There have always been fraudsters. Unfortunately, the internet era and the information age have created a new set of criminals - those who attempt to live off of others' identity and credit. CarSoup cannot guarantee that our site is free of individuals looking to deceive you or scam you in some way. We are committed to helping you stay informed of the deceptive practices of the fraudsters currently operating on automotive internet sites across the country.
We have compiled some helpful hints which we hope will help you avoid becoming a victim of any fraudster.
- 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
- Advice for Sellers
- Advice for Buyers
- How to Report Fraud
- Internet Fraud Resources
- CarSoup Transactions
- Request for Personal or Financial Information
- Examples of Scam or Hoax emails
If you can answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you may be involved in an attempted fraudulent transaction or scam. PROCEED CAREFULLY if you choose to conduct business with a potential fraudster.
- Is the amount of the check you've received more than the item's asking price?
- Did you receive the check or money order via an overnight delivery service?
- Is the buyer willing to make the purchase site unseen?
- Is the check or money order connected with someone only available via email?
- Is the check from another business or individual other than the person buying your vehicle?
- Have you been asked to use a specific escrow service to facilitate payment?
- Have you been instructed to wire, transfer, or send money to a large US city, or another country like Canada, England, or Nigeria?
- Were you asked to pay money as a deposit?
- Are you being offered pay or commission for assisting in facilitating the transaction through your account?
- Have you been asked via email to verify, update, or provide personal or financial information?
Selling your vehicle online is not unlike using a classified ad in the newspaper. In both cases, use your best judgment. We recommend not listing your email address in the copy of the ad. Our system masks your email address until you choose to communicate via email with the potential buyer. Most con artist will avoid talking to you via telephone. They chose to work via email. Remember - Any serious buyer should be more than willing to call you.
Always:
Confirm contact information
Be particularly wary of anyone that is willing to buy your vehicle sight unseen or is difficult to reach. Be especially
wary of buyers or agents that are out of the country. Try to always verify the buyer's street address and phone number.
Secure payment first:
Do not transfer title or arrange to have the vehicle shipped or picked up until you have payment in hand at the agreed
upon price.
Verify the funds are genuine and available:
Before depositing a check, money order, or certified check, verify the authenticity with the issuing bank, not only
your bank. Be sure that the issuing institution verifies that the account does exist, it contains sufficient funds,
and they are willing to guarantee payment. The payment has not cleared only because your bank has accepted the check
and credited it to your account. It may take 10 - 45 days for the check to clear or be determined to be fraudulent.
Beware of any overpayment or complicated payment scheme:
Do not entertain any payment plan that involves refunding a portion of the overpayment. Additionally, beware of any
transaction that involves making payment through friends or agents acting on another party's behalf.
Buying your vehicle online is not unlike using a classified ad in the newspaper. In both cases, use your best judgment. Remember - If any deal seems too good to be true it most likely is.
Always:
Know the vehicle's market value:
Be cautious with a vehicle priced significantly below market value.
Obtain a vehicle history report:
The purchase of a used vehicle is a significant investment. Protect yourself and obtain a vehicle history report
whenever possible. This small investment will help provide helpful information that may identify title problems,
whether the car has been in an accident, or if the vehicle has ever been reported stolen, salvaged, or damaged.
Verify the Sellers information:
Whenever possible conduct the transaction in person. Be wary of a seller's desire to only conduct business through
escrow services or via wire transfers, money orders, or cashiers checks. Be extremely cautious of any seller located
out of the country.
Get a detailed receipt:
Ask the seller for a Bill of Sale or receipt stating whether the vehicle is being sold "as is" or with a warranty and
disclosing the odometer reading.
Obtain title to the vehicle:
Understand what you are required to do to transfer title to the vehicle you are buying. Be sure to have the necessary
documents prior to completing the sale.
Help us stop fraud and educate others to the activities which they may be exposed to while using our site and other automotive sites.
- Forward any suspicious emails to help@carsoup.com. Ideally forward the email with a brief explanation. Do not alter the Subject line or send it as an attachment.
- File a complaint with the Fraud Complaint Center to advise federal and state law enforcement agencies of the fraudulent activities.
We strongly encourage you to report the fraud so that we can make every attempt to continue to educate our users, and ultimately limit fraudsters' desires to deceive our users, because they will know that our users are informed.
Internet Fraud ResourcesThe following links will take you to Federally funded sites containing valuable information related to Internet fraud.
Internet Crime Complaint Center
http://www.ic3.gov/
Filing a Complaint
http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/internetschemes.htm
Department of Justice
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/internet/
Practical Tips from the Federal Government and Technology Industry
http://onguardonline.gov
Fraud education
http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com
There are other great resources on the internet, as well. Use your favorite search engine with keywords "Internet Fraud" for additional information, details, and suggestions on how to avoid becoming a victim of an internet crime.
CarSoup TransactionsCarSoup is not a part of any financial transaction between buyers and sellers using our site. Do not respond to any email , call, or other correspondence that claims it is from CarSoup and urges you to complete the sale based on the information provided. Any such claims are a sign of a scam.
CarSoup does not endorse or guarantee any transactions and we do not have preferred or pre-approved buyers and/or sellers.
If you should receive any escrow service email or website link that implies an affiliation with CarSoup by use of graphics, logos, or other means, report it immediately and avoid any further contact with this party. CarSoup does not endorse any such activity.
Requests for Personal or Financial InformationMost all online fraud begins with what appears to be a legitimate email requesting personal or financial information, which use companies' names, logos, or trademarks in order to deceive you into revealing important information.
Most often the request is for:User Name
Password
Credit Card Number
Social Security Number
Bank Account numbers
Bank Routing Numbers
Do not provide any of this information to any party or company unless you are doing so directly on the company's website and it is a Secure Connection. CarSoup will never request such information, nor will any other legitimate business. If you receive an email requesting such information, do not respond, and immediately report the email to us and to law enforcement.
CarSoup does not collect any confidential personal information, other than credit card information when completing a transaction on our website. This information is not retained and utilizes the latest technology to insure the transaction is safe and secure.
Examples of reported activities:|
CarSoup.com sellers have provided the following emails. Each email describes a scam
currently hitting many e-commerce sites. If you receive any emails of this nature,
please do not respond. They are not legitimate offers.
Additionally, we would ask you to forward any messages that you may receive to help@carsoup.com so that we may continue
to work to block them from any further access to our site.
THANK YOU!
Overpayment and
refund the difference to the buyer Click to Show
Details
Dear sir; "Thanks for your mail,I have spoken to my client and he has instructed me to inform you that payment will get to you in a cashier check of$21,000.00 which is a refund payment of a cancelled order earlier made by my client. Due to company policy this check has to be made out in this amount to you ,because company policy only allows a refund payment on one cashier check,so you are required to deduct cost of the vehicle i.e $13,500.00 when payment gets to you and refund balance $7,500.00 to my customer via western union money transfer for him to be able to offset shipping charges. Since I reside in Ontoria, canada. After payment has reached you and balance sent back to him, our agent will come pick up title and drive to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my customer, while title papers and other necessary documents will be sent to you via fedex courier to my customer. I could send the check to you through fedex courier immediately. Please forward your full names, address and phone number now." Thanks, mike Purchasing vehicle site unseen Click to Show Details Dear Susan,
Sorry for my late response, i was out of town but i'm back. Due to time constraint
on the fact that you are finding it difficult to provide the all neccessary closer
pix of your vehicle which we asked for is not forthcoming and considering that our
company have done a lot of good purchases on internet without a problem, I therefore
stand on this strenght to bring to your notice that I just concluded with my client
and he has instructed me to carry on with this transaction, he also informed me
that payment will get to you in a cashier cheque of $5,200.00 which is a refund
payment of a cancelled order earlier made by my client. Due to company policy this
check has to be made out in this amount to you ,because company policy only allows
a refund payment on one cashier cheque, so you are required to deduct the cost of
your vehicle which is $1,300 and refund the balance which is $3,900 to the shipper
via western union money transfer for him to be able to offset shipping charges.
After payment has reached you and balance sent to him, shipper's agent will come
for test drive, pick-up and drive to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my customer.
Confirm this transaction, and send me your NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER for payment
to be delivered to you as soon as possible." My regards to you and your family. NOTE:This deal can be cancelled if by the time of pick and vehicle is found to deviate from the condition you notified in carsoup Dear nita, Thanks for your mail,I have spoken to my client and he has instructed me to inform you that payment will get to you in a cashier check of$23,990.00 which is a refund payment of a cancelled order earlier made by my client. Due to company policy this check has to be made out in this amount to you ,because company policy only allows a refund payment on one cashier check,so you are required to deduct cost of the vehicle i.e $16,890.00 when payment gets to you and refund balance $7,100.00 to my customer via western union money transfer for him to be able to offset shipping charges. Since I reside in Fulham, London. After payment has reached you and balance sent back to him, our agent will come pick up title and drive to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my customer, while title papers and other necessary documents will be sent to you via fedex courier to my customer. I could send the check to you through fedex courier immediately. Please forward your full names, address and phone number now. Thanks, Andrew Hi, Sorry for my late respond. All the cost including the shipping is 8200$,like I told you. I will give you all the details of the transaction. You will give me the name and the shipping address as soon you will agree to start the transaction and I will contact Best Shipping World. When you will give me all the details,you will receive an invoice with details about me and you and soon you will receive another invoice with the payment and the tracking number to verify the car. You will do the deposit using Western Union on one of Best Shipping World’s agent; they will keep all the transfer details until you will receive the product from me. I will start the shipping as soon I will receive from the shipping company confirmation, telling me that your transfer is ok. Only you and Best Shipping World will know all transfer data required to pick up the money (sender name and address, receiver name and his address, and the MTCN - money transfer control number). I will be able to pick up the money only after you will tell them to release all those transfer data to me. Thank you! Hello , Thanks for your response. I'm happy to inform you that I have concluded with my uncle (client) Pastor Schneider Adams and he has asked me to proceed with the transaction. He went further to tell me that this transaction is being sponsored by the church committee members of the Church Of God Mission inc. Box 144, Station D Etobicoke, on M9A 4X1 Canada on behalf of him and his wife Mrs Carolyn Adams in commemoration of their golden jubilee anniversary celebrations.Already, a cashier's check of ($20,000) has been mapped by the church committee members which now covers the whole expenses of the purchase of your car, tax ,pickup of the car from it location and shipping charges or any shipping arrangements. I have therefore been mandated by my uncle (client) to forward your payment information to the church for them to make out this payment in your name.
Please note. when you receive check payment, you are expected to deduct the cost of your car which is ($13,500) and send the remaining balance of ($6,500) to the agent ( shipper) for him to be able to offset shipping & tax charges. After payment has reached you and balance sent to shipper, the shipper's agent will come for inspection, pick up (of vehicle & signing of title papers) and drive to a prepaid shipper to be shipped to my uncle(client) and also conclude other necessary shipping arrangements. so you dont have to bother yourself about the pick up and shipping arrangements. Please confirm the above and provide your payment information for your payment to be delivered to you via courier service.
Please provide the following: Andy Hi there, It is in imaculate condition and has no scratches on and hasn'tbeen involved in any accident.It looks just like in the pics and the title is clear, in my hand. The bike belonged to my brother. He died two days ago in a car accident. The bike is now in Ontario, Canada as my brother lived here. The bike is not available for local pickups. Because i can't carry all his things back and i need to go away i am selling them. I want to sell the bike asap so I am willing to pay the shipping fees nomatter of the destination, if you have the cash available and you like it. The total price i hope to sell this car is $2.500 US. I know that the price is low but i have no use for the bike and I want to get back in army as soon as i sell it. I want to end this deal through ebay third party payment - it's a third party service-they hold the funds until you receive the bike and you will have to wire the funds to an ebay agent. If you want to continue , please email your full name and address for shipping purposes so we can get on with it . I am looking forward to hearing from you and to completing this deal. I wait your further questions and i will provide any infos you need. Thank you Follow-up message 
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