Buying and selling cars online is quick and easy. However, you should pay attention to offers that are too tempting. Club lawyers provide information about the most common scams.
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Scammers try to get money out of buying a car online
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Safer Car Buying Initiative on the Internet: Strong together against fraud
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How to recognize scams and behave correctly
Buyers and sellers are often noticed when buying used cars fraudulent scams in. What they are and how you should behave if you suspect them.
On the Safe Car Purchase Initiative
Awareness is the best protection against fraudsters. This is the motto under which we make ourselves , state and federal police crime prevention, AutoScout24, mobile.de and Classifieds In the “Safer Car Buying on the Internet” (ISAK) initiative, we are working together to combat fraud.
The ISAK informs consumers about security issues for buying or selling cars safely on the Internet and offers concrete advice assistance in critical situations or suspected fraud.
On the website of the Safe Car Buying Initiative on the Internet* you can find out about people you know Scams Find out more and get help buying or selling a car online.
For buying a car: checklisth
Has put together a checklist for you that you can use when buying a car. It will help you assess the seller, ask the right questions and not forget anything important while walking around the car and taking it for a test driveview
Beware of fraud: information for buyers
Be careful with fantastic offers. Don’t make any down payments and be careful Transfers to supposedly secure escrow accounts. These are the most common scams.
No advance payment
Caution is particularly advised when it comes to payment. Online platforms such as AutoScout24 or mobile.de are only used to establish contacts. The identity or seriousness of the providers and the advertisements posted are usually not checked.
Contribute as a buyer no advance payments. Be careful if the seller asks for advance payment. It is best to only change hands in person and upon handing over the vehicle and registration documents.
Escrow account
A seller offers a high-quality car (usually located in another EU country) on the Internet Bargain price at. The buyer should pay the purchase price to a supposedly safe escrow or transport company. The scammers use this for this professionally designed websites. However, the fake websites disappear from the internet after a short time Money is gone.
In some cases, the buyer receives a message that the money will be transferred back because there are problems with the account. But that is usually pure Delaying tactics and makes it more difficult to get the money back.
Providers abroad
A car with German registration and Location abroad is offered cheaply online. The provider explains the German approval with, for example, a death in the family. You offer the potential buyer by email the opportunity to purchase the car for several days before making a final purchase decision testing. The transport costs and part of the purchase price should be covered for this Security be transferred to a shipping company. The interested party pays, but a car is never delivered.
Fake vehicle documents
An advertisement on the Internet, a meeting with someone serious-looking The seller or a serious-looking saleswoman, vehicle registration document, vehicle registration document, service book, HU report and original key are handed over, the chassis number is correct. But when the car is re-registered, it turns out that the car is… stolen is reported and the vehicle documents are forged.
To protect yourself, the buyer and the seller should contact each other direct Meet at the registration office and re-register the vehicle together.
Information for car sellers
Fraudsters also target salespeople who advertise their vehicles on the Internet. Whether you are allowed to give out the chassis number and other questions will be answered by club lawyers.
Purchase via email confirmation
A prospective buyer responds to your advertisement. Under the pretext of confirming the appointment to view the vehicle, he or she asks you to send your address via email e-mail to confirm or to send an “Ok” or he or she sends a “test email” asking for confirmation. But these emails are actually one Purchase contract confirmation – usually to a clear extent lower price than the actual value of the car.
As soon as you send the email, the fraudster asks for it fulfillment of the contract, i.e. the sale of the car at the (supposedly) agreed lower price. He or she threatens to take legal action and Damages for non-fulfillment of the purchase contract if you do not want to sell him or her the car or have since sold it to someone else. The fraudster claims that your email is proof of a valid email Purchase contract to have. In exceptional cases they can even get justice in court.
Collection by third party
After posting a sales ad, you will receive a call from someone interested in buying your vehicle. However, he or she cannot pick it up himself, but would like one carrier with the collection give an order. To gain trust, he or she suggests sending you a payment confirmation from an online payment system in advance. At the handover date, the car will then be picked up by the designated freight forwarder.
Afterwards, the fraudster claims that Vehicle not received and freezes the supposedly transferred money. The fundamentally sensible buyer protection of the online payment system is provided by the cheater levered out. Because the seller cannot clearly prove that the buyer received the car with the confirmation from the shipping company, this is the case Money awarded.
Subsequent pressing of the price
A car dealer contacts private car sellers and offers one very good purchase price for the used car. The seller should bring the vehicle to the buyer. There (possibly after long journey) arrived, the dealer first insists on a vehicle inspection. Due to various defects, he only wants one reduced purchase price pay.
Buy-your-car cards
You come back from shopping and there is a card from a buyer stuck to your car. promises like “Pay maximum prices in cash” sound tempting at first glance. Behind these offers are usually dealers who are looking for cars for export.
It is not a general matter dubious dealings. However, caution is advised in any case.
Sending vehicle documents
Copy/scan never Vehicle documents or identification documents and send them by email to prospective buyers. Fraudsters abroad could Chassis number use for a stolen vehicle. In these cases, the old VIN will be ground out and the VIN will be struck from your vehicle. This is how you get one stolen vehicle a new identity (so-called autodoublet).
Be safe: Tips from the lawyers
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Conclude a written purchase contract: Insist on a written purchase contract. sample purchase contracts help to record everything important.
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Don’t allow yourself to be put under pressure: Don’t let yourself be pressured into making a quick decision. This could be an indication that an offer is not serious.
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unsubscribe car: Deregister your car before selling it. Otherwise, you will continue to be liable for the insurance premium and vehicle tax if the buyer does not re-register the car.
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Long journeys: Avoid a long journey to the buyer. There is a risk that the buyer will want to drive down the price on site. You may be satisfied with a purchase price that is too low so that you don’t take the trip in vain.
Be vigilant offline too
Of course, attempted fraud doesn’t just happen online. There is also direct contact Pitfallsthat you should pay attention to.
This applies, for example, if you want to buy a car abroad. Here you should ask about the exact history of the vehicle (e.g. number of vehicle owners, country of origin) and explicitly inquire about accident damage. Because vehicles are often cheap repaired abroad, but the work often does not meet German standards. In the worst case scenario, this can affect the… Security of the car. In such cases, it is advisable to bring an expert on board.
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