auction car scams

[suprra_girl]

i found this information which i think alot of you will find useful if you are looking at buying a car and aren't sure whether it's a scam or not

all info was copied from www.spotascam.com purely for easy reading purposes

The article below highlights many things to look for, to ask and to be aware of when purchasing a vehicle online.

Although written humorously,
PLEASE read it carefully and take it's contents seriously!


ARE YOU SICK OF SCAMMERS ONLINE?
TIRED OF SELLERS TRYING TO SELL FAKE CARS AND SCREW PEOPLE OVER? WELL SO AM I!

THIS IS AN INFORMATIVE ARTICLE FOR CAR LOVERS EVERYWHERE -
HIGHLIGHTING WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IF BUYING A CAR ONLINE (and on eBay)??????????¬?‚?¦.. BEWARE OF THE SCAMS!

HOW TO TELL THE CAR YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS A SCAM

1. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Where is the seller from?
If it is on ebay, is the location listed as WORLDWIDE or EMAIL ME or CALL TO BUY IT NOW?
Chances are, if the buyer is scared to tell you the location of the car, they don't own it!

ALSO be VERY leary of people selling cars like SUPRAs and NSXs and RX7s that are overseas (INCLUDING the UK).
Honestly, how many Supras do you think were imported to Uganda in 1995?
1 of 1? wow, what are the odds.

2. BUY IT NOW - (if on eBay)

The old saying "too good to be true" definitely holds up here.
Have you seen auctions for a 1997 6 spd Supra TT that have a BUY NOW PRICE of ? Well, the car's worth at least .
A car has NEVER sold publicly for 20% of its retail value.
These scammers want you to BUY THE CAR NOW for an insane low price... don't be fooled. USE YOUR HEAD!
This is ebay - a car will sell for what it's worth!

3. EMAIL ME - CALL ME - but for the love of God, just DONT BID! (on eBay)

Uhm, ok. I have a car on ebay. But i don't want you to bid.
Have you seen the auctions that say "CALL ME! DONT BID"?

Yeah, that makes sense.
I spent 40 bucks to list my car but i dont want anyone to bid and see how much i can get for it.
These scamming idiots often STEAL USER IDs and want to close a deal OUTSIDE EBAY for a stupid low price.

DONT BID ON THE ITEM! CALL ME and buy it now for .

Anyone saying DONT BID is gonna take your money and run!

In addition, run a check to see where the listed phone number is from...
Check the area code... does it line up with where this car is, quote, LOCATED?
NOTE: If the number is 555-BEN-DOVR then you should probably steer clear.

4. DEPOSIT it RIGHT HERE

*** ALL sellers need a deposit while a buyer figures out travel, shipping or financing. Thats NORMAL.

HOWEVER if you see the auctions saying DONT BID, just send a deposit to Alan Anonymous in Whateverville Egypt - they will take the deposit and leave you with your (insert joke here) in your hand.
DONT be scared of a deposit, if you know the car is legit.
Just be worried if the seller is all about DEPOSIT DEPOSIT DEPOSIT.
Where is the deposit going? To some guy in Madagascar?

Hmm, yeah. I dont think he's got a z06 Corvette in his hut.

5. Did i mention i know NOTHING about my car?

These scams often involve cars that DO exist (in fact, the all usually do) and the pictures are legit pictures.
Heck, the ad is even word for word from the owner's mouth (probably stolen from a personal webpage)... but contact the "seller" and ask any technical questions about the vehicle... and see what happens.
It's a great way to get a "feel" for the seller.


ASK TECHNICAL or CAR SPECIFIC QUESTIONS!

Ask something that only an RX-7 owner would know... and watch them get off the phone quicker than me when they call for jury duty!

6. I'll ship my car WORLDWIDE!

Are you serious? Do you think anyone with a mint 2000 Viper is going to want to ship their car to Argentina?

BETTER YET, as a seller, would you have any idea of HOW TO GO ABOUT shipping your car 8000 miles?
Neither would I.

SO, DAMN IT I'm worried. How can i protect myself?
Good question!

Here's a list of things you can look for and DO to make sure
the car, and the seller are both legit.

1. Where is the car, and buyer located?

The location better be VERY OBVIOUS on the ad.

The phone number should match up with the same "location" listed.
MANY of these scammers are from overseas, and, lets face it - they are good at it.

THE REASON THESE SCAMS ARE COMING FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES:
You send a deposit to Nigeria, you get screwed... do you think you'll ever be able to track that person down.
Ahhh - NO.

NOTE: Many little punks here in the US are trying to pull this off now... but - most of them are bad at it and aren't aware that
Bruno and Jimmy the Butt-Kicker are about to show up on their doorstep.
If you are in the USA trying to pull this off - your day is coming... i'd quit - you don't want to scam the "WRONG PERSON" out of of dollars - because you might tick off the wrong Psychopath with nothing else to do.

2. Run the carfax to verify the location

www.CarFax.com

The VIN listed (if its legit it BETTER BE) is worth alot!
See the owner locations on the car fax... is the most recent owner from the correct area (as listed on the for sale ad?)
If so, thats step one.
Make sure the "sellers" phone number is from the same area.
If that checks out, go to step 3

3. HISTORY ON THE CAR

Any good seller can give you some service records of the vehicle for sale.

IF ANYTHING they should tell you the dealership where it was purchased and where its been getting maintenance done.

Get that phone number. Call the dealership to verify this car has been in there.

So far so good? Then politely ask if "Mr. Legit-Seller" is the owner and has he been the one bringing the car in. If so, looks good so far and this guy probably owns the car.

4. SEND ME MORE PICTURES

So i like the pics on ebay. You might have stole them from "Jimmy Innocent-3rd-Party"s website. Any REAL SELLER will gladly go snap some more photos.

THIS TIME get at least one photo with something special written on a piece of paper...

"Send me a photo of the front of the car, with a piece of paper with the words 'Homer Simpson Loves Milhouse' written on it."
ANY REAL SELLER will gladly oblige and be happy to be selling to a motivated and cautious buyer.

5. Let me call you. JUST TO TALK ABOUT IT.

If i'm a seller, i'd expect that.
Lets talk about the car. I want to know more.
I want to actually quiz you to make sure you know what you are selling... and to see if you actually own the car.
NO SELLER would take offense to being cautious.

When i sold cars i actually LIKED discussing the car with the buyer.
It gives the seller a chance to impress the buyer and tell him/her
why this vehicle is THE ONE!

6. Got any references?

Most people who have the computer sense to list their car on ebay, or another online source, and have a car that is unique (supra, z06, nsx, rx-7, etc) usally have friends with similar cars, OR are on some online car club.

For example www.SupraForums.com
I can give a reference for myself, to that site.
Many people know me who own Supras.

Many people have seen my cars. Done deal. That simple.
(the ebay ad listed below is an example... the car listed below is 100% legit - the seller is well known on the Supra Forum website by many other owners). So there ya go.

7. COME SEE THE CAR

Any seller that urges you to "come see the car in person if you are in the area" is a good seller.
I'd want the buyer to come see it - because when he does, he will want it.
NOT in the area? Know someone who is? Send them!
Send a relative! Dang it, send someone that you only know from a chat room - but get someone in front of it to see its really there.
Sellers are happy to accommodate!

8. TELL ME SOMETHING ONLY THE OWNER WOULD KNOW

This is a toughie. But anyone crazy about their car, can tell you stuff that only an owner of a such car would know...

Ask a Supra or NSX or VR4 owner... they have tons of little "tid bits" of info on their cars.
If the seller can talk the car up (and most owners can) its a good sign they are legit (oh yeah, ask for that customized picture too).

9. a DEPOSIT is OK

Deposit is ok and normal.
But if its the topic of the conversation, or email or ebay ad - and its the ONLY thing that keeps coming up OVER AND OVER AND OVER - don't send the money!
They are just scamming people over and over and over...

10. Modification list - not good enough. i need more!

So you have the mods listed? cool? anyone can find a list of stuff.
TELL ME WHERE YOU BOUGHT THEM!

I'd venture a guess and say that, oh, probably 100% of the people that modify their cars can recall where they purchase the performance parts.

And ya know what. About 99% of these scam cars on eBay are modified (making them attractive).
So, where'd you buy the parts?
WHO do you talk to there at the parts shop? (yeah, call the performance shop and make sure these parts came from there...)
and Got a receipt?
Pretty much anyone who drops in mods will have receipts just in case their HKS Twin Turbos go "caput" in a week.

*** OH YEAH, they WONT be selling a car with in
$ 10,000 mods for , a wheel of cheese and a bag of ink pens.
BE SMART!


HERE IS A 100% LEGIT SUPRA FOR SALE!
FROM A REAL SELLER!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2486543178

READ THIS AUCTION! STUDY IT!
IF YOUR CAR DOESN'T APPEAR LIKE THIS, THEN START ASKING ALOT OF QUESTIONS!

FROM THIS AD YOU CAN:

See the car's location - SE MISSOURI
See the license plate? Missouri - so far so good.
See the phone number at the bottom?
Area code 573 - got a clue where that is? Missouri.
Call the seller. Ask where the parts came from.
Did you buy them? What shop? Who sold them to you?
Do you see a stupid buy now price listed? NOPE.


This is ebay dag-nabbit!

The car will sell for its current market value!
The buyers of the world will determine the value - and its not . or .
or even .

CALL ME to talk about the car.
WOW! NOT, call me DONT BID or call me SEND DEPOSIT.
Call me, ask anything you need!
Here's 50 million photos - want more?
WOW again. Seller can take any photo of any angle you want.
I can write "Pink Elephant" on a Post-it note for you too.
VIN - run it
Run the vin. Where does it show the last seller is from?
References?
Why yes. This seller is active on SupraForums.com
Many people know him. Many have seen the car.
CAN I SEE IT?
Well h*ll yeah you can - come on by if you are serious!
Not in the area? Send someone. Heck, Someone online in one of those car clubs will run by there - theres plenty of owners in the
area!

UNLESS the car is in Paraguay!

Where'd you get the car and who services it?
Once again, ask for service records. OR, at least give me the name of the dealership that changes the oil and maintains it.
Whats their phone number? Who is the contact there?
Does it all add up? i'm sure it does


*** IN SUMMARY:

Its actually really simple my friend??????????¬?‚?¦.
USE COMMON SENSE!

1. Is the car being offered for sale for WAY TOO CHEAP?

Yes there are good deals but come on!
It wouldn't be on ebay if the owner of a
1997 GTS Viper would settle for !
(i would have bought it)

2. Is the "seller's" location provided and does it all add up?
Do they list their location? Where is it? USA i hope.
If not, you have 2 options... research more or
Pull a Jesse Owens and run the other way.
Make sure it all seems "right". Where does the carfax say the owner is? What area code is the phone number?

3. HISTORY IS IMPORTANT
Where has the car been? Who serviced it?
Call them. Talk to them.

4. GO SEE THE CAR and GET REFERENCES

5. ASK for DETAILED and "customized" photos (at least 1)

6. TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW.
Talk about the mods and where they came from and
what they do.

7. LET ME CALL - to talk about it.
I want to call to talk about the car - not about a deposit!


Have common sense and be careful people!

*** A car worth $ 50 ,000 wont be listed for buy now $ 7000 - call me! ***

*** REMEMBER, a car that is located overseas, with a buyer who claims he's from the USA but just moved and needs to sell the car ASAP because of (WHATEVER REASONS) and urges you to "ACT NOW - HURRY HURRY" and not to worry because they can arrange all international shipping - just send a quick DEOPSIT:

IT IS A SCAM 100% of the TIME - PERIOD.

I mean, Mother Father - let's be smart here!! J





BELOW is an actual scam email we have received!


We have highlighted the important components of the scam.

HERE IS AN ACTUAL SCAM EMAIL YOU MAY RECEIVE!
IF YOU GET THIS OR ONE LIKE IT - STEER CLEAR!

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in purchasing my 1994 Toyota Supra HKS 2835 Twin Turbo 6spd
First of all I must inform you that currently I'm in Czech Republic and the car is here with me.
The car is like new, no damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects, kept in my own garage.The machine is an US model with US specs, it passed the test emissions and comes with all the documents you need to register the car.
It has a clear title and it can be registered into your name, so stay cool about this.

The price I hope to obtain is $ 800.00US (this price includes the shipping and insurance) and if you agree with this price we can start to complete the transaction.


I have to tell you that I have other serious offers that I have to consider and I will make a decision regarding this sale function of time of payment and price.

The car will be shipped from Prague / Czech Republic and I will cover the shipping costs and insurance.
You will not have to pay additional taxes, just only the price for it.The payment must be done using a money order service.I prefer money order because in this way I will ship the car in the same day you make the deposit.
You will arrange payment through Western Union. I require a deposit of ,800.00. The money is a reservation for the car.First one who makes the deposit will be the buyer.
I need the deposit to be sure that you want the car and in order to proceed with shipping and all the additional export taxes.


As soon as the deposit will be confirmed and the money properly sent, I will IMMEDIATELY proceed with shipping .

The payment is fully refundable if for any reason you do not accept the car or if
the car has scratches, hidden defects, or it is not as advertised.
I will pay for the return costs.
If you agree with these terms,let me know and i will be more than glad to start to complete the transaction with you.
Thank you.
Regards
XXX XXXX


STEER CLEAR FROM THIS GARBAGE!!





QUESTIONING IF THE VEHICLE YOU WANT EVEN EXISTS?

Here is some helpful information:

There are a number of companies that will look a vehicle over for a fee.
It will well worth it in the long run.
These companies will find a representative in the area of the vehicle and check it out, giving an un-biased opinion of the vehicle!

*** A couple that many have used successfully are

www.magoos.net

and

www.inspectionsolution.com

In addition, there are Property Damage Appraisers that deal in assessing the damage of wrecked vehicles.
However, they will go "check out" the car

in the way the above 2 companies will.

[flight doc89]

ALWAYS CHECK WHERE ALL OF THE OWNERS HAVE LIVED! If any of the locations EVER snows, be VERY careful, since most of these places will salt the roads, and salt is murder on your car. You just have to make sure that you wash the salt off of the car, but if you don't, the car will rust out in no time.

[rnoswal]

Very good advice. I have noticed several on ebay recently. Most get pulled by ebay fairly quick, but not all. Damn, but they sure are tempting aren't they!!! lol

Buyer beware!!!

Russ

[quiescent_87]

I found a Supra on Ebay and it was pretty cheap. So I called the guy and asked him about the car... I asked him the stupidest question, I asked what color the car was.... he said it was blue. take a look at the car.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1994-...ayphotohosting

[SleepysSupra]

You definately have to be cautious when buying a car online. But not just online but also from second rate dealers as some of them try to pull off shady deals as well. I almost bought a 96 Supra from a dealer in my area but upon inspection I could tell that it had been in deep water. How did I know? My brother sold cars at a shady dealership for a while. Take the car on a test drive and stop in a parking lot and open the glovebox to the first internal stop and look up past inside for mold or discoloration. Also pull one of the kick panels off and look for mold there. Look at the underside of the seat and also under the carpet. All of this would take you 5 to 10 minutes tops. Most of the shady dealers buy these Flood damaged cars and put minimal investment back into them and push them off the lot. What most people don't realize is if the Insurance company sells the damaged veichle to a salvage yard it gets a salvaged title. However.... If they sell it as auction as most do then other than running a car fax or looking for valid indicators of trouble, you would never know. Insurance auctioned cars have the same title that new cars roll off the lot with. Ask questions to the sales people and find out if it was a trade in or auction buy. Ask if it has ever been wrecked. Don't impulse buy. Go home and check out the dealerships story against car fax. Most states have laws governing car sales in relation to damaged cars. And Delers and Sales people can be fined and sent to jail for not being honest and foregoing in this area. Even if they honestly didn't know. They have access to car fax too. Just be careful people, you work hard for your money and it hurts when someone scams you into an investment this substancial. Later

[samflutch]

With the advent of the internet it was only a matter of time before it became a booming marketplace for cars. The online car industry, according to Ebay, now consists of millions of car deals every year. The online leader is obviously Ebay due to its auction format and huge fan base. This is great for car buyers and sellers as it gives them another avenue than having to go to a dealer. The good news is that the vast majority of online car deals through auction sites are positive transactions. There is a darkside, however. Along with these growing sales is a rapidly growing amount of fraud. Scam artists are lining up to take advantage of unsuspecting car buyers. You can take steps to protect yourself and avoid this online car fraud.
--------------------------------------
Samflutch

auto auctions

[sandra59]

car manufacturers are so fickle. first they say yes, then no, then maybe... im sure there are alot of factors in determining if a car maker is going to unleash another car worthy of being the flagship sportscar to represent the co. the last gen supra was "bold, brash, and beautiful". quite frankly, it was a bad@ss piece of engineering with tons of potential. $50,000 supras were worthy enough to compete with the likes of $80,000 R-34 GTR skylines, and they feature Hicas suspention with yaw adjustments and AWD.
------------------
sandra

#1 Used Cars US Wide Cheap Cars Auctions Used Cars For Sale

[Sterben]

Yea I just Almost Got Scamed


His Email: justinkews233@msn.com
(Email 1)

Hello,
I'm the owner of the 1997 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo on which you've recently show interest. The car is in excellent shape and running condition and it has a clean title. The price for the car is $5,500 with shipping and handling included in price. I am located in Richmond, VA now and the car will be shipped from here. Shipping will be done via DAS and it will take no more then 2-3 days top (depending on your exact location).
The transaction will be made through iEscrow for our own protection. You will have 5 days to inspect and test drive the car upon arrival with no obligation to buy. If you are serious interested in the purchase, please get back to me and let know so we can make the deal.

Sincerely,
Justin



(Email 2)
I've attached you few pictures of the car in this email. I am the Original Owner of this Supra!! The car is in awesome condition inside and out. I have always babied this car and kept it in the garage. The paint is in perfect condition. I always wash the car at least once every two weeks, and thats when I'm being lazy. All power options work properly. Air conditioning is ice cold. Engine and transmission perform excellent. The overall condition is excellent.
The car is 100% ready to drive, it won't require anything and is 100% reliable.
I will try to tell you in few words how the process works through iEscrow.
Their primary purpose is to protect buyers and sellers from fraud. iEscrow services accept and hold payment from the buyer until the buyer receives and approves the merchandise. Only then do they forward the payment to the seller.
If you are really interested in the purchase please provide me your full name and shipping address so I can forward them at iEscrow in order to open a case about our deal and they will guide you through the rest of the process so we can complete this deal successfully and in the best manner !

Sincerely,
Justin



What A Fucking Lier!
I did a Background Check By looking up all his post on the car on Google.
i typed in his email, i hope this will help someone.