Buyers beware when purchasing cars off social media sites
STAFF REPORTS
AUSTIN – More than a dozen car purchase scams stemming from transactions on social media sites has prompted the Texas Department of Public Safety to ask “buyers to beware” or lose money and potentially be tied the purchase of a stolen vehicle.
The DPS Criminal Investigations Division in Austin has opened as many as 15 cases since December 2016 in which individuals purchased vehicles online utilizing popular social media sites — only to find out later those cars were reported stolen.
Investigators want to uncover who the sellers are, track them down, and file charges against them, according to agency investigators.
“Scams are sometimes identified when the vehicle has a low price or a personal history is given as to why the price is low, such as salvage vehicles and vehicles with flood damage,” wrote Regional Commander Freeman Martin in a DPS statement.
The agency has offered the following tips to help buyers avoid becoming potential victims:
• Allow the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to conduct a “title check. For a small fee, potential buyers can provide the entity the vehicle identification number (VIN) to run through a national consumer protection database.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TITLE CHECKS HERE
• Be suspicious of “cash-only ads” or payment methods that require a buyer to wire money.
• Research an online appraisal for the estimated price of a vehicle.
• Ask the seller to meet at the local courthouse or county annex to purchase and transfer the title at the same time during business hours.
“If a deal is too good to be true then you should be concerned that it could be a scam,” Martin stated.