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Being scammed is a worry many buyers of new cars face, but almost half of Aussies in the driving seat fail to take steps to protect themselves.
New research conducted by Australian used car sales platform carsales has shown that Aussie drivers are concerned about scammers taking advantage of their thrifty shopping habits.
Fully 56 per cent of prospective used car buyers said that being scammed was their prime concern when making a purchase, but despite this, 46 per cent of buyers said they don’t always make sure the person they are buying from is legitimate.
And make no mistake, scammers are just as active in the online used car market as they are anywhere else. Fifty-nine per cent of sellers said they had been contacted by a suspicious buyer, and 36 per cent worry that test drives may lead to theft or other damage.
“Our research shows just how active scammers are in the online car market, and they’re using a mix of tactics to catch people off guard,” Ryan Svaghi, executive general manager for consumer product and design at carsales, told Cyber Daily.
“For buyers, red flags include sellers who won’t allow an in-person inspection, being asked to pay a deposit before seeing the car – especially outside of a secure payments platform, and sellers who make comments that don’t match their listings or make claims like ‘I can only ship the vehicle to you’. “
The tactics scammers use in the used car market are not that dissimilar to those used in any other retail space. Almost 20 per cent of buyers admitted to rushing into a purchase after being pressured by a seller or out of fear or missing out on a bargain.
And despite 27 per cent encountering suspicious sellers, 15 per cent of respondents to carsales’ recent survey said they would still consider transferring a deposit on a vehicle despite not seeing it in person.
“Prices that seem too good to be true and photos that look like they’ve been pulled from Google or reused across multiple listings can also be a giveaway. On the seller side, watch out for buyers who refuse to talk on the phone, try to move conversations off-platform, ask for the car to be shipped (and for you to pay for it), or suggest unusual payment methods. These tricks can feel convincing in the moment, which is why nearly one in five buyers admit they’ve rushed into a purchase due to pressure or fear of missing out,” Svaghi said.
“Even with these risks, nearly half of Aussies don’t always take steps to verify if the other party is legitimate. Basic precautions like meeting face to face, verifying IDs through a platform like carsales and again in person, and doing a quick online profile search can make a big difference.”
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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