The website looked real--those things are impossible for an amateur to fake, aren't they? Trusting offical-looking websites is an easy habit to develop. And for someone buying or selling a car, the authenticiy of an offical looking webiste like eBay is often the last thing they'd question. That trust could lead to an expensive mistake.
One scam that's less well known than the Nigerian buyer classic or the Nigerian seler switcheroois the counterfeit site caper. A typical set up has the seller of a super bargain priced vehicle suggesting that the purchase be conducted under eBay's Vehicle Purchase Program. The scammer will forward an eBay link that will look utterly convincing. They often propose using an eBay program as an escrow--they were never itended for this. But a wise eBayer will check it against the address of a real eBay link for the proper site. The fake eBay site will ask for your credit card number and/or banking information. The scammer will then sell or use this information for their own nefarious purposes.
A guide to scams like this brief series can only explain some of the most common rip off schemes. Online scams evolve at a pace with the non-stop growth of the internet itself, underscoring the vigilance needed to avoid becoming a mark.
Tips for avoiding online car scams:
1. Be suspicious of any deal that looks too good to be true.
2. Never accept more from a buyer than a car's sale price.
3. Be leery of anyone who refuses to speak with you on the phone (scammers fear phone chats will reveal their heavy foreign accents).
4. If anyone emails you a link to a site like eBay, log on to the site yourself, find the coorseponding page and compare addresses.
5. On an eBay Deal, communicate through eBay messages rather than personal email.