Possible scam

[haylzpaul]

Looking for views - we saw a motor home on EBay advertised collect Bristol so messaged our interest. Seller said he/she was selling for a friend and we were given email address of said friend to contact. Messaged address given, a different email address replied said had moved to Germany to look after sick Mum and motor home garaged in Glasgow and she could get it delivered to our home for free and asked for payment via EBay who would ‘hold’ money until we inspected vehicle.

All seems a bit too good to be true, could this be a scam? Would welcome opinions please as considering reporting if seller not legit.

[red_magpie]

This is most certainly a scam!

Please be VERY careful if considering buying any motor vehicle through eBay - there are scams everywhere.

In a TV programme about organised crime, a senior police officer reported that one criminal gang alone had registered "multiple hundreds" of fake accounts on eBay to place fraudulent listings for motor vehicles. And this is on top of ordinary sellers not mentioning faults, or lying about the vehicle's condition.

The important thing to understand is that there is NO BUYER PROTECTION WHATSOEVER for vehicles bought here, however you pay. Many buyers don't realise this, making eBay motors a magnet for criminals. Fake listings are as easy as posting a photo of any motor vehicle, and claiming to be selling it. In one day alone we heard of three buyers who each paid over £6,000 for cars that paid for turned out not to exist. There are no refunds, and no help or support from eBay.

Don't assume that good feedback means anything - hacked accounts are often used to place ads for motor vehicles. Don't fall for bargain prices, or excuses why the vehicle isn't available for inspection, or fake claims that eBay or anyone else will hold your payment safe until you have approved the vehicle (they won't!).

The golden rule is not to pay anything, not even a deposit, until you have seen and inspected the vehicle, checked the paperwork and had an HPI check. Then pay in cash, which is the only method of payment that is safe for both buyer and seller.

If a seller comes up with excuses not to accept these conditions, walk away from it.