Buy 'sight unseen' from an ad, it could be a stolen clone

The best way for a criminal to dispose of a stolen car is to clone its identity and sell it online and, if you don't go and inspect it, you won't ever know, and an online check of the VIN number won't protect you if the vehicle identity has been cloned, and even an amateur thief can do it nowadays.

Buying cars 'sight unseen' is a very risky business and when someone is wanting to buy your vehicle this way, they are quite likely not gullible themselves, but wanting to scam you into paying their collection costs. It's worthwhile telling a buyer upfront that if he incurs collection costs, then he'll have to pay the company himself direct. Expecting you to pay, after you've received payment from him is a bizarre idea and an obvious scam.

Rather than describe the process, it's easier if I post a link to a BBC site to describe what happens.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8234995.stm

Buying a car without viewing it first is incredibly risky and, even if you view the car, you have to know what to look for as the 'cloners' will even attempt to alter the vehicles VIN number but someone with experience will be able to detect one that's been changed.

Most of the frauds that we see here are where the seller doesn't have the car they claim to be selling and it's a complete fraud, but the problem is when people believe that the purchase or sale of motor vehicles without viewing them first is normal. It isn't - and the risks you take in trying to do it are much greater than you'd realise.

Equally if someone appears to be wanting to buy your vehicle without viewing it first, be on your guard as it might be the prelude to someone trying you to scam you in to paying fees to a fictional pick up company to collect it from you. It rests on fooling you in to believing they've made a payment that's on hold, or using 'spoofed' Paypal messages, making you feel its safe to make this payment.

Actually it's daft that you should be required to make a payment they could easily make themselves, but that's how the fraud works.