Selling a car on fb marketplace - scam
Discussion
I’ve never sold a car on marketplace so never had to deal with this - my wife listed her car on marketplace and within 2 mins of it going live had a message.
The next question asked was “is the v5 on your name”, and “gimme your postcode” my spidey senses tingled when she told me this but she ran with it and gave him our address and also bought a report - she thought he seemed genuine (but had a locked profile and the English was poor).
He was going to turn up at 7 on Friday but cancelled with 3 minutes to spare.
She’s since had further messages asking “is the v5 on your name” (not in, on)
I know this is scammy but I don’t know what or how they could do anything - unfortunately my wife is now worried.
The next question asked was “is the v5 on your name”, and “gimme your postcode” my spidey senses tingled when she told me this but she ran with it and gave him our address and also bought a report - she thought he seemed genuine (but had a locked profile and the English was poor).
He was going to turn up at 7 on Friday but cancelled with 3 minutes to spare.
She’s since had further messages asking “is the v5 on your name” (not in, on)
I know this is scammy but I don’t know what or how they could do anything - unfortunately my wife is now worried.
Nothing to be worried about. The scam was buying the report. There is no report, all you've done is essentially sent them some money for free. They have no interest in your car and all the other stuff is just guff. FB, Gumtree, AT and Ebay are all rife with these "I'm interested in your car... I need to check it has a clean title... can you please purchase a report from Global Vehicle Checker webiste and if all clear then I will purchase it for the full asking price... here is a link to the site" so all those people who don't engage brain beforehand just go along and buy this report (from the scammer's website) to show the buyer that their car is good, nothing to hide etc, the scammer pockets the £5 or £10 you've just sent them for this nonexistent report and then they move along to the next person who's just listed their car for sale. Rinse and repeat. Kerching !
Edited by Tisy on Saturday 6th December 15:54
Tisy said:
Nothing to be worried about. The scam was buying the report. There is no report, all you've done is essentially sent them some money for free. They have no interest in your car and all the other stuff is just guff. FB, Gumtee, AT and Ebay are all rife with these "I'm interested in your car... I need to check it has a clean title... can you please purchase a report from Global Vehicle Checker webiste and if all clear then I will purchase it for the full asking price... here is a link to the site" so all those people who don't engage brain beforehand just go along and buy this report (from the scammer's website) to show the buyer that their car is good, nothing to hide etc, the scammer pockets the £5 or £10 you've just sent them for this nonexistent report and then they move along to the next person who's just listed their car for sale. Rinse and repeat. Kerching !
Ah that’s ok then - I did think the report sounded dodgy and when I looked at it it didn’t really say much more than a basic check would. I told her it was all dodgy but she was excited at the prospect of a sale…
RustyNissanPrairie said:
If you've fallen at this first hurdle just sell it via WBAC / cheap to a relative or work colleague / scrap it / trade it in.
There is a lot of hassle involved in selling cars privately nowadays.
Absolutely this , same happened to me last week on FB marketplace, honestly had a message within one minute of listing ,ignored it and never heard again , could be genuine but hey ho.There is a lot of hassle involved in selling cars privately nowadays.
More messages in broken English and also keen to get communication onto what’s app or phone call.
If it doesn’t sound right, locked/dodgy profile etc then just ignore. Marketplace is the worst for this. You will still find a buyer but have to filter through the crap.
Could try eBay, Autotrader etc but I wouldn’t give up and lose a load of money selling to WBAC (unless they are offering a competitive price which 99% of the time they won’t be).
Could try eBay, Autotrader etc but I wouldn’t give up and lose a load of money selling to WBAC (unless they are offering a competitive price which 99% of the time they won’t be).
The OP/seller still has to deal with;
'squirt oil in the header tank cylinder head failed' brigade,
The subtle unpluggers 'engine light light on' mob
The aggressive Driveway traders wanting stock for a 1/3rd of the listed price
Not to mention the ditherers and time wasters.
I very occasionally have sold cars for female friends (most recent being a single friend of the wife's 107, and my sister in law Toyota IQ and later on her Panda) and have used free FB to maximise their returns. It's hard work sorting through the scammers and traders to find a buyer who you want to be the next owner.
The OP has already has fallen for the legions of scum constantly pressing refresh looking for new listings on FB so they can con you into buying them a 'report' hence the WBAC comment.
'squirt oil in the header tank cylinder head failed' brigade,
The subtle unpluggers 'engine light light on' mob
The aggressive Driveway traders wanting stock for a 1/3rd of the listed price
Not to mention the ditherers and time wasters.
I very occasionally have sold cars for female friends (most recent being a single friend of the wife's 107, and my sister in law Toyota IQ and later on her Panda) and have used free FB to maximise their returns. It's hard work sorting through the scammers and traders to find a buyer who you want to be the next owner.
The OP has already has fallen for the legions of scum constantly pressing refresh looking for new listings on FB so they can con you into buying them a 'report' hence the WBAC comment.
This thread has been running for a couple of years.
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Triumph Man said:
I ve never sold a car on marketplace so never had to deal with this - my wife listed her car on marketplace and within 2 mins of it going live had a message.
The next question asked was is the v5 on your name , and gimme your postcode my spidey senses tingled when she told me this but she ran with it and gave him our address and also bought a report - she thought he seemed genuine (but had a locked profile and the English was poor).
He was going to turn up at 7 on Friday but cancelled with 3 minutes to spare.
She s since had further messages asking is the v5 on your name (not in, on)
I know this is scammy but I don t know what or how they could do anything - unfortunately my wife is now worried.
I think I had 7 or 8 of these when I advertised mine in the first few mins. Some are more advanced at trying to convince you they are genuine but eventually it comes down to you buying a report on a website they give you. Even the small amount the report cost isn’t the biggest worry it’s that they now have your full details and are obviously scammers. Scum. The next question asked was is the v5 on your name , and gimme your postcode my spidey senses tingled when she told me this but she ran with it and gave him our address and also bought a report - she thought he seemed genuine (but had a locked profile and the English was poor).
He was going to turn up at 7 on Friday but cancelled with 3 minutes to spare.
She s since had further messages asking is the v5 on your name (not in, on)
I know this is scammy but I don t know what or how they could do anything - unfortunately my wife is now worried.
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