It's the start of car buying season!
However, if you are buying a used vehicle, beware. Fake car ads selling used cars that don't exist are everywhere lately.
Heather Wolff was recently on the hunt for a used car, so she checked Facebook marketplace and found a gorgeous Volkswagen convertible a few hundred miles away.
"It looked like an amazing deal," she told us. "Eight hundred dollars for a Volkswagen bug."
The seller explained why it was so cheap in an email.
"She was like my son just passed away from a bike accident, he was 26, and we just want to get rid of the car," Wolff said.
It was the deal of a lifetime until the woman told her to pay in gift cards. Finding the request suspicious, Wolff kept looking. She soon found a 2006 Honda Accord for just $1,000.
This time, the sellers husband had just passed away. In each case, someone had died, and Wolff was asked to pay in Ebay gift cards.
It's a scam so common it has a name: the Ebay motors scam.
Back in September, Dayja Wallace told us she lost $12,000 trying to buy a Honda with the same story.
The seller said her husband had just passed away and she needed to hurry up and sell the car.
Think back when you were a kid and your parent would buy a used car. First thing, they would do is pop the hood, check it out, give it a test drive, and of course, kick the tires.
It seems mom or dad were right
Lifewire.com says to protect yourself with these tips:
- Never buy gifts cards to pay for a used car.
- Beware cars that are priced too low.
- Avoid used cars you cant see in person
- Watch for suspicious reasons for the sale.
Also, if you want to avoid a used car ripoff, shop locally and do a test drive.
That way you don't waste your money.