Hi everyone,
following on from my internet car sales posting, please beware of ESCROW SCAMS.
It is so sad that people go to these extreme lengths to con the public out of hard earned cash.
Thanks to doing homework and much valued replies on this forum we were not taken in by the scam.
Certain people who are now being investigated by both UK and Spanish authorities are attempting to sell cars on a second hand website called segundamanos.es and they seem quite believable at first.
Photos are good, reasons for selling are the person has moved to UK and struggle with lhd cars over there hence selling at a knockdown price to tempt the unsuspecting buyer who has maybe like us just moved to Spain and need a lhd car.
They then go on to do the deal\ make they transaction via a moneygram transfer.
Half up front, deliver the car for a 3 day trial period and then you like the car and pay balance or send it back with full refund.
Once you have paid your money you would never see the car or your money ever again!
Pago3OnlineAuot S.A is the site they have set up and again appears ok but they are quick to act until you ask questions and you get no response whatsover.
If dealing with Escrow use escrow.com and maybe search for ESCROW SCAMS on a search engine.
Please be very wary of any such deal which seems to good to be true as it probably is!
I would love to hear of anyone's experience of such scams and feel that these nasty,evil ba$*$*ds are caught and get their just desserts!
Superpot

An escrow account is one that allows you to deposit money with a third party until a transaction has been completed. The idea is that it gives security to both the buyer and the seller - but sometimes things are not all they seem.

With this scam, you need to be alert when buying a car that is priced unusually cheaply. This is how the seller gets your attention; when you enquire about the car it will be suggested that you use a specific escrow service. The seller will say they've used it before, and that it's safe. However, once you've deposited your money, the seller will vanish, taking your money with them.

The scam works in that the escrow service is fake; it'll have an official-looking website with plenty of logos and endorsements, but it will all be fraudulent. The seller will have given you a web-based email address and a mobile phone number, which leaves them untraceable - and because the escrow service is not the real deal, you won't be able to trace the seller through that either.

Any legitimate escrow service will be registered with Companies House, whilst it will also have full contact details on the website. These will include a land line phone number and email address; contact them via both and make sure you get satisfactory responses. If you're still unsure, contact Trading Standards and ask them if they've had any complaints about this service.

The web site is no longer available but the 'cached' page looks very authentic.
It is yet another SCAM that is a reminder for anyone using the Internet to check and double check any deal before clicking the buttons !
I bought a nice car on EBAY.
The owner of the car had entrusted a friend to set up the For Sale site on EBAY as he was not familiar with it. his friend prepared the site nicely and apparently answered a SCAM email asking for his EBAY details allegedly coming from Paypal - which he gave. Silly boy. At the end of the Auction I received an authentic looking EBAY email saying I had won ( a second chance offer ) - although I felt that I was outbid. And the email asked for a Deposit to be paid immediately to secure the car. Of course some people will have looked at this official looking EBAY email and sent some money. And no doubt all the other bidders for the car would have had the same email.

EBAY mention this Scam on their 10 TOP EBAY CONS....A GUIDE TO COMMON FRAUDS ON EBAY

This is the 'cached main page saved on Google - last seen on 12th August -

I dont belive you people.are you green or did you come from a little village in the uk.these scams are as old as us old farts.