There are many risks you have to deal with when selling your car privately. Listing your car on Craigslist means dealing with the annoyance of a bunch of calls, meeting up with strangers, dealing with test drives, and possibly falling victim to fraud, scams or theft.
But there are faster and safer ways to sell your car for cash. Many companies are now offering same-day cash for cars and even come to you to pick up the vehicle. So before you decide to sell the car yourself through various online classified ads, consider the safety risks involved with doing so.
Lot’s of online second-hand car sellers have fallen victim to car crimes by:
- Selling their car through a so-called agent.
- Thieves pretending to be potential buyers in dodgy locations.
- Identity theft.
Here are 9 safety risks to watch out for when you sell your car online.
- Posting your personal information: When selling your car online, you are obligated to advertise a few personal details - identity thieves prosper off this.
- Social media: Whenever you include your real name on your classified ad, it becomes easy for criminals to find you on social media.
- Fraudulent transactions: There are all kinds of scams on the internet. Beware of people sending you fake checks for more than the asking price and requesting you to wire the difference.
- Car theft: The majority of car sellers hand over the keys whenever they are given a check and before actually seeing the money in their account. If the buyer is paying with any method other than cash, don’t hand over the keys until the money clears
- Fake identity: Many fraudsters have fake identity profiles on social media and the internet to appear legitimate when people search them up on Google.
- Hackers: Cybercriminals make money of hacking into wireless networks, send spam emails containing viruses and crash computers.
- Test drive theft: Many car thieves provide false contact information to avoid being tracked when they steal your car during the test drive.
- Car export scams: Most scammers will give you a sense of urgency, private or unnecessary information, and upfront payments.
- Meeting up in isolated places: Beware of meeting up in isolated areas where the thieves can more easily steal your car. Always meet in public places and preferably when there is still light outside.
3 Steps to Get Cash for Your Car Risk-Free.
Selling your car online privately is free, but comes with many risks and inconveniences. At eCarsCash.com, we pay instant cash for your used or junk car and make the whole process super simple and convenient. All it takes is 3 easy steps:
- Tell us about your car on our site
- Receive your offer instantly with no obligations
- Choose a convenient date and time for pick-up.
When we come to pick up your car, we will inspect it to make sure it matches the information provided by you. If everything is good, we will take care of all the paperwork and pay you on the spot.
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