Report Scammers

This site has methods of identifying suspected scammers. We also make every attempt to ban scammers from access in the future.

If you suspect an ad was placed by a scammer, please notify us by clicking the "FlagIt" link on the upper right area of that ad.

Avoid Scams

This site does not get involved, in any way, with the transfer of the cars advertised here.

As far as I know, eBay does not offer any buyer protection program for cars not sold on eBay.

Craigslist has a pretty good scam warning page.

For Sellers

If the buyer wants to send you a cashiers check for more than the cost of the car and asks you to give the extra money to a shipper, or some third party, it is absolutely 100 percent certainly a scam. It takes the bank up to a week to find out when a cashiers check is fake. By then you will have given part of the money and maybe your car to the scammer and the bank will expect you to return all the money.

Any time a buyer offers to send more money than the purchase price and asks you to give the extra to some third party, it is almost certainly a scam. That extra amount is his profit from the scam. The whole purpose of the scam is to get that extra amount turned into cash and into the hands of the scammer before the bank finds out the check is a fake.

For Buyers

One of the best rules to follow is: If, for any reason, you are unable to personally inspect the vehicle, don't buy it!

The car is supposed to be where the ad says it is. If it is not there, it's probably a scam.

If the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is in the ad, it is a valid VIN (we validate it) but that doesn't prove it belongs to the car in the ad. NothingButCars is not equiped to do that. Run the VIN through CARFAX or Autocheck or some other VIN validator to make sure the make, model and year match the car in the ad. Those sites usually let you do that free.

If the VIN is not in the ad, demand it from the seller. Then run it to see if it matches the car in the ad. If the seller cannot or will not get it for you, it's probably a scam.

Example

For those of you who have little or no experience with scammers here is an example. One of our viewers requested information about a car listed for sale and this is what he got back.

The car is still for sale. The total price is: $14,800.00, including delivery taxes to your exact location. The car is in perfect working state. It's in showroom condition, no scratches, no dents, accident-free, full service history. Garage kept. It has all the necessary papers (a clear title, the original bill of sale, warranty documents, user's manual,complete insurance paid for 2011, etc).The car has US registration. The reason that I am selling lower than the regular market price is because I need the funds. I have my own marketing firm and business has not been so good for the past few months. I'm selling the car for the exact amount I need to investment into a new project. This project will surely get things going for me. My current location is Manchester, United Kingdom. I am prepared to pay for shipping and have the car delivered directly to your door. I used to work in US until 2010 when the company I was working for closed and I had to move back home in the UK. I am not willing to import the car in this country as I don’t have the money to pay the import taxes. If you wish to proceed and find out more details please get back to me with your location, where you want the car delivered. My regards from Manchester,UK

That's what a scam looks like. But remember there are many other variations.

Here are some additional comments from viewers who reported scams.

Car does not belong to lister. This is the second car this guy has tried to sell that he doesn't have. Claimed it is in England and will ship back. What a scam.

Owner claims car is in England and will ship. The car was sold by a dealer and is in San Francisco. This the second scam by this guy that I have found. He even uses the same pictures from e-bay.

Seller wouldn't supply the VIN. Lied about when he would contact the shipping company and contacted them (supposedly) before I got all my questions answered.