Buyer's guides

Car buying safety guides

Every platform's scammers use the same handful of scripts with small local variations. Pick your platform below, or start with the VIN guide. It applies no matter where the listing came from.

Quick answer: how do I check any listing for a scam right now?
Paste the listing into CarBluff's free scanner for a 0-100 trust score, reverse-search a photo with Google Lens, ask for the VIN and run it through NICB VINCheck, then meet in person, in daylight, before any money moves. The platform guides below cover the specific wording scammers use on each site.

Facebook Marketplace

11 red flags: below-market prices, deposit requests, shipping stories, stolen photos, and more, on the platform where most private-party car scams happen.

Craigslist

9 red flags for a platform with no seller profiles or reviews to lean on: what to check instead.

OfferUp

What a TruYou badge actually verifies, why "OfferUp Protection" rarely covers a car sale, and the rest of the checks to run.

VIN checks

Where to find the VIN, the free official lookups to run, and the one trick that exposes a cloned car, no matter the platform.

FB vs. Craigslist vs. OfferUp

No platform is scam-proof. What's actually different about each one, and the checklist that protects you regardless of which app the listing is on.

Start here, whatever the platform

New to this, or just want the short version? These guides work no matter where the listing came from.

Is this listing a scam?

The three instant dealbreakers, the 60-second check, and why "the car looks real" is never enough on its own.

Warning signs

The 12 red flags that separate a real private sale from a scam, and what each one actually means.

Is the seller legit?

Seven ways to verify a private seller before you send money or meet: phone, name-on-title, VIN, and the questions a real seller answers easily.

Too good to be true?

Why a below-market price is the most common bait, how to sanity-check the number, and when a cheap car is actually legit.

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