A car-related scam to beware of

General Discussion
1

Finally, I found something of value on the Nextdoor site.
A local guy was trying to sell his car, and an “interested party” told him that she wanted to see a vehicle history report from Inspexic. The seller had never heard of that service, so he did his due diligence, and found the following:

Inspexic is a known vehicle history report scam used on online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and Gumtree

:warning: How the Scam Works

  • Fake Buyers: A “buyer” shows immediate interest in a vehicle or item you are selling online without asking basic questions.
  • Forced Link: They insist that you purchase a vehicle history or inspection report from an obscure, specific website like Inspexic rather than a trusted, standard provider.
  • Data Theft: When you enter your payment details on the fraudulent site, the scammers steal your credit card information.
  • Disappearance: Once you pay for the report, the fake buyer stops responding and blocks you.

:white_check_mark: What You Should Do

  • Do Not Buy: Never purchase a report from a link provided by an interested buyer.
  • Block and Report: Block the user immediately on the platform and report their profile for fraud.
  • Use Standard Standards: If a buyer genuinely wants a report, they should pay for and provide their own due diligence through recognized, official channels.
2

I hate selling cars as much as buying one so it had been over 15 years. I asked my shop how to sell my car and he said facebook. I put signs on and went to OReiley. Customer saw the signs and bought it next day. Priced low. Fast nickel vs slow dime. Cash. Miss that car.

3

When I tried to sell my Chevy Citation, the general public must have learned about the “issues” of GM’s X-cars, because my classified ads failed to generate… anything.
Then, one of the guys at work asked me about its condition, and I was very honest. I said that the engine and trans were in decent shape, and there was minimal rust, but the emergency brake cable was rusted in place (for the third time), and I didn’t want to spend money for another repair to the e-brake.

He offered me less than I had planned on getting for that car, but rather than continue to pay for ads, I sold it to him for some fast cash. He was still driving it when he retired a couple of years later, and he claimed that the e-brake still didn’t work. I have no idea how he passed NJ vehicle inspection with an inoperable e-brake–but I didn’t care enough to find out how he managed to keep driving it.