FBI Warns About Online Car Scam Rising Figures

When going online to research and buy a car there are a lot of risks which need to be taken into consideration. A public announcement from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center is trying make consumers aware regarding Internet scams that use names of well-known automotive sites to determine car buyers into purchasing a vehicle that doesn’t exist.

This is an example of how the most popular scam version works: The scammer would post a fraudulent listing on a car sales site and offer a vehicle protection program from a site like eBay. The deal looks okay because they use the official logo to gain the buyers trust in order to continue the transaction. After the cheap stunt the scammer asks the buyer to wire the money, as a down payment or the total amount in advance, and the buyer ends up with no car. The only way to get eBay’s protection program is to buy it direct from their website.

Furthermore, FBI announced that consumer complaints rose 25 percent in 2010 and every 90 minutes another complaint is registered and every hour a car buyer loses more than $1,000. The scams can be avoided if a research an inspection of the car is made in order to check mileage and condition, as revealed by ConsumerReports.

Also, a review on the title and on the car’s history is a must. Find out more about the seller including ratings and comments. Insist on speaking on the phone or communicate through a secure website. And at last but not the least, do not send money through wire services.