Potential text scam for car sellers... anyone else?
Discussion
Has anybody else who is selling their car received a text message similar to the below? I put my car for sale on PH and Autotrader.
Today, I received a text which said:
"Is your Audi A6 3. ... still for sale? I can offer £9745.00 GBP cash and will collect! Visit www.sold-autotrader.com enter PURCHASE ID 668987527 - OFFER ENDS TODAY"
Out of curiosity I visited the web site, which offers a little blurb as to why they are able to offer close to the asking price, because they can make their money on the finance etc. Sure enough, if you enter the above reference, it gives details of your car and asks for a suitable day to collect etc. But then comes the sting... a £60 fee to pay upfront (which is apparently refundable when they come to collect the vehicle and hand over the cash). That is, if they ever turn up to collect the vehicle!
I'm of the frame of mind, that if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. I e-emailed them, so say that I would accept their offer, but was unwilling to make any electronic transactions and asked them to call. I doubt very much this will happen. No limited company details, no VAT number and a PO Box address.
Be warned!
Today, I received a text which said:
"Is your Audi A6 3. ... still for sale? I can offer £9745.00 GBP cash and will collect! Visit www.sold-autotrader.com enter PURCHASE ID 668987527 - OFFER ENDS TODAY"
Out of curiosity I visited the web site, which offers a little blurb as to why they are able to offer close to the asking price, because they can make their money on the finance etc. Sure enough, if you enter the above reference, it gives details of your car and asks for a suitable day to collect etc. But then comes the sting... a £60 fee to pay upfront (which is apparently refundable when they come to collect the vehicle and hand over the cash). That is, if they ever turn up to collect the vehicle!
I'm of the frame of mind, that if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. I e-emailed them, so say that I would accept their offer, but was unwilling to make any electronic transactions and asked them to call. I doubt very much this will happen. No limited company details, no VAT number and a PO Box address.
Be warned!
Just got this too.....
from sameday-cash4autos.com
"We need to confirm that this is a genuine appointment for us to buy your car.
Its expensive for us to send a buyer and recovery vehicle to an appointment - so its important to us that the booking is genuine and you are going to be there.
We therefore charge a refundable booking deposit of just £75.00
Don't worry - our buyer will hand it back to you in cash on the day, even if you decide not to sell.
Once you have paid the booking deposit, you will be provided with one of our buyers contact details - just in case you need to contact them with directions.
Paying the deposit is simple and convenient - just follow the steps on the right.
Once you have the 19 digit voucher pin, enter it below and click the 'confirm booking' button."
"Visit your local shop displaying the PayPoint sign - to find yours click here
Ask for UKASH or print off a coupon here
Pay the shop keeper £75.00
The shop keeper will give you a voucher
Return to here and enter the 19 digit pin
The pin starts with 6337"
Scam as f***. Any reputable company would use a credit card, not anonymous corner shop cash.
from sameday-cash4autos.com
"We need to confirm that this is a genuine appointment for us to buy your car.
Its expensive for us to send a buyer and recovery vehicle to an appointment - so its important to us that the booking is genuine and you are going to be there.
We therefore charge a refundable booking deposit of just £75.00
Don't worry - our buyer will hand it back to you in cash on the day, even if you decide not to sell.
Once you have paid the booking deposit, you will be provided with one of our buyers contact details - just in case you need to contact them with directions.
Paying the deposit is simple and convenient - just follow the steps on the right.
Once you have the 19 digit voucher pin, enter it below and click the 'confirm booking' button."
"Visit your local shop displaying the PayPoint sign - to find yours click here
Ask for UKASH or print off a coupon here
Pay the shop keeper £75.00
The shop keeper will give you a voucher
Return to here and enter the 19 digit pin
The pin starts with 6337"
Scam as f***. Any reputable company would use a credit card, not anonymous corner shop cash.
thelawnet said:
Scam as f***. Any reputable company would use a credit card, not anonymous corner shop cash.
A reputable company would not need to take a £75 deposit. Nor would it list it as number 9a (it's always 9a on the scam sites) in their Terms & Conditions when every other clause is just numbered without a letter.Gassing Station | Website Feedback | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff