Autotrader Scammers

[PhilandMena]

Due to a disability my motorhoming adventures have come to an end and I have reluctantly put my beloved Autotrail up for sale on Autotrader. The site warned me in advance to be on the alert for scammers and not to provide any personal information to anyone and to do all my comunication through their website including the use of a protected phone number for any voice calls.
Within 10 minutes of the add being placed I got a call from Motorhome Depot who wanted to sell my motorhome for me ( No chance!) At least they were honest in that they identified themselves up front. This was followed by aan email exchange whereby a gent asked some questions about the motorhome which was already available on the Autotrader website then asked if we could meet. When I asked him why and where he wanted to meet and what his expectations from the meeting he asked me to send him my mobile number. I asked him to send me his or call me using the Autotrader protected number! I never heard from him again ??? Another guy made a big play about wanting to buy the motorhome and insisted I get a report from autoreportexpert.com When I looked at this website it did not ring true to me and I said to him you pay for the report and I will refund you when and if you buy the motorhome. His response was only the seller can get the report which set all my alarm bells ringing and so I pointed out Autotrader had already done vehicle & security checks when I placed the add and I would not be paying for anouther report ....... and that brought that enquiry to an end. I dont know if I'm being over cautious but I think there are scammers & Traders just waiting for new adverts being placed on Autotrader and they make contact to chance there arm. I'm not really expecting much happening untill spring anyway.

 

[bobandjanie]

We have sold lots of things on Gumtree, most enquiries are from people local to the area and actually come and view if they are genuine buyers.
Our last motorhome we asked a dealer the value he thought it was worth, he didn't want it but said if it was on his forecourt it would be ......
So we put it on Gumtree, someone about a mile away had over two days viewings a total 4 hours knocked me down by £600 and had it.
It was a clean tidy motorhome and more important described exactly as what it was, unlike the others they had looked at.


Self build Stealth camper sometimes other people have different ideas and not what you expect when you travel 200 miles to look at it.

Good luck with the sale. Bob.

 

[PhilandMena]

Good morning,

It has been brought to our attention that you have been contacted by buyer who have been asking to complete a vehicle check outside of Auto Trader.

I can confirm that unfortunately all the emails you have received are scam e-mails. We have blocked this user on our systems, and we strongly recommend you stop any further correspondence with this individual. Auto Trader regularly updates the advice that we have on our website to advise buyers on how to avoid these scams. Unfortunately, there are a small number of unscrupulous people who will go to great lengths to attempt to abuse the good nature of people buying or selling cars using our website.

I just knew it was wrong !

 

[PhilandMena]

I've got anouther gent on now asking exactly the same questions in the same way as a previous gent who asked if we could meet. Both gents have gone quiet when I asked them why they wanted to mee, where they wanted to meet and what was there expectation from the meeting ? My very suspicious mind, now in hyperdrive, thinks these could be Traders ? Perhaps Dave or Rodney Trotter ! Who dare wins

 

[oldiesontour]

Its now free to post a sale on E bay.

Not for motors section

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[Rickd]

I had exactly the same experience when selling my son's car on auto trader. Alarm bells rang for me too as it's the buyer's responsibility to pay for a report. When they said it would cost me 60 bucks that was a dead give away.

 

[jerryz]

I may want to downsize my Big Adria 680 ST 7.2m in the spring to a smaller camper type van VW 5m or less or equivalent ?? Due to family changes and probable use over next few years the big Van may not be the best option for my needs ???

 

[PhilandMena]

Not for motors section

Not quite sure what you mean by motors section. To advertise my motorhome was free.

 

[MichaelT]

Not quite sure what you mean by motors section. To advertise my motorhome was free.

Is there a final value fee or anything?

 

[PhilandMena]

Is there a final value fee or anything?

No. Free to list now.

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[billym]

Deleted

 

[billym]

No. Free to list now.

eBay says differently on their site.

 

[Bertilak]

I sold our old T5 happily from ebay. I think there was a fee to advertise (c£25?); fair enough as the sale didn't go through ebay... so they didn't get any other commission.
I had a handful of scammers and low ballers, then a local wanted to come round the same night, arriving with his wife and daughter. When she mentioned him "welding the Land Rover" I knew they weren't dreamy eyed wannabees, and could live with a 250,000mile van.
Deposit by bank transfer then and there, completed when I delivered it on the following weekend.
I wasn't being cheeky on the price, and so got a few more bites later on, but happy for it to go to a good home.

 

[JockandRita]

Due to a disability my motorhoming adventures have come to an end

Sorry to learn that Phil & Meena. Have you got different holiday ideas in mind yet, which suits your disability best?

Re the selling, I advertised our Hymer E690 back in December 2019 on FUN, the Hymer Owners Group, Ebay, and a couple of online Caravan/Motorhome selling sites. We had a few enquiries, but fortunately no scammers. The first to view put a deposit on her immediately, and the remainder paid when they came to collect. All done via banking Apps and within minutes. She was gone by Christmas Eve, and the replacement Flair was out of storage and on the drive within the hour. We couldn't get over how quick it all went, and without hassle.

Have you looked at the Autotrail Owners Club to advertise on?

Good luck with your sale, and creating different holiday memories for you both.

All the best,

Jock & Rita.

 

[Grummyb]

I've got anouther gent on now asking exactly the same questions in the same way as a previous gent who asked if we could meet.

Call me an old cynic but id say if they wantto mmet they are probably to sus out where the van is stored so they can come and nick it.
Im in Corby PhilandMena so if i can be of any help whilst your trying to sell just let me know.

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[PhilandMena]

Sorry to learn that Phil & Meena. Have you got different holiday ideas in mind yet, which suits your disability best?

Re the selling, I advertised our Hymer E690 back in December 2019 on FUN, the Hymer Owners Group, Ebay, and a couple of online Caravan/Motorhome selling sites. We had a few enquiries, but fortunately no scammers. The first to view put a deposit on her immediately, and the remainder paid when they came to collect. All done via banking Apps and within minutes. She was gone by Christmas Eve, and the replacement Flair was out of storage and on the drive within the hour. We couldn't get over how quick it all went, and without hassle.

Have you looked at the Autotrail Owners Club to advertise on?

Good luck with your sale, and creating different holiday memories for you both.

All the best,

Jock & Rita.

Thanks Jock. I'm going to solider on as best as I can. I'm in uncharted waters with IBM and hope to continue travelling in one form or anouther. Safe travells

 

[Parrot Face]

So sorry to hear that you are packing it all in. Really enjoyed lots of your posts especially the trip to Greece, good luck in your future ventures and hope your disability doesn't interfere in what ever you do.

 

[gus-lopez]

hope your disability doesn't interfere in what ever you do.

& the same sentiments from me

 

[Delboyarapaho]

You are right to be very cautious. Not a Moho sale but an Audi car I advertised on auto trader attracted some really bad people. Numerous with east European accents. A pair came to try the car. I realised afterwards they had got at my car before the test drive. They squirted oil up the exhaust so it smoked as I drove it. They asked to look at the engine (before the test drive so I popped the bonnet, whilst the other asked to see the spare. Didn’t realise until later the one at the front squirted the filthiest oil I’ve ever seen into the coolant reservoir.
Went for the drive and given the smoke and they pointed to the oil in the coolant. They said the head gasket had blown and tried to scam me into selling it for three grand less than its value .
Horrible experience caused me a shed load of work to get the oil out. Never sell privately again

 

[alecturn1]

You are right to be very cautious. Not a Moho sale but an Audi car I advertised on auto trader attracted some really bad people. Numerous with east European accents. A pair came to try the car. I realised afterwards they had got at my car before the test drive. They squirted oil up the exhaust so it smoked as I drove it. They asked to look at the engine (before the test drive so I popped the bonnet, whilst the other asked to see the spare. Didn’t realise until later the one at the front squirted the filthiest oil I’ve ever seen into the coolant reservoir.
Went for the drive and given the smoke and they pointed to the oil in the coolant. They said the head gasket had blown and tried to scam me into selling it for three grand less than its value .
Horrible experience caused me a shed load of work to get the oil out. Never sell privately again

How did you sell it in the end?

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[1090alex]

Due to a disability my motorhoming adventures have come to an end and I have reluctantly put my beloved Autotrail up for sale on Autotrader. The site warned me in advance to be on the alert for scammers and not to provide any personal information to anyone and to do all my comunication through their website including the use of a protected phone number for any voice calls.
Within 10 minutes of the add being placed I got a call from Motorhome Depot who wanted to sell my motorhome for me ( No chance!) At least they were honest in that they identified themselves up front. This was followed by aan email exchange whereby a gent asked some questions about the motorhome which was already available on the Autotrader website then asked if we could meet. When I asked him why and where he wanted to meet and what his expectations from the meeting he asked me to send him my mobile number. I asked him to send me his or call me using the Autotrader protected number! I never heard from him again ??? Another guy made a big play about wanting to buy the motorhome and insisted I get a report from autoreportexpert.com When I looked at this website it did not ring true to me and I said to him you pay for the report and I will refund you when and if you buy the motorhome. His response was only the seller can get the report which set all my alarm bells ringing and so I pointed out Autotrader had already done vehicle & security checks when I placed the add and I would not be paying for anouther report ....... and that brought that enquiry to an end. I dont know if I'm being over cautious but I think there are scammers & Traders just waiting for new adverts being placed on Autotrader and they make contact to chance there arm. I'm not really expecting much happening untill spring anyway.

I've worked in the motor trade for years. The simple golden rule for selling is.....get paid. In other words if someone wants to buy my vehicle put the money into my bank before you take the vehicle away. No cash ,no bank drafts,only one method of payment accepted. Digital bank transfer. This type of payment can usually be done done in a matter of minutes on a mobile phone and can be confirmed by the recipient in seconds.
The time wasters will always be around but that's part of life. The genuine ones pay.

 

[JockandRita]

Never sell privately again

Sorry, whilst I sympathise with you re your experiences, I cannot agree with your blanket statement.

Almost every car, caravan, or Motorhome we have bought or sold, has been done so privately.................but with a healthy level of suspicion, and the safest and securest level of transactions. You just have to be aware, and be careful.

I've worked in the motor trade for years. The simple golden rule for selling is.....get paid. In other words if someone wants to buy my vehicle put the money into my bank before you take the vehicle away. No cash ,no bank drafts,only one method of payment accepted. Digital bank transfer. This type of payment can usually be done done in a matter of minutes on a mobile phone and can be confirmed by the recipient in seconds.
The time wasters will always be around but that's part of life. The genuine ones pay.

Exactly.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Almost every car, caravan, or Motorhome we have bought or sold, has been done so privately.................but with a healthy level of suspicion, and the safest and securest level of transactions. You just have to be aware, and be careful.

Yes same as that, totally agree.

 

[elwyn horton]

EBay every time, sold a number of motor bikes and cars on EBay over the years.
Never a problem.
Buy it now not auctions.
Good luck

 

[PhilandMena]

So sorry to hear that you are packing it all in. Really enjoyed lots of your posts especially the trip to Greece, good luck in your future ventures and hope your disability doesn't interfere in what ever you do.

Thank you for your kind words. Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) is an incurable muscle wasting disease and affects about one in every one million people. The cause is unknown and it affects hands, arms, legs and other muscle groups (Can affect swallowing too). Its a progressive disease and affects people differently. I'm on a closed Myositis facebook group and most of the members are from the U.S.A. (2 from the UK). Some are bedridden, some in wheelchairs and other like me are still mobile with varying degrees of restriction. Quite a few are doing drug trials in the states but there is still no cure. As for me, I'm pain free and walk every day in order to slow down what will eventualy happen. My hands are very restricted. my arms have little strength and I need a walking stick to aid ballance. I can still drive OK and the DVLA happy for me to continue driving as long as approved by my consultant. Mena is very fearfull of the odd fall that occurs and what to do in an emergency if we were abroad in the motorhome, even though we have travel insurance, so after carefull consideration I have agreed to knock motorhoming on its head. We have had some amazing adventures and clocked up 78,000 miles in this motorhome, mostly exploring new destinations and returning to the ones we both loved. Its been an amazing experiance for the two of us. Wilding has been a great joy and experiance and not as restrictive as it is now and along the way we have met some amazing people who have become great friends. The timing of our departure is about right me thinks.

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[funflair]

Thank you for your kind words. Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) is an incurable muscle wasting disease and affects about one in every one million people. The cause is unknown and it affects hands, arms, legs and other muscle groups (Can affect swallowing too). Its a progressive disease and affects people differently. I'm on a closed Myositis facebook group and most of the members are from the U.S.A. (2 from the UK). Some are bedridden, some in wheelchairs and other like me are still mobile with varying degrees of restriction. Quite a few are doing drug trials in the states but there is still no cure. As for me, I'm pain free and walk every day in order to slow down what will eventualy happen. My hands are very restricted. my arms have little strength and I need a walking stick to aid ballance. I can still drive OK and the DVLA happy for me to continue driving as long as approved by my consultant. Mena is very fearfull of the odd fall that occurs and what to do in an emergency if we were abroad in the motorhome, even though we have travel insurance, so after carefull consideration I have agreed to knock motorhoming on its head. We have had some amazing adventures and clocked up 78,000 miles in this motorhome, mostly exploring new destinations and returning to the ones we both loved. Its been an amazing experiance for the two of us. Wilding has been a great joy and experiance and not as restrictive as it is now and along the way we have met some amazing people who have become great friends. The timing of our departure is about right me thinks.

I knew you were special just not that special

 

[PhilandMena]

I knew you were special just not that special

Mena still continues to call me a 'Twat' at least once a day so I think you may be right Martin. I'm a special Twat !

 

[Roadrunnerbeepbeep]

Due to a disability my motorhoming adventures have come to an end and I have reluctantly put my beloved Autotrail up for sale on Autotrader. The site warned me in advance to be on the alert for scammers and not to provide any personal information to anyone and to do all my comunication through their website including the use of a protected phone number for any voice calls.
Within 10 minutes of the add being placed I got a call from Motorhome Depot who wanted to sell my motorhome for me ( No chance!) At least they were honest in that they identified themselves up front. This was followed by aan email exchange whereby a gent asked some questions about the motorhome which was already available on the Autotrader website then asked if we could meet. When I asked him why and where he wanted to meet and what his expectations from the meeting he asked me to send him my mobile number. I asked him to send me his or call me using the Autotrader protected number! I never heard from him again ??? Another guy made a big play about wanting to buy the motorhome and insisted I get a report from autoreportexpert.com When I looked at this website it did not ring true to me and I said to him you pay for the report and I will refund you when and if you buy the motorhome. His response was only the seller can get the report which set all my alarm bells ringing and so I pointed out Autotrader had already done vehicle & security checks when I placed the add and I would not be paying for anouther report ....... and that brought that enquiry to an end. I dont know if I'm being over cautious but I think there are scammers & Traders just waiting for new adverts being placed on Autotrader and they make contact to chance there arm. I'm not really expecting much happening untill spring anyway.

I recentely sold my work van and when I advertised it, the same thing happened to me whereas soon after the ad went live, a person contacted me asking all the right questions, said he was very interested but wanted to see a "report" and gave me a web link for the report, (it was a different web address to the one you were sent). I was very suspicious and done a little digging and apparentely this type of scam is rife, its all over the vehicle selling sites. I dont know if they just get the £25 or so for the ficticious report, or they use your credit card details for something much worse. Sellers beware!

 

[rymillr]

Due to a disability my motorhoming adventures have come to an end and I have reluctantly put my beloved Autotrail up for sale on Autotrader. The site warned me in advance to be on the alert for scammers and not to provide any personal information to anyone and to do all my comunication through their website including the use of a protected phone number for any voice calls.
Within 10 minutes of the add being placed I got a call from Motorhome Depot who wanted to sell my motorhome for me ( No chance!) At least they were honest in that they identified themselves up front. This was followed by aan email exchange whereby a gent asked some questions about the motorhome which was already available on the Autotrader website then asked if we could meet. When I asked him why and where he wanted to meet and what his expectations from the meeting he asked me to send him my mobile number. I asked him to send me his or call me using the Autotrader protected number! I never heard from him again ??? Another guy made a big play about wanting to buy the motorhome and insisted I get a report from autoreportexpert.com When I looked at this website it did not ring true to me and I said to him you pay for the report and I will refund you when and if you buy the motorhome. His response was only the seller can get the report which set all my alarm bells ringing and so I pointed out Autotrader had already done vehicle & security checks when I placed the add and I would not be paying for anouther report ....... and that brought that enquiry to an end. I dont know if I'm being over cautious but I think there are scammers & Traders just waiting for new adverts being placed on Autotrader and they make contact to chance there arm. I'm not really expecting much happening untill spring anyway.

Very interesting, I had the same experience with the guy wanting me to pay for a report. Our cyber security flagged the site as dangerous so ceased communication immediately. Hope this will avoid others being caught out. That said I think the auto trader service is good at keeping our contact details private until we are happy we are dealing with a real buyer.

 

[jollyrodger]

Which

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[PhilandMena]

Anouther guy has asked the same questions today as the previous 3 who I'm convinced are scammers. Is it still available ! Where is your address and have you done any maintenance on it. All the answers are in the advert which I suspect has not been read. I'm thinking, he/she/it could be using different devices to email me through Autotrader so a different IP adress comes up but I bet there all from the same location ? and I have asked Autotrader to investigate as I think its the same person. I asked him/her/it to call me on the protected number so we could have a conversation and the reply was they he might give me their number later. For me anouther dead give away.