o/t - underpriced cars on autotrader

[Asterix]

As well as trying to arrange a lease vehicle, have also been scouring Autotrader for cars.

Have come across several cars that seem significantly underpriced.

Here is an example of one.

Invariably the telephone numbers are either wrong or the automated message says that the car is no longer for sale.

Invariably the email addresses end in webmail domains (e.g. msn.com).

Looks like a scam to me but of what nature? Is someone harvesting emails to sell on to cold callers? What other? Is it genuine?

[peterg]

My guess is the car won't be available for inspection and they'll try to con you out of a deposit etc but could just be phishing to then scam you on something else  

I followed up on a cheap Austin Healey 3000 a year or so ago on Pistonheads and the seller reckoned the car was in Switzerland, he said it was in Zermatt - I knew someone on Blatchat who lived/worked in Zermatt so emailed him about it, he said the address where the car supposedly was related to a coffee shop and that the town is not accessible to private vehicles at all... needless to say it came to nothing even though Anthony offered to go and view it  

[cidersurfer]

There's a warning of sorts on the front page...

Autotrader Warning

HTH

[Kevin Jones]

I would guess this is the relevant bit,

QUOTE

Scammers are emailing sellers with a 'duplicate advert' of their car, before providing a link to what looks like Auto Trader's log in page - but is in fact a fake. The scammer then uses the customers details to change advert descriptions and contact details.

The scam clearly involves getting email contact, from there on it's a phishing trip, likely mainly aimed at traders.

[cast iron]

Scammers are emailing sellers with a 'duplicate advert' of their car, before providing a link to what looks like Auto Trader's log in page - but is in fact a fake. The scammer then uses the customers details to change advert descriptions and contact details.

The scam clearly involves getting email contact, from there on it's a phishing trip, likely mainly aimed at traders.

yep it was on the telly a while ago. they even scam the advert and pinch a car and clone it

[Asterix]

Mystery solved...

QUOTE

Thank you for your interest in my 2008 Ford Galaxy .

Probably you are asking yourself what is the reason for the low price.

I used to live in the UK until 1 month ago. Due to the economical crisis, my business in the UK went bankrupt and i had to move to Malaga, Spain with my family.

I brought the car with me because i love it and i wanted to keep it.I did not thought that it would be so difficult to drive a right hand drive car here (also the fees to register it here are high for my current budget). This is the main reason for selling. I tried to sell it to a dealer here and they told me that they will not buy it and to try and sell it back in the UK.

Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.

I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed) and it meets all  UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised. The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in your name.

The car will be shipped from Malaga by sea. If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is GBP 4,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).

I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the financial part of this deal will be managed by a company that has offices in both UK and Spain and in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.

Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you

[Asterix]

And another at almost exactly the same time...

QUOTE

Hello there,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my    

2008 VOLVO XC90 SE LUX D5 AWD! Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Cadiz,Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all  UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in you name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is GBP 5,000 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in the Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.

Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you!

[capybara]

The scam is the sale of non-existent cars using the escrow service of fake

'Yahoo Finance' sites such as

http://www.yahoo.co.uk.help-yahoo.co.uk/

and fake shipping sites like

http://www.med-shippers.co.uk/

http://iberica-ship.com/

Yahoo does not provide financial services.

Thanks for bringing this up.