Beware of fraud – how to sell your car safely
Planning to get rid of your current ride? First off, big congratulations! If you managed to find a prospective owner it’s a huge success. After all, selling a car in these economically troubled times can be an ordeal. We’ll aid you in pushing the whole issue through. Reading this text you’re going to learn more on how to safe car in a safe way.
-
Arrange the meeting in the daylight
Well, this can be really difficult. Most people work during the day and having to take half a day off could be problematic. However, if they really want to purchase your car, they will certainly agree to that. Why do we raise that point? Don’t forget that dusk is a criminals’ friend. After all, there are less people around and potential thieves know about it. Plus to that, they know you can be tired after the whole day spent at work so your reactions to any misdeeds on their side would be way slower.
-
Seller decides about the meeting place
Remember a good old rule of a thumb: this is your car and it has to be sold under your conditions! Don’t let the prospective owner decide about the meeting place as this opens up the door for potential traps. Instead, pick a spot that you are comfortable in.
-
Go to a bank to check cash
Although money frauds are not that common these days, it may still be a good idea to get them checked. After all, in most cases you do not know the buyer personally. To put it another way, you have not had a chance to know their past, etc. So, it’s better to go to some bank to see if the cash is not fake. And in case you do not have a chance to do that, you can always make an agreement about having the money transferred to your bank account instead of being given hand-to-hand. In this case, the risk of getting false money is minimal. Don’t forget, though, about preparing agreements that provide this. A check with the buyer’s data (make sure to double-check that with their driver’s license) should make a good provision. Keep in mind to go to your bank the next day to check whether it is valid.
-
Count the bills
If you agreed for the whole sum to be handed in to you, then it’s fine. Be sure, though, to count the bills carefully. Remember the good old saying To err is human? You should always remember that the buyer, acting on the spur of the moment, may have counted them wrongly. This means, it is the actual seller who loses here. So, to protect your interests, be particularly careful while counting the money. Do it two or three times. Remember: better stay safe than feel sorry later!
-
Don’t go alone
Criminals of all sorts are really fond of situations where their potential victim is alone and there are no witnesses. For this reason, out of the risk that the buyer may turn out to have some indecent intentions, you must always get someone to stand by you during the car sale. It needs to be someone you trust – it could be your wife, neighbor, brother, you name them. However, it’s always a good idea to have a potential witness by as it reduces the crime potential.
-
Hide any valuables
Would you believe that there are people that can steal items from the car’s interior? Well, for this reason you definitely should hide away anything that could be attractive for a potential thief. Obviously, this doesn’t pertain to the radio panel, for instance, yet, items like your cellphone are definitely worth hiding.
-
Don’t let the buyer drive away
Do they want to make a test drive? That’s perfectly fine and you must not have any objections to that. Surely, no one wants to buy a pig in a poke, right? The thing here is, do not trust the buyer and let them drive away on their own. Better sit by on the passenger’s seat.
Scared about the prospect of car selling? Don’t worry, it’s not that bad as it may sound after reading the list above. What we’re driving at, though, is the fact that we want to open your eyes to the fact that there are people looking for stealing some items all the time! So, be on your guard constantly and you will not lose a penny.
These tips are particularly useful when you’re selling some expensive car. Although it is a highly relative thing, you can do an easy test of imagining a potential buyer or a target group. The richer they are the larger are the odds of any fraud. Plus to that, in case you’re dealing with some old rattletrap, be careful, too! After all, it’s got some value and oftentimes it attracts potential fraudsters as a car that no one cares about.