Is that car or vehicle listing a scam? How to buy safely online
Fraudulent vehicle listings appear on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, AutoTrader, Gumtree, and similar platforms. The playbook: an attractive car is listed below market value with high-quality photos. The seller claims to be overseas, deployed, or unavailable to meet, and asks for payment or a deposit before you can view the vehicle — often using a fake escrow service to provide false reassurance.
The fake escrow variant is particularly convincing: the scammer directs you to a professional-looking website for an 'escrow service' that 'holds funds until delivery'. Both the seller and the escrow service are the same operation. The car never arrives, and the escrow site disappears.
Legitimate private vehicle sellers are almost always local, willing to meet in person, and don't request payment before a viewing.
🚩 Red flags to watch for
- ▶The price is noticeably below market value for the year, make, and condition described.
- ▶The seller is abroad, deployed, or otherwise unavailable to show the car in person.
- ▶They request a deposit to 'reserve' the vehicle before viewing.
- ▶They recommend a specific escrow or delivery service — this is almost certainly operated by the scammer.
- ▶The listing photos appear elsewhere online under a different seller or location when reverse-searched.
- ▶Communication is only via email or WhatsApp, not phone calls.
✅ What to do
- 1Never pay any money before inspecting the vehicle in person and verifying the seller's ownership (logbook/V5C in the UK, title in the US).
- 2Verify the vehicle exists independently: in the UK, check the DVLA online register and HPI check for outstanding finance. In the US, run a Carfax or AutoCheck report.
- 3Meet in a public place and bring someone with you. Consider a pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic.
- 4Pay only via methods with consumer protection: bank transfer to a verified seller (not a company, not 'escrow'), or cash on collection — never gift card or cryptocurrency.
📣 Where to report (by country)
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Action Fraud
- Police Scotland — call 101
🇦🇺 Australia
🇨🇦 Canada
🌍 Everywhere else
- Contact your local police and your bank immediately
- If money was sent, ask your bank about a recall request — act within hours
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Common questions
The seller has offered to use an escrow service for protection. Isn't that safer?
Only if you independently find and verify the escrow service — not one the seller recommends. Fake escrow websites are designed to look professional and trustworthy. Verify any escrow service via your country's financial regulator before using it.
They've offered to ship the car to me. Is that possible?
Vehicle shipping is real and sometimes used in genuine long-distance sales. The risk is that any shipping cost you pay upfront to a 'transport company' the seller recommends is part of the scam. Arrange shipping independently through a verified, regulated transport broker if you genuinely proceed with a remote purchase.