Before purchasing a car online always use your common sense and focus on your intuition. If something is going wrong, make sure you check it out carefully. In the meantime, here is list of 10 tips to stay away from Cyber Fraud:
- If it appears too good to be true, it almost probably is. They say you "can't cheat an honest man." This indicates that several scams start by offering unrealistically great deals. Did you just purchase a brand-new Mercedes for $12,000? Does that make sense to you? These so-called "deals" are just the hook to get your money.
- Establish telephone contact with the seller or buyer and determine where the car is located. Ask if you can inspect the vehicle, even if you do not plan to do so. Inquire if the title is clear and in their possession.
- Verify that the escrow organization you plan to use is appropriately licensed. Call them and speak to a representative. Visit website directly, not via a link sent to you by the seller.
- Do not give out your monetary or personal details (charge card number, social security number or banking account info) until you verify that the online escrow firm you're using is legitimate.
- Beware when a seller or buyer insists on using a certain online escrow firm. They might be attempting to steer you toward a fraudulent escrow services site.
- Send the escrow organization an e-mail question. If you do not get a response, do not do business with them.
- Check the online escrow company's website for sloppy content, spelling or grammar errors. Other times, the site's data might happen to be traced from legitimate escrow firm sites.
- Steer clear of sites that require users to setup accounts with online payment services. Legitimate escrow firms do not use individual-to-individual money transfers like Western Union or MoneyGram direct you to send your payment to a person instead of a corporate entity.
- Fake escrow firm sites usually show logos from the VeriSign Secure, Better Business Bureau, TRUSTe, and even the Fraud Complaint Center. Check to make sure the escrow firm genuinely is endorsed by these organizations.
- Avoid escrow company websites with domains ending .org, in, .cc, .biz, .info or .US.
