Posted on 07/21/2024 5:32:36 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
We just bought a new used car for my wife off of craigslist. Now I am selling her old car on craigslist. Within minutes of posting the ad I got a response. The people were "very interested" but wanted a report on the car from some website. I paid $22.95 for the report and sent it to them. Never heard from them again.
Today I got another guy who was "very interested" in the car, but wanted me to get a report from some website for $27.
Fool me once, your fault. Fool me twice, my fault.
Just do the Carfax.
Had the same experience this week on an RV. Told the MF if he was interested buy his own report. Got snotty with me and said it is customary to provide a buyer with this report. I have no idea why internet scammers are so prevalent, I do know that a highly public arrest, conviction and 20 year prison sentence might make other wannabe scammer think twice.
Good to know. Thanks.
I am not getting any reports from now on. That last time I sold a vehicle was fifteen years ago and there is a relearning curve.
I get emails and texts the minute a transaction occurs, so I have caught this stuff before and cancelled the card. I am going to cancel this one as soon as I work my way through the automated telephone system.
Good point. Working my way through Chase’s automated voice system right now.
No.
👍
I was just giving general advice for those who want to buy or sell on internet marketplace. If you buy or sell, arrange to meet at a police station to conduct the transaction. Cops don’t mind and, if it’s a scam, they will stay away ,
The fact that I got two people in a row wanting me to get a report tells me they are churning people for reports. It’s been fifteen years since I sold a vehicle and my defenses were down. $22.95 is a cheap lesson. I am on alert now.
I am canceling my CC right now.
Just had to cancel a CC today for this very same reason:
VehicleReported.com
They say $1.00 for one report, and the a few days later start charging you their monthly fee (28.95) no matter what. Scam.
> It’s been fifteen years since I sold a vehicle and my defenses were down. <
I gotta tell you. I am quite alert to scams of all sorts. But this car report scam is new to me. I might have fallen for it.
Thanks for sharing your experience here. The government should be running brief public service ads warning people about scams. That would be a good use of tax money (for a change).
Yup...My bank caught it...Did yours??
I don’t get it. What was the scam?
Very similar to a rental application scam I read about. “Beautiful apartment complex with several available units for immediate occupancy. Apply online and pay $35 through the company’s website.” Suffice to say those vacant units are always available and ready for immediate occupancy but it appears none of the applicants have adequate credit. But thanks for the $35 bucks.
Getting you to pay for a useless report from their website and probably steal your credit card information or identity. They never intend to buy the vehicle. The out of state area code should have been sufficient warning, but I let my guard down. I am canceling the card now. Angrifying, but a cheap lesson.
Perhaps others could use the information
instantvinreport.com
214 days old url registration. It uses a cloudflare proxy so it looks like it comes from ‘California’ but has 643 other sites hosted there. It uses a registration phone number from the Netherlands but that could resolve to anywhere else on earth.
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