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Fake vehicle report: the buyer wants a report, you are meant to pay for it

You are selling your car privately. A prospective buyer gets in touch quickly and wants to buy, but only once you order a vehicle report on a site he names. You pay around 20 to 40 euros, then the buyer is gone. Here it is the seller who loses money.

Targets
Private individuals selling a car online
Entry
Classified ad, then messenger
Amount per sources
usually 20 to 40 euros per report
Paid by
Credit card, sometimes PayPal
Prospective buyerfictional
  1. Prospective buyer: Hi, is the Golf still available? I would like to buy it.
  2. Prospective buyer: Please message me on WhatsApp, I reply faster there.
  3. You: Sure. When would you like to see it?
  4. Prospective buyer: First I need a vehicle report. Please order it here: fahrzeugbericht-check.invalid. No report, no purchase.
  5. Report siteFull report for your number plate, €19.99. Pay by credit card.
  6. You: Done, I will send you the report.
  7. Delivered. No reply.
Fictional, re-enacted from the case descriptions in the sources. Name, number and address are made up.

How to spot the scam

The numbers match the places in the conversation. Each sign is backed by the source it comes from.

  1. Reply to the ad
  2. Move to messenger
  3. Report on a given site
  4. Payment
  5. Contact stops

  1. Quick interest in your ad

    Contact starts with a reply to your sales ad. The buyer seems decided and wants the car.

    Sources:Watchlist InternetAutoScout24 guide

    To the place in the conversation

  2. The conversation is moved to a messenger

    He asks you to leave the platform and continue on WhatsApp or by text message. Watchlist Internet describes this as a way of luring you away from the sales platform.

    Sources:Watchlist InternetAutoScout24 guide

    To the place in the conversation

  3. You are to order the report yourself, on his site

    He names a specific site and makes the purchase depend on it. A report you get elsewhere is not good enough for him.

    Sources:Watchlist InternetAutoScout24 guide

    To the place in the conversation

  4. A small amount, often card only

    The sources name amounts of roughly 20 to 40 euros, the German police 30 euros or more. A conspicuously low price can hide a subscription.

    Sources:Watchlist InternetWatchlist InternetGerman police crime prevention (ProPK)AutoScout24 guide

    To the place in the conversation

  5. The report site looks familiar but proves nothing

    Watchlist Internet found missing imprint details, logos of well-known car magazines without any connection, invented customer numbers and domains only a few days old on such sites.

    Sources:Watchlist InternetWatchlist Internet

    To the place in the conversation

  6. After payment the buyer is gone

    The report is worthless or never arrives. The supposed buyer does not get in touch again. There was never any intention to buy.

    Sources:Watchlist InternetAutoScout24 guide

    To the place in the conversation

Why the report proves nothing

AutoScout24 points out that vehicle histories of the kind common in the USA do not exist for cars registered in Germany. One reason is data protection around the vehicle identification number (VIN).

The German police advise against giving the VIN to strangers. If you pass it on, the fraudster has your vehicle data on top of the money.

Sources:AutoScout24 guideGerman police crime prevention (ProPK)

If you have already paid

The sooner, the better. For a credit card your bank decides on the chargeback, for PayPal it is buyer protection.

  1. Paid by credit card

    Call the bank that issued your card and ask for a chargeback. Discuss whether to block the card, since the site has your card details. Chargeback step by step

  2. Paid with PayPal

    Report the case in PayPal under “Resolution Centre”. Whether buyer protection applies depends on the payment type and PayPal’s terms. PayPal Buyer Protection

  3. Object to the provider

    Demand the amount back in writing and cancel any possible subscription as a precaution. Keep the confirmation and any reply.

  4. Watch your statements

    Check your next card statements for further charges from the same site.

  5. Report it to the police

    File a report with the online police station of your federal state. A reference number also helps with your bank. Find the online police station

Templates to copy

Reply to the prospective buyer
I will not order a report. You are welcome to view the car in person and have it inspected at your own cost by a garage or testing centre of your choice.

If there is no reply, you have lost nothing.

Demand a refund from the provider
Dear Sir or Madam,

on [date] I paid [amount] euros on [site address] for a vehicle report (order number [number]).

I ask you to refund the amount to my card by [date, 14 days later]. As a precaution, I cancel any subscription linked to this order at the earliest possible date.

Please confirm the refund and the cancellation in writing.

Kind regards
[Name]

Send the email to the address in your order confirmation and keep a copy.

Did you receive a link?

Check the site before you pay anything. If it matches a known scam, the report says so.

Frequent questions

Is every request for a vehicle report a scam?

No. It becomes suspicious when you as the seller are to pay for the report yourself, on a site the buyer names, and the purchase is made to depend on it. Anyone who wants the car checked can view it or have it inspected at their own cost.

Should I give out the vehicle identification number?

The German police advise against giving the VIN to strangers. Only share it once the sale is concrete and you know who you are dealing with.

What does this have to do with fake shops?

The report site is a shop for a product without value. Our shop check assesses such sites like any other shop. If a site matches this scam, the report says so.

Dennis Bölling, Founder · QAD SoftUpdated

Sources