| As a Buyer |
Interested buyers must be familiar with the following scams, and should act wisely and carefully while buying his/her new car online. Here are some guidelines for interested buyers. |
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| 1. Do not make any deposits in advance! |
GCC Internet classified ad marketplace only establishes a contact between you and the advertiser as a prospective buyer and a seller. This does not imply that the supplier’s identity and reliability were verified, nor does it confirm that the vehicle really exists. So be careful! Never pay in advance.
This applies regardless of whether it is a private individual or car dealer wanting to sell a vehicle.
A request for payment in advance is generally proved to be a fraud. Therefore, never transfer money in advance! This is true for both cash transfer payments (e.g. via Western Union, MoneyGram, Escrow) as well as for bank transfers. It is possible in both cases to cash the money by presenting false identity papers, and you are unable to claim your money back!
Do not pay any invoices or payment reminders, unless you have signed the contract and actually sold the vehicle to the procured buyer.
Note: Never pay before signing the sales contract and receiving all documents and vehicle keys |
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| No Online money transfer! |
Online money transfer by Western Union, MoneyGram or similar providers is often misused as an alleged escrow service. Online money transfer, however, is mainly intended for use by persons who know each other (friends, family). This type of transfer is not suitable for paying online car transactions, even if it appears that there is a built-in additional identity check.
Credit Card Refund Scam Alert – Souq4Cars will NEVER contact you and ask for your Bank or credit card details in order to process a refund. We will only contact you to ask for your credit card information if payment for a car advert hasn’t gone through. If you're unsure of someone claiming to be from, or you think you’ve identified a scam, please contact customer services by emailing security@souq4cars.com |
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| False escrow services! |
Users should be aware of fraudulent escrow services that are currently operating on classified sites across the internet. Fraudulent escrow services are operating which appear legitimate but are run by fake "sellers" resulting in the buyer losing their money and never receiving their goods. The "sellers" place false adverts for products with an unusually low price to grab the buyer's attention. When the buyer enquires they are sent a standard reply, which often states that they will pay the shipping costs and suggests using a particular escrow service that the seller has used on a number of occasions.
Remember that a legitimate escrow site would never send you an email telling you to send your money or product directly to the other party; they would ask you to make the payment to a corporation. |
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 Avoid escrow services that have a dash in their name, a ".org" ".biz" ".cc" ".info" or ".us" |
| Ensure that the escrow website has both an address and a landline phone number for the company. Try the phone number and make sure you get to talk to someone. If all you get is a fax tone or answer phone message then it is probably fraudulent. |
| Also try the escrow company’s email address; if they don't respond do not send them any money. |
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| 2. Don’t rely on Fake Emails |
E-mail phishing (short for "password fishing") is a widely used technique to acquire sensitive information of Internet users. Phishers send fake e-mails to random e-mail distribution lists masquerading as well-known and trustworthy companies. The e-mails direct users to enter privileged login data at a website. These are fake websites which are similar in appearance to the websites of well-known providers. The captured data is used to empty bank accounts or otherwise misuse private user accounts.
IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that Souq4Cars will never ask for sensitive data in an e-mail. we never send an unsolicited e-mail asking for login directly or using a link or sending attachments via emails. Carefully check the provider's Terms & Conditions. If in doubt, do not accept the offer and do not contact the company.
Don't give out your personal details over the phone or in an email - and beware of fraudulent links in emails. Remember we will never ask you to give us the following by phone or email |
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* Credit or debit card details
* Your souq4cars registration details
* Your name, address or telephone number
* Your email address |
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If you receive an email claiming to do this, please forward it to our Customer Services team at security@souq4cars.com |
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| 3. Check the Authenticity of Vehicle Papers
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| Always ask for the original documents when you meet the seller and match the vehicle identification number |
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Take care with Paperwork sent electronically! |
| Paperwork sent by electronic means, registration certificates and logbooks etc. are sent by emails. These emails can be falsified easily and does not offer any guarantee about the identity of the person selling the vehicle or that the documents are really a proof of ownership of a certain vehicle. Nowadays it is quite easy to scan official documents such as identity cards and vehicle registration documents and to forge them using image editing software. So never completely trust documents sent by e-mail. |
Note: Never provide your own vehicle documents electronically, as they might be misused for criminal purposes. |
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| 4. Careless Inspection & Hand-over |
Always be skeptical about the offers that seem too good to be true - they usually are! People may volunteer to offer their vehicles far under value just to capture sensitive data or to cheat your money – and it might turn out that the car did not even exist. Also, it might be an attempt to get rid of a stolen or worthless car. |
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Have some Precautions: |
Inquire about the actual market price of the offered car. Compare it to the other cars of the same model with similar equipment. |
| Read the offer carefully. Read the small fonts as well. Some smart sellers offer a different price halfway down the ad. |
| Keep somebody responsible with you when you investigate the car. He/She may be able to discover any hidden defects. |
| Carefully check all papers and documentation. Ensure that the agreement mentions about the additional features like Alloy Rims, hi-fi Radio System etc. Complete the deal in writing. |
| Pay only as you receive the complete documentation with keys and your car |
| We recommend agreeing money hand-over in a bank where the parties can check whether the money is genuine or not.. |
| Never be on your own when you have major sums on you. Ask someone you trust to go with you for protection. Avoid unusual or isolated locations. |
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| As a Seller |
As a Seller you must be familiar with the following scams and act wisely and carefully by following some rules. |
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| 1. Cheque Fraud |
When selling vehicles, sellers are often given cheques which are not covered. Therefore, we would strongly advise you not to accept cheques as a means of payment!
If you – as the seller – receive a cheque (generally sent from abroad) where the amount is more than the agreed purchase price, then it is more than likely to be an attempted fraud.
REMEMBER: Do not, under any circumstances, transfer the difference back, as the cheque is most probably stolen or a false one – even if first enquiries do not arouse any concerns. |
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| 2. Fraudulent Vehicle Buyers |
In response of your ad you receive an email or SMS or a phone call request. Vehicle sellers should be aware that thieves may pose as potential buyers. You must know how to deal with the viewing process to avoid being caught out. |
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Never let the buyers go out for a test drive alone. |
| Ensure that they have valid insurance cover or you could be liable for any accidents they may have. |
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Intermediary Scams |
The seller is in contact with the company that is providing such services. Company pretends to be able to serve as an intermediary between you and interested buyers for a fee sometimes, no written guarantee of service is given. More often than not, the sender is an online marketplace you know or who was supposedly recommended by a reliable source.
These are illegal business practices or even scams by bogus companies. Research often reveals that their websites and e-mail addresses are false. There are three variations of the intermediary scams: |
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| Contract/invoice after phone call |
| When calling the indicated number you promise to be a potentially interested buyer. A few days later, sellers agreeing to have the contact arranged will receive an invoice for this service. They will receive collection letters, if they do not pay the invoice. No contact takes place between the seller and the potential buyer. |
| After the phone call you receive an unsolicited invoice (instead of the requested information materials), although no customer has been procured. |
| After the phone call you receive a contract covering – contrary to what agreed over the phone – not the successful procurement of customers but inclusion in a database (verify Terms & Conditions). |
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No Trustee Service |
Souq4Cars does not provide a trustee service or any fiduciary accounts for the use of buyers and sellers. However, if you receive any email requesting that you use a trustee service or are guided to an apparent Souq4Cars.com webpage, this is undoubtedly a false email and webpage. If you are in doubt about the authenticity of an advert, please inform us at security@souq4cars.com |
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| 3. No Digital Documents |
TAKE CARE WITH PAPERWORK SENT ELECTRONICALLY! |
| Paperwork sent by electronic means, registration certificates and logbooks etc. sent by emails. These emails can be falsified easily and does not offer any guarantee about the identity of the person selling the vehicle or that the documents are really proof of ownership of a certain vehicle. Never e-mail vehicle certificates or identification documents when selling or buying a car! |
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| Be careful! Never copy or scan and e-mail vehicle certificates or identity papers to interested buyers! |
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| Scammers have no problems to masquerade under the identity of the actual owner of the documents and act in his or her name. In the worst case, electronic documents can be used to commit a crime such as for instance fraud in the name of the rightful owner. This could have rather unpleasant consequences as e.g. criminal prosecution. |
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| 4. Account Fraud |
Sellers have to be cautious about the payment and mode of payment from their prospective buyers. Interested buyers, mostly from abroad, contact the seller. Claiming the foreign bank needs to verify the account details, the buyer usually makes some small deposits into the seller’s account. After that, the seller is asked to validate his/her banking data by confirming the deposit totals to the buyer. Alternatively, a verification code is required for the deposit.
The trick: Scammers (account hackers) abuse the verification procedure of online payment services. Knowing the bank details and the deposited amounts and/or the code, scammers open their own payment service account specifying the seller’s account. This gives scammers full access to the seller’s account without the seller’s knowledge.
WHAT TO DO? Never comply with the request and neither disclose your account details nor the amount of any small deposits nor a code without confirmation. |
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Vehicle Export Scams |
Never release your vehicle until you have confirmed with your bank that the bankers draft has been given value. With this scam it can be days before the seller is told that the cheque is fake or stolen, so be cautious. |
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