The overpayment scam
A buyer sends more than the agreed price, apologises for the error and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is later reversed as fraudulent, and your refund is gone along with it. There is no legitimate reason for a buyer to overpay. Refuse the refund, return the entire amount through the same channel, and stop dealing with them.
The fake transfer receipt
The buyer shows you a screenshot or an email confirming the transfer and asks to take the car, explaining the funds will clear tomorrow. The screenshot is fabricated or the transfer is reversed. Only your own banking app, showing cleared and available funds, counts. Not pending, not a receipt, not an SMS. Check it yourself, on your own device, before the keys move.
Escrow and shipping fraud
A buyer, often claiming to be interstate, overseas or working on a mine site, wants to use a third party escrow or shipping agent to hold the funds. The service is fake and controlled by them. If you did not choose the intermediary and cannot independently verify it exists, it does not exist.
The test drive
Before anyone drives your car:
- Photograph their driver's licence and confirm the photo matches the person
- Confirm your insurance covers another driver, since many policies do not
- Go with them, always, and tell someone else where you are
- Meet in a public place during daylight, not at your home
- Never leave the keys in the car with the engine running while you step away
The mechanic switch
A buyer insists on taking the car to their own mechanic, alone, and returns claiming a serious fault that justifies a large discount. Legitimate inspections are fine, but you should be present, and you should be able to see the written report yourself. If the fault is real, get a second opinion before accepting a large reduction.
Identity harvesting
Some enquiries are not about the car at all. Requests for your licence number, address, bank statements or a copy of your registration certificate before any commitment are attempts to collect enough information for identity fraud. A buyer needs to see the car and agree a price. They do not need your documents until settlement, and even then only what the transfer requires.
Practical protections
- Do not publish your home address in a listing
- Use a payment method that leaves a trail, not cash
- Keep every message in writing rather than moving the conversation to a channel that deletes itself
- Never sign a transfer form before funds are cleared
- Trust the pattern, not the story. Urgency, an unusual payment method and a buyer who will not inspect the car are the three shared features of almost every scam
Why selling to a licensed dealer removes most of this
A licensed dealer is a registered business with a licence that can be verified and revoked, paying from a business account, with an address you can visit. There is no test drive with a stranger, no cash handover and no need to publish your details. It is not that private buyers are dangerous, it is that the structure of a dealer sale removes the openings these scams rely on.