As commerce continues its evolution to the digital world at a rapid pace, people these days are now in favor of buy a car online.
For getting hands on the perfect dream vehicle, buyers are increasingly surfing the internet for used, collector, and new cars – And just like every other thing, scam artists are in search of car shoppers to hunt them with a scam!
On the off chance that you are someone who is buying a car online for the first time, and wants to prevent yourself from falling prey to scams, then you indeed are at the right place.
After researching and overlooking dozens of dealership manifests and curriculum, our experts have managed to narrow down six viable tips for you that would prevent you from falling prey to online car sales scams.
Hence, without any further ado, let’s find out what these tips are!
1. One should purchase a car from a reputable website only!
One of the common mistakes that people usually make these days is that they don’t bother to check the website’s ranking while purchasing their dream car.
Though we accept that one can undergo a scam on a reputable website, the chances of undergoing a scam on a reputable website are much less than the website, which is close to anonymity for the people out there.
While closing the deal, one should verify that the website from which he is purchasing is authentic and licensed for car shopping.
A pro tip for getting to know the website is to look for the reviews that any past customer may have added to the website. If the reviews you read satisfy you, then only you should close the deal with that particular website.
Buy a car online under this tip, and you’ll indeed receive a profound experience.
2. Don’t believe the pictures that the dealer shows you over the web!
You must have heard the saying which says “a picture says a thousand words,” but have you ever thought that the words that a picture says can be a lie too?
Didn’t understand what we just said? No worries, we still have got you covered. The thing is that the internet these days is flooded with pictures of cars. No matter which car you are looking to get your hands on, you would indeed find ample amounts of its aesthetic pictures over the web.
In much simpler words, one needs to remember that pictures can always be edited and details smudged.
Just because a car tends to look pristine on the outside doesn’t really mean that you may find everything perfect under the hood.
With that being said, it’s preferred to get the car you are about to buy checked out with a professional mechanic to ensure that it’s not a lemon!
3. Never ever transfer your money without a meeting!
You know what tends to be the super best way to identify a scammer is to check at which step he’ll ask you to transfer your money.
Scammers only care about one thing: your money, which is why, in most cases, they ask people for the money upfront.
Usually, the trick of asking money upfront often works as plenty of people are more than happy to ship their hard-earned money over with the promise of a car.
However, we would strictly forbid you not to transfer your money without a meeting. Though we would prefer this meeting to be done physically, doing it virtually can work, too, as the main objective is to get familiar with the dealer you are closing your deal with.
4. Prefer buying from local dealers!
The car enthusiast, who classifies themselves to be collector car buyers, might not like the tip we are about to suggest, as rare cars are primarily available across the nation. We are asking you to put a full stop to this practice.
Hopefully, most collectors are usually aware of the best ways to handle their transactions, but sadly this isn’t always the case.
The first barrier that one faces purchasing a car from overseas is that you simply can’t be physically present there – which is why neither one can meet the buyer in person, nor can he have a glimpse of his dream car personally.
You never know whether the car that was shown to you over face time is the exact same one that is being shipped to your home. Moreover, you still can’t be entirely sure that the car that you will receive would be free from any type of mechanical and dental work.
Hence, this is why it is always preferred to purchase a car locally. This way, you would be able to check out the car you are looking to buy in person and would be able to meet the seller before transferring your money.
5. Make sure to use a site with a secure transaction.
If we list down the factors that the car buyers almost neglect, then this tip right here would surely top the list.
Purchasing your car from an authentic website isn’t enough. You might have to dig deep into the website and ensure that the transaction facility the website offers is hundred percent secure or not.
The site that is unsecured makes your devices vulnerable to the scammer’s attack, which potentially is a way for the scammer to gather all your personal information and details.
One good way to identify whether the site you are purchasing your dream car is secure or not is to look for the “HTTPS” sign on the Url. The “S” in the sign states secure – which means that the site you are closing your deal favors a secure connection.
The more secure a transaction would be, the less vulnerable you will be to fall prey to the scammers.
6. Think, analyze, and stay calm under pressure!
Last but not least, one of the many reasons people easily fall prey to scammers is that they fall for the pressure tactics that dealers use over them.
Typically, dealers pressurize the buyers for an upfront payment, or else the car will be sold to any other customer – and many more tactics like this. The critical element here is to not make any decision by getting under pressure, as by that, you are more likely to make the wrong decision for yourself.
Think wisely, analyze the situation, and then decide, no matter how much pressure your dealer exerts over you!
Final Word
While wrapping it up, we will always suggest you steer clear of the inauthentic and less reputable sites to keep yourself safe from indulging in scams.
As much as you like buying the cars online, you really need to consider the circumstances and high-level risks involved in this activity. You never know at what step your dealer might ditch you. Hence you need to be super prepared for anything that life might throw at you.
With that being said, we believe that the six tips mentioned above would be more than enough for you to be safe from falling prey to scams.
Just abide by these six golden rules, and we are sure of the fact that buying cars online would become a piece of cake for you!