Sale Of Car When Buyer Isn't Present? Am I Safe?

[Oiverbotel]

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!

[Tuvok]

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.

[Oiverbotel]

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+

[hc4361]

Tell them you want cash.

[Bumblebee1612]

This is a scam. Google it!

[Gizmonster]

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 :)

[hc4361]

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://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/isnt-google-great-for-catching-scammers

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?s=064f38edb5c98c47a86ed9e361c908d6&p=69958734

[Islay]

scam - I think they can somehow scam you through paypal - I am sure I have read it somewhere.

[ummmm]

Scrap it.

[Guilbert53]

It has SCAM written all over it.

[Guilbert53]

In fact a search in Google on the following text:

"i'm totally satisfied with it" gumtree

Gives dozens and dozens of hits, on web sites selling cars, wedding dresses, guitars, motor bikes, furniture and so on.

Seems its a well known scam.

[fiction-factory]

Yes. Heard a very similar scam story involving a car and a courier on the radio (LBC legal hour?) a week or so ago.

[Oiverbotel]

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+

[sapelesam]

giveacar.co.uk is a charity that will collect your old car. Look them up. My brother is a used car dealer and they take cars from him and the proceeds go to charity.

[hc4361]

Giveacar is not a charity. They keep 25% + VAT of all proceeds

[Oiverbotel]

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+