advertisement you can leave a comment below and we’ll be in touch.

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About the author

Managing Director at Motorcheck.ie and Benchmark Fleet Services Ltd.

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