Marketplace and wanted adverts

Buying and selling safely.

Most private sales go smoothly. The scams that do happen follow a few well-worn patterns, and every one of them is easy to spot once you know it.

The Stradale never asks you for payment, never holds money or acts as escrow, and never asks you to move to WhatsApp. Any message claiming to be us that asks for money is fake.

If you’re buying (or posted a wanted advert)

See it before you pay

  • View the vehicle in person, at the address on the V5C, in daylight. A seller who can only meet in a car park or a service station is a warning sign.
  • Never pay a deposit, holding fee, “refundable” viewing fee or delivery charge to someone you haven’t met.
  • Pay at handover, with the vehicle, both keys and the V5C in front of you. Use a bank transfer, never cash in large sums, gift cards, crypto, Western Union or PayPal Friends and Family.

Check it’s theirs to sell

  • The name and address on the V5C should match the seller and where you’re viewing it. Check the VIN on the car (base of the windscreen, door pillar or frame) matches the V5C.
  • Check the MOT history free on GOV.UK, and buy a history check for outstanding finance, write-offs and theft before you pay.
  • Service book stamps and receipts should tell the same story as the mileage.

Classic scam signs

  • The price is well below what similar cars and bikes sell for.
  • The seller is abroad, in the forces or “moving”, and will ship it through a courier or an escrow company. Fake escrow and delivery websites are one of the most common vehicle scams.
  • Pressure to decide today, or to move the conversation to WhatsApp straight away.
  • Anyone asking for a code sent to your phone. Never share one-time codes from your bank, email or messaging apps.

If you’re selling (or replying to a wanted advert)

Getting paid

  • Release the vehicle, keys and V5C only when the money shows in your account. Check your banking app yourself; screenshots, emails and texts saying you’ve been paid are easy to fake.
  • The overpayment scam: a buyer “accidentally” sends too much, or adds money for their shipping agent, then asks you to send the difference back. The original payment is fake or reversed. Never refund an overpayment.
  • Never pay a fee to a buyer, a courier or a “shipping agent”, or to have a payment “released”.

Viewings and test drives

  • Show the vehicle at home, in daylight, with someone else there if you can.
  • Before a test drive, see their driving licence and make sure they’re insured to drive it. Go with them, and keep the keys when they’re not driving.
  • Share the registration if you like, but don’t send photos of the V5C or its reference number: they are used to clone vehicles.

Classic scam signs

  • A buyer who agrees the price without seeing it, or can’t view but will send a courier.
  • Offers to pay by cheque, banker’s draft or an overseas transfer with a delay.
  • Anyone asking for a code sent to your phone. That code lets them into your WhatsApp, email or bank. Never share it.

If something goes wrong

If you think you’ve been scammed, call your bank straight away on 159, then report it to the police. Tell us too, so we can take the advert down. Contact The Stradale.