# Autotrader UK Scam!



## Slim (19 Sep 2008)

Saw a great looking deal on Autotrader. 2007 Merc C180 for £5,160. Too cheap I know. So I emailed the seller and this is the reply I got. I think it's a scam...



> "The 2007 Mercedes C180 SE KOMPRESSOR is still for sale. A great car, never involved in any accident, in excellent condition with full service history. My job put me on the way to England and I purchased this car there. Now I have to sell it as I've got back home in Switzerland. The car is here as well. The final price is £5,160 + shipping to your door. For an accurate shipping cost please include your shipping address in your next email.
> 
> As you probably noticed, the price is rather low. But since it's a right hand drive car, not even a dealer will offer me a better price here. The fact that it's still UK registered did not help either.
> 
> ...


 
Does anyone else think it's a scam???


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## doogo (19 Sep 2008)

If it smells like a dead fish, then it probably is .... what's the lark about a thrid party transaction mediator .... that's where i would be getting more than a little suspicious ... if you want it to take it further, get the number plate and chassis number from him and do a HPI check on the car - only costs a couple of £

...still i think i'd be treading very warily if i were you - let us know what you do ...


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## gipimann (19 Sep 2008)

There are similar ads & emails for motorcycles doing the rounds - ads give an Irish location, but on contacting seller, the item concerned always seems to be outside the country and not an Irish Reg.....as doogo says if it smells off, it's probably  off!


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## rgfuller (19 Sep 2008)

It's definitly a scam, it's 1/2 the price of car's a year older, it's 1/3 the price of LHD models in germany, if he's willing to sell it privately why not sell it in switzerland. Con for sure.


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## ciars (19 Sep 2008)

Similar ad on carzone. 03 Black VW beetle for €6000 or something. My wife was like 'my god look at this' I explained about the potential scams on other car sites so we emailed the seller. 

Got pretty much same story as above. Except it played on the death of a family member and they needed to sell the car - at whatever cost. Irish reg but in the UK. Just send money LOL....


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## TreeTiger (19 Sep 2008)

Have a look at these recent threads on AAM with basically the same story:

Car scam on Carzone Story 1: seller in Liverpool, returning to America after death of his father; Story 2: another car, same story, seller returning to Spain this time.

Scam alert! Cars for sale, but not available for viewing "The last two adverts I've emailed looking for more information, neither car is in the country. If it was just one I could say well ok its possible. But two cars to be out of the country?"

I wish that car selling websites would put details of these scams on their home pages, I really think they should take a bit of responsibility here as I'm sure there are some innocent people getting done by these scammers.


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## RS2K (28 Sep 2008)

I wonder if anyone has actually lost money to one of these scammers?


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## folder (28 Sep 2008)

Somebody must have. Its not hard to process this kind of scam.

Paypal or Escrow. You need to put up a credit card and after you get your first bill you will have a four digit number. Enter than number on the website to unlock a transfer limit. If the transfer limit is £5160, then the seller will sell the car for £5160.

You register a current account so that when the money comes they will transfer to his current account. 

Credit card companies are mad to give out credit cards. So register with up to 10 credit card companies that day and register those 10 credit card numbers for 10 different paypal (or similar) accounts.

Sell cars. Some fool will transfer the money because Paypal will insure your risk. He transfers monies to current account and cancels credit card.

10 transfer later and around £60K better off, all credit cards are cancelled, all paypal accounts are closed and you have nothing but a red face.

If it sounds too good to be true, its likely that is is!!


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## Frank (29 Sep 2008)

Found this one on carzone.

Nothing suspect here.

_*Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI 140 hBP 2007

* The price is 5000 euros
Diesel, 4 doors, manual transmission, silver.
 ABS, Air Conditioning, Multiple Air Bags, Alarm, Alloys, CD, Cruise Control, Fogs, Immobiliser, Metallic Paint, Side Airbags, Manufacturer Warranty 2010/May, Service History (July '08), 6 speed. 140 Bhp.
 Excellent Condition, the car was kept  in a garage , it has BMW service book,the tires have been changed recently, and doesn't need repairings.It has no engine problem, no scratches.
*Registered in Ireland* .The car is at the moment in Liverpool, UK. _
_I live in the USA, I bought the car for my brother who lived in Ireland and then moved to UK. Unfortunately he died recently and I cannot take the car with me.
You do not have to pay any taxes for this car. It is very easy to register it to your name .
 I have all the documents ready for sale. The car documents are on my name, so it is very simple.
As payment I  only accept cash and we will have to meet in Liverpool for the sale.
_


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## body2007 (26 Oct 2008)

Here's another one ...



> *2007 AUDI A3 2.0 T FSI S Line 3dr Hatchback*
> 
> Price:
> *£4,350*
> ...


and the same story abt coming back to home in switzerland ...
its simple to good to be true lads ... bcse as far as i know he could either change the steering-wheel incl front panel for the european-one and sell the car over there


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## China6665 (13 Nov 2008)

Hello All, 

As a matter of being greedy  and the love of adventure 

Tested this … 
I have received 2 of the similar replies and where one was to use Escrow or similar service other one was for cash…
Well this is difficult to get “scammed” in this situation with me (some one could think), yet in the case of cash problem lies in the fact that the car has an outstanding HPI on it.

I managed to check this with the friend and the amount is considerable.. 

So it is a scam for sure.. 
(did not checked the other car with the Escrow offer though..)


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## sideswipe (13 Nov 2008)

China6665 said:


> Hello All,
> 
> As a matter of being greedy  and the love of adventure
> 
> ...


 
Another scam, there are so many of them going on car sites now I don't think they are safe at all. Maybe they should try to lock up some of the scammers like this guy


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## pingu (6 Apr 2009)

there are a ton of ads on Autotrader stating only contac via an email address.

WARNING THIS IS A SCAM DO NOT CONTACT !


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## Aidan23gd (6 Apr 2009)

pingu said:


> there are a ton of ads on Autotrader stating only contac via an email address.
> 
> WARNING THIS IS A SCAM DO NOT CONTACT !



Totally agree. 99% of the times that I have enquired about private sale cars whose owners have only provided emails have been total scams. I would not even waste my time emailing anymore - use their numbers or nothing at all! These scammers just have millions of email addresses, phone numbers are not half as easy to keep changing.


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## parry (7 Apr 2009)

and if_ western union_ is mentioned, run a mile


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## FiveDots (12 May 2009)

same here




> Re: 2006 BMW 3 SERIES 320d SE 4dr Auto Diesel Saloon - £4200
> Hello,
> Sorry for the delay in my reply, I am literally overwhelmed by the number of offers.
> First of all I'd like to let you know that the 2006 BMW 3 SERIES 320d SE 4dr Auto Diesel Saloon is still available for sale. The vehicle is a British model, with English specifications and registration. It complies with the UK emission standards. The car is meticulously maintained. No damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects, runs and sounds awesome, the engine has never been repaired or something like that, not a Cat D or C, exactly as advertised.
> ...


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## dutcocky (20 Jun 2009)

Hi Natasha
I saw similar adverts on 'autotrader' for 3 VW Touareg 3.0 V6 TDi and a 1 Mercedes ML270 CDi when I tried to phone them, funnily enough all were engaged and only contactable through emails this is what I recieved.


_I appreciate that you contacted me. First let me say that the 2006 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG is available for £6,200 + shipping to your door. For an accurate shipping cost please include your shipping address or full postal code in your next email.  _
_Probly the cleanest vehicle for sale anywhere. The interior is very clean and the body of the car is in perfect condition, no dents, dings, cracks or scratches anywhere. The engine runs very smooth and strong without any mechanical issues. The transmission is also in perfect condition running without any issues. _
_This car has never had paintwork and needs nothing. One of the best all around driving cars you can buy. If you have been waiting on a real clean enthusiast owned 2006 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG you have found it._
_A Totally Rust, Corrosion Free Vehicle. Never been in any accidents. HPI Clear._
_I purchased the vehicle from England and used it while I worked there. Now because of the financial crisis I moved back to my home country, Switzerland. I brought the vehicle in Switzerland with me, but as the crisis is getting worse I can't afford to keep it anymore. Probably you are wondering why I am selling it for such a low price. The market price for right handed vehicles is low in Swiss and having a lower price than the UK market will bring me a buyer faster than having a high one. _

_If you have any further questions please do not hesitate ask._

_Best Regards_

_Kevin_

This is the same email I recieved from all of them so I emailed one back telling them I was interested but I would fly out and drive the car back(It actually only works out about £120 for 2 people flying and channel tunnel back, plus fuel) funnily enough they were not that keen on me flying out and said they would stump up half of the shippping fee (ummm I don't think I would be so generous selling my car especially as it is being sold for approx £7000 less than similar models on autotrader) 
The photos sent were any old publicity, inside only, limited view shots.
Anyway, so when they had all replied to me I sent out the following email:

_Thanks for the reply, I have now purchased car but thank you for your time. You should speak to Pam Warren, Funher Galtz and Martin Potts they all have identical cars for sale, you may be able to ship them all over together, for a cheaper rate, and get somebody over in the U.K (maybe somebody you knew when you were over here) to sell them for a lot more money than you are asking for, just an idea. _

The names in red are ones to watch out for also there is _Kevin Watson _

Some little things to watch for are 
Poor spelling 
Photos don't look 'real' they look like brochure photos
If the deal looks as if it too good to be true, it probably is (not that there arn't some great deals out there)
They don't answer the phone or number is always engaged or they say not to ring (why give a phone number then)

Just thought I would give people the heads up on these scammers. 

Cheers 

Craig



_Good Luck_


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## AlbacoreA (21 Jun 2009)

Autotrader and carzone are riddled with these scam ads.


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## Artois (21 Jun 2009)

ciars said:


> Similar ad on carzone. 03 Black VW beetle for €6000 or something. My wife was like 'my god look at this' I explained about the potential scams on other car sites so we emailed the seller.
> 
> Got pretty much same story as above. Except it played on the death of a family member and they needed to sell the car - at whatever cost. Irish reg but in the UK. Just send money LOL....


 
Scam for sure. I got the my brother died in the UK and his Irish reg Porche Boxer is in the UK.

The third party intermediary above refers to Western Union. They will ask you to wire purchase monies to yourself at a Western Union office and scan a copy of the transfer to them "_to_ show you have the money and are not a time waster"

Stay well clear. Usual rules apply if it seemes to be too good to be true it probably is.


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## pingu (21 Jun 2009)

The scams are easy enough to spot ,always the price is too good to be true and I wouldnt go near any advert that says contact via email , or had a picture that included the email address. I dont know why these internet car selling mediums have not sorted this themselves or they just dont care as long as they get the fee.


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## AlbacoreA (21 Jun 2009)

I've reported a few ads and they did nothing.


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