Hi all, well i just wanted to make you are all aware of a scam involving buying cars online, whether you use Kiijji,craigs list even ebay motors. I saw an advert for a 2000 vw golf diesel tdi for $2900 which is a bargain although the mileage was very high so i assumed that was why it was a bit cheaper. Anyway i contacted the seller,the advert was just normal wasnt even a flattering pic of the car so it seemed genuine enough. As soon as i emailed the ad disappeared and i assumed the car had been sold. Well yesterday i got an email from the lady who said she had been busy working and couldnt reply,her email was written in bad english and she explained the car belonged to her sick mother who passed away last week and she has brought the car over from newfoundland to Ontario and that the car is ready for purchase as her mother signed the car over to her before she died. She also supplied me with the car VIN number so as to make it seem well and all above board. She mentioned using an ESCROW PAYMENT (online payment) because it would be safer for both of us, and to be honest i had never heard of an escrow payment until i checked into it. Well i didnt like the sound of this it seemed a bit dodgy so i thought i would check it out. i found a website http://www.carbuyingtips.com/fraud.htm and on this site it explains that people set up fake ads taking ads from ebay of cars that have just sold or are for sale,they get the VIN number and everything.
They also try to get you to use a fake escrow site to nab your money. If you check the website out it explains it more in full detail. I just thought i had better let you guys know about this i know others have posted warnings about buying cars that seem to cheap or way underpriced.
Its just that some of us who are new to Canada may get taken in like i nearly did.

Now i checked the VIN number on google.ca like it suggested on http://www.carbuyingtips.com/fraud.htm and guess what the car was on ebay already sold !!!!

Also the sale had ended a while back.
So please be careful.

Anyway im looking for a car at the moment i think i will use a dealer or autotrader.ca even then its best to pay cash i think.
Im used to buying privately this is why i used these sites so just be aware of the pitfalls.

but would you also not look at the car before you buy it too ??

would want to see the actual car before i hand over any money ?? or am i missing something

Not everyone does. We bought our car here while still in the UK. It was waiting for us at Toronto airport.

I personally would not have bought the car without first seeing it, i only posted this so that people are aware of what goes on and what to be aware of.
On the website i mentioned in my post it explains that even though you could actually go and see the car "in the flesh" as it were, some sellers ask you to use the ESCROW payment (using a fake escrow site they recommend) to make the transaction and this is how its possible to get ripped off.

I'm sure Souvenir's not the first or last.

The OP did due diligence before looking at the car which is a very good way of doing it. Props to the OP. The seller would have come up with some excuse, I'm sure.

First rule of the internet;

If it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

There was an NSX advertised for sale here for $2900 a few months ago; I had wondered exactly what kind of scam they were trying to pull.

This is a very common scam and not just for cars - puppies, motorbikes you name it they'll all try the same thing.

We have also bought cars sight unseen - some good results and one very bad one that got rectified. Always ask if, where and when the car can be viewed before parting with any cash - even if you don't intend on viewing. Ask for more photos - maybe some of an unusual place. You can usually get a 'feel' if someone is stringing you a line. Keep copies of the ad and any emails and pictures sent just in case you need to take any business dealings to court.

Usually when a car is advertised as being in Ontario for example but you can view it in Regina you can tell that the person advertsing the car has no idea of the areas.

OH replied to a ebay ad for a car advertised as being somewhere in Texas and when he asked exactly where the car was for getting shipping costs we found out it was the same people under a different name trying the same scam they had already tried us on once.

Homerent.ca is warning people of a similar scam, whereby people are asking for a deposit on houses unseen to secure a let. Only problem is that the scammers do not own the house!

It's a jungle out there!!!! :curse:

There are hundreds of scams of this nature on e-bay and other internet car listings Craig’s list seems to be worst for this though, very unregulated.
I have sold many vehicles sight unseen though we are very honest in describing the cars warts and all.