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Sale Of Car When Buyer Isn't Present? Am I Safe?
15 Answers
I've been selling my old heap on Friday-Ad. I've received an email saying the following "... i am willing to pay your full asking price because i need to buy it for my cousin asap, i have read through the advert and i'm totally satisfied with it. Unfortunately i would not be able to come personally to collect due to my hearing loss and I'm just recovering from heart surgery so I'm house-bound, I have a courier agent that would help me to pick it up at your preferred location after you have received your money and i'll pay you via PayPal once you are ready. Kindly get back to me with your location so that i can inform the courier agent about it now?"
If I've received the funds through PayPal, am I able to hand over the car and the log-book, with my signature and time of releasing it to this 'agent,' and be safe in no longer being liable for the vehicle? It's just an old junker and the value is negligable. My only concern is in not having an actual 'buyer' sign the logbook with me.
Many thanks!
Ollie!
If I've received the funds through PayPal, am I able to hand over the car and the log-book, with my signature and time of releasing it to this 'agent,' and be safe in no longer being liable for the vehicle? It's just an old junker and the value is negligable. My only concern is in not having an actual 'buyer' sign the logbook with me.
Many thanks!
Ollie!
Answers
https:// www. paypal- community. com/ t5/ Access- and- security/ Is- this- a- Paypal- Scam- on- Gumtree/ td- p/ 976894 https:// www. paypal- community. com/ t5/ Access- and- security/ SCAMMER- ON- AUTOTRADER- BEWARE/ td- p/ 1066169 http://singl etrackworld. com/forum/to pic/isnt-goo gle-great-fo r-catching-s cammers...
17:54 Sat 05th Aug 2017
I'm suspicious of this purely because some of whats been suggested are methods used by scanmmers - eg. Paypal is good, but how do you know that they have not hacked somebody's account, or used a stolen card to fund it? If it is stolen, the Paypal would reclaim the money first before they confirm its stolen. Then you have no car.
Sending a courier is also something scammers do when claiming bank cards need to be returned to the bank.
It may be genuine, but it just doesn't seem right.
Sending a courier is also something scammers do when claiming bank cards need to be returned to the bank.
It may be genuine, but it just doesn't seem right.
Thank you Tuvok! I hate having to be so doubtful, but this has just left me rather uncomfortable - only due to the statement by the potential buyer that they would have an "agent" collect the car.
It was just the verbiage of "agent" that raised a flag. Possibly there's absolutely nothing wrong at all with this. But I'd like to suggest that the buyer, along with payment via paypal, provide me with a photocopy of their driving license or passport...and their verifiable addy... might this make it a bit safer? The car is old and I was only asking a for a few hundred quid to be donated to a charity. One way or another, it won't break me. My main concern was with any potential liability of handing the car over to an intermediate individual.
Many thanks!
Ollie+
It was just the verbiage of "agent" that raised a flag. Possibly there's absolutely nothing wrong at all with this. But I'd like to suggest that the buyer, along with payment via paypal, provide me with a photocopy of their driving license or passport...and their verifiable addy... might this make it a bit safer? The car is old and I was only asking a for a few hundred quid to be donated to a charity. One way or another, it won't break me. My main concern was with any potential liability of handing the car over to an intermediate individual.
Many thanks!
Ollie+
This def seems like a scam.
Even asking for a copy of their passport or driving licence won't guarantee protection - how can you be certain they're not forged or stolen??
I know it's only a few hundred quid, but i'd stay well clear of this.
Ask them if their "agent" can pay you in cash when he picks the car up (it is only a few hundred quid after all) and listen to the excuses he comes up with :)
Even asking for a copy of their passport or driving licence won't guarantee protection - how can you be certain they're not forged or stolen??
I know it's only a few hundred quid, but i'd stay well clear of this.
Ask them if their "agent" can pay you in cash when he picks the car up (it is only a few hundred quid after all) and listen to the excuses he comes up with :)
https:/ /www.pa ypal-co mmunity .com/t5 /Access -and-se curity/ Is-this -a-Payp al-Scam -on-Gum tree/td -p/9768 94
https:/ /www.pa ypal-co mmunity .com/t5 /Access -and-se curity/ SCAMMER -ON-AUT OTRADER -BEWARE /td-p/1 066169
http:// singlet rackwor ld.com/ forum/t opic/is nt-goog le-grea t-for-c atching -scamme rs
http:// forums. moneysa vingexp ert.com /showth read.ph p?s=064 f38edb5 c98c47a 86ed9e3 61c908d 6&p =699587 34
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Thank you Thank you THANK YOU everyone!
You've saved my bacon! It seemed too good to be true and alas, it was!
Just a rather sad prologue to this; I contacted my local constabulary, stupidly believing that they would help me to apprehend this scallywag by arranging to be present at the time of the vehicle collection.
Nope! I was told I had to "write to" Action Fraud and they would log the matter and compile it with other crimes.
Virtually no interest, whatsoever, in wanting to catch the scoundrel(s) in the first instance - just to increase their statistical reports.
To be honest, I'm angrier over this betrayal of our police force than I am of having possibly lost a few hundred pounds (which in my ad I had requested that the buyer donate directly to a charity anyway)...
I stupidly believed our police would happily help to stop a crim in action.
How wrong I was!
Thank you everyone! With tail between my legs I've decided to just send the car to the knacker yard on Monday.
Oh well...
Caveat Emptor!
Ollie+
You've saved my bacon! It seemed too good to be true and alas, it was!
Just a rather sad prologue to this; I contacted my local constabulary, stupidly believing that they would help me to apprehend this scallywag by arranging to be present at the time of the vehicle collection.
Nope! I was told I had to "write to" Action Fraud and they would log the matter and compile it with other crimes.
Virtually no interest, whatsoever, in wanting to catch the scoundrel(s) in the first instance - just to increase their statistical reports.
To be honest, I'm angrier over this betrayal of our police force than I am of having possibly lost a few hundred pounds (which in my ad I had requested that the buyer donate directly to a charity anyway)...
I stupidly believed our police would happily help to stop a crim in action.
How wrong I was!
Thank you everyone! With tail between my legs I've decided to just send the car to the knacker yard on Monday.
Oh well...
Caveat Emptor!
Ollie+
Again, thank you everyone for all you've contributed. As I said, you've saved my bacon.
I removed the advert altogether. And I'm taking the car to the knacker's yard where they'll give me £100 for it. I'll then pay that into the charity myself.
In hindsight, I probably ought to have done this in the first instance, rather than trying to offer it online in exchange for someone else making a donation to a charity.
So much for altruism...and common sense!
Thank you again!
Ollie+
I removed the advert altogether. And I'm taking the car to the knacker's yard where they'll give me £100 for it. I'll then pay that into the charity myself.
In hindsight, I probably ought to have done this in the first instance, rather than trying to offer it online in exchange for someone else making a donation to a charity.
So much for altruism...and common sense!
Thank you again!
Ollie+
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