OMAHA, Neb. — Used cars are in high demand, and scammers know it. Con artists are taking advantage of shoppers who turn to online platforms in search of a reasonably priced used vehicle.
Be wary of this latest twist and too-good-to-be-true prices.
You are shopping for a used vehicle on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or another online platform. You find the make and model you want at an excellent price. Amazing!
However, when you contact the seller, you find out that the vehicle is in another city. Fortunately, the seller knows a transport company that can deliver it to you. All you need to do is pay the transport company, which will hold the funds in escrow until the vehicle is delivered. Many scammers will add a sad story meant to tug on your heartstrings. For example, they may claim the car belonged to a relative who has passed away.
In one recent report, the scammer claimed to be selling a car on behalf of their aunt, who inherited it from her recently deceased father. “The ‘Auntie’ claimed she was a nurse and worked shifts, and that my daughter’s original email had fallen into her junk folder. The ‘Auntie’ had moved to another province thousands of miles from us. But if my daughter wanted to purchase the car for the stated price (which was well under the going price for a vehicle of this type, year and mileage), the…
