Is this a new scam....?
Discussion
Trying to sell my wife's car so I advertised it on Scumtree (Gumtree) this morning.
Smart ForFour approx £5K so nothing too flash.
Had a WhatsApp message this afternoon from 'Phil' saying he's interested and would like to view it on Tuesday.
Sounded genuine so the usual to and fro messages about condition and history etc.
Then asks about a history check (like HPI) before he traveled but suggested I pay for the check (£39) and he'll add it to the total of the sale.
I suggested he could do his own checks and his final message read:
"That's quite obvious, I could've done it already as I'm serious about the car however they provide it to the owner due to privacy reasons that's why I asked you because I just need to be confident and this will clear out many concern about this sale, I'm willing to pay £39 along with the car price as I'm going to buy it for the asking price if it comes all clear."
I'm now thinking SCAM alert because anyone can check any car can't they?
Sounds like a lot of work for £39 but what does the Pistonheads massive think.....?
TIA
FF
Smart ForFour approx £5K so nothing too flash.
Had a WhatsApp message this afternoon from 'Phil' saying he's interested and would like to view it on Tuesday.
Sounded genuine so the usual to and fro messages about condition and history etc.
Then asks about a history check (like HPI) before he traveled but suggested I pay for the check (£39) and he'll add it to the total of the sale.
I suggested he could do his own checks and his final message read:
"That's quite obvious, I could've done it already as I'm serious about the car however they provide it to the owner due to privacy reasons that's why I asked you because I just need to be confident and this will clear out many concern about this sale, I'm willing to pay £39 along with the car price as I'm going to buy it for the asking price if it comes all clear."
I'm now thinking SCAM alert because anyone can check any car can't they?
Sounds like a lot of work for £39 but what does the Pistonheads massive think.....?
TIA
FF
Filton-flyer said:
Trying to sell my wife's car so I advertised it on Scumtree (Gumtree) this morning.
Smart ForFour approx £5K so nothing too flash.
Had a WhatsApp message this afternoon from 'Phil' saying he's interested and would like to view it on Tuesday.
Sounded genuine so the usual to and fro messages about condition and history etc.
Then asks about a history check (like HPI) before he traveled but suggested I pay for the check (£39) and he'll add it to the total of the sale.
I suggested he could do his own checks and his final message read:
"That's quite obvious, I could've done it already as I'm serious about the car however they provide it to the owner due to privacy reasons that's why I asked you because I just need to be confident and this will clear out many concern about this sale, I'm willing to pay £39 along with the car price as I'm going to buy it for the asking price if it comes all clear."
I'm now thinking SCAM alert because anyone can check any car can't they?
Sounds like a lot of work for £39 but what does the Pistonheads massive think.....?
TIA
FF
It's a scam that has been around for years, they'll send you a link to a particular "HPI Check Website" they'll want you to use...Smart ForFour approx £5K so nothing too flash.
Had a WhatsApp message this afternoon from 'Phil' saying he's interested and would like to view it on Tuesday.
Sounded genuine so the usual to and fro messages about condition and history etc.
Then asks about a history check (like HPI) before he traveled but suggested I pay for the check (£39) and he'll add it to the total of the sale.
I suggested he could do his own checks and his final message read:
"That's quite obvious, I could've done it already as I'm serious about the car however they provide it to the owner due to privacy reasons that's why I asked you because I just need to be confident and this will clear out many concern about this sale, I'm willing to pay £39 along with the car price as I'm going to buy it for the asking price if it comes all clear."
I'm now thinking SCAM alert because anyone can check any car can't they?
Sounds like a lot of work for £39 but what does the Pistonheads massive think.....?
TIA
FF
toasty said:
Based on that info I d not think scam immediately. If you do get an hpi it ll make the car easier to sell if he doesn t buy it. Suspicion goes both ways and he probably doesn t want to buy a car that has finance outstanding.
Does the fact that anyone can get an HPI check on any vehicle but that person is trying to suggest only the owner can HPI their own vehicle "due to privacy reasons " not ring an alarm bell with you? Of course its a scam.The scam relies on you using "the only checker they will trust, heres the link". Obviously, the checker they give you is no such thing, you give them the card details and before you know it, its a lot more than £39 missing from your account.
There is no such privacy concern with a genuine checker, if they refuse to do one for themselves, its NOT because CarVertical etc won't let them.
There is no such privacy concern with a genuine checker, if they refuse to do one for themselves, its NOT because CarVertical etc won't let them.
toasty said:
Based on that info I d not think scam immediately. If you do get an hpi it ll make the car easier to sell if he doesn t buy it. Suspicion goes both ways and he probably doesn t want to buy a car that has finance outstanding.
FFS! For HPI protection to work the buyer has to do the check."You need to carry out the HPI Check yourself, before you buy the vehicle – the Guarantee is not transferable."
https://www.hpi.co.uk/guides/guarantee.html
Sheepshanks said:
toasty said:
Based on that info I d not think scam immediately. If you do get an hpi it ll make the car easier to sell if he doesn t buy it. Suspicion goes both ways and he probably doesn t want to buy a car that has finance outstanding.
FFS! For HPI protection to work the buyer has to do the check."You need to carry out the HPI Check yourself, before you buy the vehicle the Guarantee is not transferable."
https://www.hpi.co.uk/guides/guarantee.html
Yes I'm on my way down to buy the car for for the full purchase price. You must pay for a report though first, it's essential 
I had 2 of these Muppets messing me around. I toyed with them for a while then insisted they get their own report done or pay me to get their report. They went quiet after that.
TX.
I had 2 of these Muppets messing me around. I toyed with them for a while then insisted they get their own report done or pay me to get their report. They went quiet after that.
TX.
Edited by Terminator X on Thursday 8th January 23:13
As others have said, sadly this has been going a few years now and has spread over all the car selling platforms.
Edit - for anyone finding this thread via a search here's a link to the long running thread for scams specific to PH classifieds and reporting of them to the team for blocking / removal.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Edit - for anyone finding this thread via a search here's a link to the long running thread for scams specific to PH classifieds and reporting of them to the team for blocking / removal.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
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