Whether it's a private seller or a used car dealer, car scams are here to stay - even if you're buying the car in person. Before you head out for a car buying experience, check out our top 10 used car scams so you'll be prepared.
Don't get scammed into purchasing a car from a crook! Find out the complete driving history of the person selling you the car first to see if they are being legitimate with you or not.
For any questions or concerns, please email manager@drivinghistory.com today.
2. DrivingHistory.com Scam #1
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By making a car appear to have lower
mileage than it actually does, the seller can
rake in thousands of extra dollars. The
crooks call it "rolling back" or "spinning" an
odometer.
Each year in America, bad guys tamper
with the odometers on about half a million
used cars. The typical rollback takes
30,000 miles off the life of a car.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7365206
3. DrivingHistory.com Scam #2
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Beware of dealers trying to sell you extra
features like rust-proofing, fabric protection
or windshield etching of the vehicle
identification number. You don’t really need
them.
You can buy a VIN etching kit for $20 at
any auto parts store and easily do it
yourself.
http://www.forbes.com/2011/04/07/gm-ford-toyota-honda-business-autos-car-dealer-scams.html
4. DrivingHistory.com Scam #3
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Online car sellers often use escrow
services, which collect and verify payment
from a buyer. The money is held by the
service until all parties are satisfied with the
sale.
There have been some instances of phony
escrow services operating on the Internet.
Make sure you check out an escrow
service.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/car-selling5.htm
5. DrivingHistory.com Scam #4
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The dealer advertises a car with a great
price, but when you show up at the
dealership, they say it's already been sold.
They then try to get you to buy a more
expensive vehicle.
The whole point of a bait-and-switch ad is
to get you to the showroom.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-21-car-dealer-scams-tricks-2013-9?op=1
6. DrivingHistory.com Scam #5
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Some people will want to take your vehicle
for a test drive. They might even leave you
a driver’s license to hold onto while they do.
Be careful here; fake licenses are hard to
recognize for the common person. Then
they drive off with your car!
http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/6-scams-to-avoid-when-selling-your-car/
7. DrivingHistory.com Scam #6
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Be VERY careful selling cars/large items if
the buyer is keen to use Paypal and states
they are working abroad.
You then get a FAKE Paypal email saying
you have been paid extra.
It is a scam to eventually get a Western
Union payment from you.
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Sending-and-receiving-money/Car-Purchase-Scam/td-p/682717?profile.language=en-gb
8. DrivingHistory.com Scam #7
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Stolen vehicles are often sold with vehicle
identification numbers (VINs) that have
been swiped from legally registered cars.
One way to avoid being a victim of this
scam is to verify that all of the VINs on a
vehicle match, including those on the
dashboard, the driver’s side door sticker,
the car’s frame and the paperwork for the
vehicle.
http://blog.allstate.com/top-5-used-car-buying-scams/
9. DrivingHistory.com Scam #8
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According to the Department of Motor
Vehicles officials and state fraud
investigators, one the most common scams
dealers commit is fixing a totaled car off the
books and then reselling it "as is."
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=983570
10. DrivingHistory.com Scam #9
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If you face a changing story, a sudden shift
in the terms of the sale or a request to
move the transaction from one website to
another, beware. These are common
scammer tactics, but they're rare among
legitimate sellers.
http://money.msn.com/car-buying/5-red-flags-of-used-car-scams-bankrate.aspx
11. DrivingHistory.com Scam #10
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If buying from a private party and there is
money owed on the car, you want to go
with the seller to the bank and pay the car
off directly and have the bank release the
title to you on the spot. Don’t just hand over
a large sum of money to the seller and trust
that all will be fine.
http://washingtonbankruptcy.com/do-you-know-these-eight-used-car-buying-scams/