Buy a used car without getting burned

Most online used-car scams follow the same script. Run any listing through this list before you message the seller, meet up, or send a dollar. Print it, screenshot it, or keep it on your phone.

Walk away if any one of these is true

• They want a deposit, "hold" fee, or shipping/delivery fee before you've seen the car in person. This is the scam itself, not a formality.
• They ask to pay by Zelle, wire, gift card, crypto, or Western Union. These are unrecoverable and have no place in a private car sale.
• They "can't meet" and offer to ship it, or push a third-party escrow / "eBay buyer protection" story. The escrow service is the scammer.
• The price is well below similar cars. A deal that good does not need a marketplace ad.

Check the seller

• Brand-new or empty profile, or one private profile listing several cars.
• Refuses a quick video call showing the car running and the VIN plate.
• Pushes you to text, WhatsApp, or email instead of the marketplace chat.
• Photos look stock, watermarked, or reused (reverse-image search them with Google Lens).

Do this every single time

• See it in person, in daylight, at a police-station safe-exchange zone.
• Get the 17-digit VIN and run it free at NICB VINCheck before you commit.
• Confirm the title is in the seller's own name and in hand, not "in transit."
• Have an independent mechanic inspect it before any money changes hands.

CarBluff scores known scam patterns in what you paste. It can't verify a physical car, so always inspect in person and never send money before you do. © CarBluff, a Kowski Labs product. Questions? [email protected]