Car Scams: How to Stay Safe while Buying or Selling on Gumtree

In the case that you’ve been scammed on Spider, you should use our reporting mechanisms to let us know. 

You can report an ad on Spider by navigating to the ad page and clicking the report button under the seller’s name. This notifies us so we can take down problematic ads and block users from using our platform. You can also contact us directly to report suspicious activity or potential scams. In the case of a fraudster having your banking information, we recommend that you also contact your bank directly and notify them as soon as possible. 

Keep an eye out for the following scams – if you notice any of them, don’t forget to report the user to us. 

This is the oldest trick in the book, but unfortunately, it seems that fraudsters keep getting away with it. This scam usually involves two people – one person distracts the seller, while another quickly slips oil into the coolant reservoir. This will cause some smoke to come out of the engine during the test drive, allowing your buyer to potentially get a discount on the listed price.

The best thing to do is to get a thorough inspection of your car and list all the faults in the advertisement. This way, you’ll avoid the buyers who are just contacting you for a bargain price. Be confident enough to refuse a sale if you feel doubtful.

Although PayPal and other money transfer websites try to keep customers safe, these systems aren’t always foolproof. Scammers may try to convince you that a payment has been completed when that isn’t the case. One common trick involves sending a seller a fake receipt that indicates that the buyer has completed the transaction.

To avoid car purchase scams via PayPal, make sure you only set a date to hand off the car after you’ve seen the amount reflected in your bank account.

Always be wary of buyers who insist that they don’t need to check out the car before they purchase it – it’s very unusual that a genuine buyer won’t want to see the car first. These people are likely to report you for damage and ask for compensation weeks, months, or even years later. They may claim that you misrepresented the status of the car in your advertisement. It’s also possible that they’ll ask you to take responsibility for an accident that wasn’t your fault.

Make sure that you report all the faults in your car clearly in your online advertisement. Describe the status of your car accurately and even mention minor issues with electricals or paintwork.

Make sure you’re always using our safe trading practices to avoid getting scammed on Spider, and report any potential fraudsters so we can block them from using our website in the future.