Probable scam car seller

[southdalton11]

I was interested in a car that on reflection seemed too good to be true.

I messaged the seller innocently asking for details of car and some more pics which he provided. He also called me late evening and promised delivery of car etc.

The car was quite rare combo of colour and full options ticked for an attractive price with seemingly background of photos "shopped".

So this seller has all my contact details including full name, postcode, mobile and email as per the contact details given up by ebay as part of the messaging. The day after there was a declined payment on a debit card linked to my ebay account - all seems to be a bit fishy. How come Ebay give all contact details out like that as seems any scammer has a lot of info on me now.

Should I report it to ebay or am I been a bit too worried about nothing ??

[tressygirl]

You cannot make a card payment for a vehicle on eBay,  it has to be cash on collection,  or a bank transfer, so nothing fishy on your side,  but the seller may well think there's something fishy someone trying to buy by card.

Buying a vehicle on eBay you purchase the item either by pressing that Buy it Now,  or winning it,  if in auction format.

At that stage all contact details can be exchanged and a convenient time for both of you  to be confirmed, for you to come,  inspect the car and paperwork fully, and only then if satisfied all is OK,  you pay with cash or bank transfer.

@southdalton11 

[john1297576]

With vehicles there is NO MONEY BACK GUARANTEE, and you only pay in CASH, after you or a qualified person has inspected the vehicle for you and examined the paperwork.

You can report to ebay but doubt they will get involved.

 A very high percentage of vehicles advertised on ebay do not even exist, even if ebay remove the seller and vehicles, they are back next day under a different ID.

[southdalton11]

I haven't tried to pay for the car or agreed or buy it - just seems odd he has all my contact details from my messaging about it and then there is declined card payment from my current account that is default on my ebay account.

[southdalton11]

Hi, your second paragraph resonates with me - agree, I don't think that car does exist with him, but whether he has my details to commit more fraud is what I was worried about considering he has all my contact details including post code, phone number and email address. Was concerned when i got a message from my bank app that a card payment was declined which was a mystery to me.

Why does ebay give up so much personal info on a general enquiry I made - its all very one way.

He has 100% feedback from stuff he has bought but nothing for selling anything yet he holds himself out as a car trader.

As you say he gets taken down then he will pop up again - I've blocked him now anyway.

[plpmr]

"Why does ebay give up so much personal info on a general enquiry I made - its all very one way."

An educated guess was that it's a classified ad and that's just like buying rom a newspaper or ad in a shop window.

[red_magpie]

Promising delivery of a car is a sure sign of a scam. Scams only work when the scammer can con the buyer into paying them before actually seeing the vehicle (which they never will, because the seller doesn't have or own it. Anyone can place an ad for any car just by taking or copying a photo of it.)

I don't have any further time now, so I will just reproduce below my standard warning to buyers about the risks of buying a car here:

If considering buying a motor vehicle through eBay you need to understand that there is NO BUYER PROTECTION WHATSOEVER for vehicles bought here, however you pay and whether by auction or by classified ad.

The result is that eBay motors is a magnet for criminals. 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 non-existent motor vehicles.

"Selling" a vehicle here can be as simple as copying a picture of it and claiming to be selling it. There is no vehicle, so to succeed scammers have to con you into paying for it unseen. Don't fall for excuses why it isn't available for inspection, or be fooled by promises that eBay or anyone else will hold your payment safe until you have seen and approved the vehicle. They won't!

Don't assume that good feedback means anything - hacked accounts are often used to place fraudulent ads for motor vehicles.

The golden rule when buying from unknown sellers on eBay 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.