How to spot a classic car scam online

[Lexi]

For those of you who do not get Hagertys, here is an interesting article on how to avoid scams when purchasing a classic car online. Good tips, and the one on "Reverse Search" I did not know about. that one was very interesting. Make sure your next online vintage Cadillac purchase is scam free. Clay/Lexi

https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/5-tips-to-spot-a-classic-car-scam-online/?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MED_UN_NA_EML_UN_UN_DailyDriver_Wednesday&hashed_email=a019d699043992cde6f51a9e00dfd63d5b8614d136f361c072c039f7d52c12af&dtm_em=a019d699043992cde6f51a9e00dfd63d5b8614d136f361c072c039f7d52c12af

[Carfreak]

All good info, thanks for sharing. 

[Jon S]

Lexi - Great information!  Thanks for sharing.

[59-in-pieces]

Lexi,

Great bit of information.

I feel it is equally important to report back to a portion of the Club's reader membership through a post on the Forum.
Identifying that particular personal negative experiences in trying to buy a car from a specific seller keeps us alerted.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[Abe Lugo]

Anything with "kindly, good day, sir". My friends is.... call my friend....
Anything where the price is too good to be true. 
I saw an email from Hagerty offering free appraisal of my classics as well, so  

[billyoung]

Along with scammers are the constant annoying calls on your cell phone with foreign sounding voices who start out with " Howww arthtr youuuuu thodayyy " about two months ago I solved this problem. For the longest time I repeatedly asked to be taken off their list, only to have my phone ring again and again with more annoying calls. What I did was, my phone rang I answered it as usual, Hello this is Bill and then silence on the other end. I then screamed into the phone at the top of my lungs for as long as my lungs would allow and then hung up. Problem solved, no more calls.

[dn010]

My tactic on any spam or scam phone call is to just set the phone down after I answer and let them talk. They want to waste my time, I'll waste theirs right back! 99% stop calling after that.

[Lexi]

Along with scammers are the constant annoying calls on your cell phone with foreign sounding voices who start out with " Howww arthtr youuuuu thodayyy " about two months ago I solved this problem. For the longest time I repeatedly asked to be taken off their list, only to have my phone ring again and again with more annoying calls. What I did was, my phone rang I answered it as usual, Hello this is Bill and then silence on the other end. I then screamed into the phone at the top of my lungs for as long as my lungs would allow and then hung up. Problem solved, no more calls.

Back in the day when we used to get a live scammer on the phone, (and not a robo-call), I scammed them. If the incoming call was suspect I would answer by identifying myself as; "R U READY". which would throw them off. After some awkward speach by them I would expand on "R U READY", by adding, "This is the Reginald Usborne Ready Funeral Home. May I help you"?, in a rather authoritarian voice. Usually the idiots did not know what to say then, which is when I turned the tables by adding; "Have you made your final plans yet"? Then add that we were having a cremation special this week, and that "We offer an alternative to the simple alternative". Flabergasted they would say no thanks while dancing around the subject at which time I would add that I am in the middle of an embalming procedure and can't stay on the phone right now. "up to my arms in it". Then add that this is a commerical line and how did they get this phone number? New business here, "just curious as you should have called our public line...Were you the guy I met at the recent National Funeral Directors Association NFDA trade show, I would ask?" They would profusely apologize and say it is a number on their list, don't know where it came from, and that they would remove it! Mission accomplished. Had I sensed any doubt I was always prepared to go into a lengthy explanation of how we needed a new Hearse, then blind them with Cadillac and Professional Car talk, (which I know a lot about). But I never had to go that far as they believed me. I had some other choice ones on different topics that I used but the moderators would for sure hang me out to dry. If we ever meet in person ask me for a memorable laugh. Phone scams today just are not fun anymore. Clay/Lexi

[tluke]

Tip #1: Don't forget to use an escrow service. I purchased my car from an owner in Georgia and I live out west. The article Clay referenced said to get someone else's eyes on the car, unless it a project car. Mine was definitely a project and I still paid to have someone go look since most of the interior parts were sitting outside the car. I used an escrow which confirms to the seller that he'll get the money on delivery but I can pull it back if something goes south. I sent the seller a list of all the interior parts to make sure he included them all when he shipped the car but he still missed some, including the bulkhead/rear dash of the limo. He wasn't dishonest, just a bit lazy plus it was his late father's car and he wasn't really familiar with it. I withheld payment until I received all the parts which he delivered personally from Georgia deciding to take his family on a vacation to the national parks in Utah, stopping by to deliver my parts. Even though he was basically honest, I don't know how long it would have taken him to get me the missing parts without the incentive the escrow account hold his money.

Tip #2: If the seller tells you the car is part of her divorce settlement or her aunt is in the hospital and the car is at an eBay Motors warehouse who will ship it to you to try for a few weeks, if you just send her $1500 in eBay gift cards -- it's a scam! I've experienced both the divorce and the hospital scenario but of course, never fell for it.

[Lexi]

Agree with Terry's comments as well as his escrow service tip. Clay/Lexi

[Abe Lugo]

As far a buying a car without seeing it in person.  Find someone on the club here willing to take a look and send more info. I did that for my Cadillac and it worked out well.