RV and Auto Scams, Part 1: How They Work

You've just retired and decide you want to do some traveling, maybe visit family far away; an RV seems like an ideal way to do this. Or maybe you need to replace your car or get one for a son or daughter who's just learned to drive. But times are tight; you don't have much money, and if your credit is bad you can't finance. So you start searching the local ads or maybe the auto or RV listing sites.

It takes a long time; everything the fits your budget is either badly in need of repairs, has high mileage, or is sold before you can even call about it. You're ready to give up when suddenly you see it - an ad for the perfect RV, or maybe the car of your dreams. It looks to be in good shape, it's a recent model, and best of all, it's affordable.

You know from past experience that this one will sell fast, so you want to contact the seller quickly. But the ad has no phone number; you have to use email. You quickly send a message off, maybe asking specifically about the price because it seems low for the year; you're wondering if that figure is a typo or if there's a problem not mentioned in the ad.

The reply comes fairly quickly. You're relieved when the seller confirms the low price and the excellent condition of the vehicle. Then they explain why they're selling, and it's such a sad situation that you actually feel glad you can help them out by taking this vehicle off their hands.

The payment arrangements seem a bit strange, though. The seller can't meet with you in person so you have to arrange for a third party to handle the transaction. And the vehicle isn't local; it's actually in a warehouse 1,500 miles away. But there's good news about that too - the seller will arrange for shipping at no extra cost. So you don't have to do any traveling to get it, and you don't have to pay for shipping.

You provide the payment information and then wait anxiously for your new RV or car to arrive. But it never does. Your money is gone, and you have nothing to show for it. What's worse, you may even see your entire bank account wiped out.

What I've described here is a classic scam. I've seen a lot of these ads and received a lot of scam emails. I haven't gone as far as providing financial information or sending money because I'm not that trusting. But I know it can be easy to get taken - the scammers make it easy, and especially like to take advantage of people who are not that familiar with the internet. I wrote these articles to help people recognize scams and avoid them.

In Part 2 I'll quote some actual messages I've received so you can see how scammers start the process.