How to Protect Yourself from Scams and Fraud When Selling a Car

Fraud prevention is a must when selling a car on your own. How can you prevent scams? Check out these top 5 fraud tip for a little help to keep fraudsters at bay.

Naturally, fraud is a concern, especially if you are a first-time seller. Fraud schemes can be quite complex, but by taking a few precautions you’ll be most likely to make your transaction a smooth and pleasant experience.

The Ideal Situation

The best way to avoid fraud is to use common sense and exercise good judgment. If a situation makes you uneasy, approach it cautiously. Ideally, secure payment before you transfer ownership and work only with the specific person who is purchasing your car. If you accept a check, whether it be from a personal or business account or a cashier’s check, verify it with the issuing bank — not your bank.

Regardless of the buyer’s method of payment, verify their identity with their driver’s license and preferably one other form of identification with a name and address, such as an auto insurance card. Though this isn’t foolproof, taking these measures will greatly reduce your chances of being a victim of fraud.

If the person is local, go to their bank and complete the final transaction there.

For tips on how to complete the deal, read Transferring Ownership, and review the Paperwork to Close the Deal.

What to Watch Out For

When the ideal situation isn’t feasible, you don’t need to give up the sale. Instead, just be aware of the most common scams to watch out for and avoid those situations.

• Offering to buy the car sight unseen. Serious buyers will want to look at your car, ask you questions about it and take it for a test drive. Be wary of anyone who makes an offer to buy your car sight unseen and have someone else arrive to pick it up and complete the transaction. This is often part of a larger scam to pass a bad check or to get the title of the car without paying for it. Don’t sign over the title until you are certain you have secured payment in full.
• Distant buyers. Prospective buyers who live far away, even overseas, are not necessarily scammers. They can be legitimate, especially if you’re selling a collectible car or one that’s hard to find in their area. If you’re selling a common vehicle though, be cautious of buyers who live far away, especially if they want you to use a shipping service.
• Fake cashier’s check or money order. It can be hard to tell the difference between a real check and a fake one, since the fakes can look so authentic. While your bank may accept a check or money order and give you cash for it, the check doesn’t actually clear until days (sometimes weeks) later. So if there’s a problem, you may not find out until your car and its new owner are long gone.
• Escrow Accounts. Using an escrow account where a third party holds the title to your car until you are absolutely certain your payment is secure can be a good option. Still,  use a local service, such as a reputable bank or attorney, or a well-known, established online service. Never agree to an escrow service unless you have thoroughly researched it.
• Overpayment scams. In overpayment scams, the potential buyer tells you someone else owes him an amount higher than your selling price and wants that person to pay you instead. He then asks you to give him the car, plus the difference in price. Sometimes the prospective buyer will offer you additional money as compensation. These situations are almost always scams to get you to part with your car and additional money. Sometimes they involve a fake check to boot, which means you’ll be out even more money.
• Payment plans. A prospective buyer who wants to work out a payment plan for your car may also be up to no good. As a result, Autotrader strongly advises against agreeing to a payment plan, regardless of the terms. In these scenarios, the buyer gets you to agree to a payment plan, frequently with substantial interest, only to leave you with an initial payment (which may or may not be fraudulent) and disappear with your car.

Where to Report Fraud

For any fraudulent activity related to an Autotrader.com ad, or that references Autotrader.com, report it to us immediately at FraudWatch@Autotrader.com. Autotrader.com acts only as an online vehicle listing service connecting buyers and sellers; the company does not own, buy or sell vehicles, and does not get involved in the transaction between buyer and seller, including by offering vehicle inspections, storage or shipping services. Our Fraud Watch department regularly reviews suspicious e-mails and other activities for fraud, and works with consumers who believe they may have been victims of a scam.

In addition, if you are a victim of fraud, you should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). IC3 focuses solely on cyber crimes and is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the Bureau of Justice assistance.

Finally, contact your local law enforcement. If there was any interaction with a scammer posing as a prospective buyer within their jurisdiction, they should take a report. Even if they can’t help you, it will help their fraud department identify trends for scams in your area.

For more fraud tips and resources for spotting scams, read our Safety and Fraud Awareness tips.

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