What is this scam? Individuals who are posting cars for sale on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and OfferUp are being contacted by nefarious individuals looking to trick them into believing their car has serious mechanical issues.

Here’s How the Con Typically Unfolds:

• Scammers respond to online classified ads where cars are listed for sale.
• They arrange a meeting to inspect the vehicle.
• Arriving early, they scope out the location.
• They usually come as a group, not alone.
• While one person distracts the seller, another tampers with the car (pouring oil into the coolant or around the exhaust).
• They then claim the car has significant mechanical issues and pressure the seller into accepting a much lower price.

SellMax Co-Founder Sean Pour has seen this scam before. He explains, “This scam isn’t new, but we’re seeing a sharp rise in cases. These scammers are targeting vulnerable individuals, coercing them to sell cars for far less than they’re worth. It’s disheartening, but fortunately, there are ways to avoid falling victim if you’re aware of the tactics.” He goes on to add, "If someone is trying to get you to make a quick sale or pushing you to sell your car once they point out a major issue with the car, you should take a moment to reconsider. They're betting on the fact that you will be afraid and sell your car to them for a steep discount."

A Victim's Account

In order to increase awareness, we interviewed an individual who was targeted by this scam. Here are some excerpts from a phone interview with him:

• “I was asking $9,000 for the car, but they tried to intimidate me into selling it for $3,000.”
• “They unclipped an airflow sensor to trigger the check engine light and poured oil into the coolant.”
• “I spent $500 fixing the sabotage. The police told me it wasn’t worth pursuing.”
• “The guy who was standing there goes, ‘There’s oil in your coolant.’ And I said, ‘What? How’s there oil in my coolant?’”
• “They were like, ‘$3,000 to $3,500, give us the car. You don’t want it. The engine’s busted.’ I said, ‘No, it’s not. I’m not selling the car.’”
• “The car is not for sale. Get out of here. But they wouldn’t leave.”
• “They drove past my house five minutes before we met and kind of scoped it out. They were pointing at my cameras and trying to count the money in places where the cameras couldn’t see them.”
• “I had the car towed to Toyota. They flushed the entire coolant system. It cost me $500.”
• “Don’t leave people alone with your car, even if it is for one minute to grab the pink slip, because that’s all it took.”

Hopefully, the above gives some insight into the scam that has been infiltrating our neighborhoods. If something seems off, do not feel pressured into selling your car.