You’re selling your car—and you’re going to do it yourself because you think you’ll get a better price than you could from a used car dealer. So you put up a notice on Craigslist or advertise it on eBay.
Sure enough, a guy contacts you saying he’s interested in the car—but he wants you to show him a vehicle history report. He directs you to a website which promises that, for about $20 you can get a report detailing your vehicle’s recall history, its salvage history (if any), and its accident and repair history.
Seems reasonable, right? You’d probably want the same thing if you were buying a car from an individual. And you figure that even if this guy doesn’t buy the car, the next person who looks at it will probably ask for the same information, so why not spend the $20?
You go to the website, enter some information about you and your car, supply your credit card number, indicate that you want a copy of the report sent to the prospective buyer, click "Get Report," and . . . then nothing. You never receive the report. The guy who contacted you vanishes and won’t answer emails or calls.
So you’re out $20. Live and learn, right?
But a couple months later, strange charges appear on your credit card statement. Your card has apparently been used by someone who lives far away from you to buy some very expensive things.
You see where this is going?
So does the FTC. It recently published a warning about vehicle history report scams. Requests for a vehicle report from a company suggested by the would-be buyer might “be a ruse to get your personal information, including your credit card account number. It also could be a way for companies called ‘lead generators’ to get information, which they sell to third parties for advertising and marketing purposes.”
The FTC also advises consumers to steer clear of any company purporting to offer vehicle history reports if its website ends in “vin.” That suffix was established for the French wine industry, but anyone can buy a domain name with “vin” at the end. Unscrupulous vehicle history merchants use it because they believe that if people see V-I-N, they will assume it means Vehicle Identification Number and trust the site. Don’t be fooled.
This is actually an easy scam to prevent because there are a number of reputable paid services that can provide you with vehicle history information about used cars. The National Vehicle Title Information System is run by the US Department of Justice and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). Its website offers links to nine reputable vehicle information providers. In addition, the FTC also lists AutoCheck.com, Carfax.com and Vinaudit.com as resources for used car history info.
If you think you’ve been scammed by someone who wants to buy your car but also wants you to spend some money at a website he points you to, tell the FTC about it. And don’t buy anything except French wine from a website that has a vin suffix!