A Nashville woman is warning others to be aware of potential scams trying to sell cars online after she lost $1,000.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, talked to WSMV about losing at least $1,000 in what now appears to be an online scam. Even though she did research and asked questions of the person selling a Toyota on Facebook Marketplace, she still ended up being the victim of the scam when she never received the car.
"It wasn't like a naive stumble into a scam," she said. "I made them send me the Carfax, I asked a lot of questions, and I was getting back and forth from the alleged owner of this vehicle."
According to the news outlet, the listing stated that the seller's husband had died and that the reduced price because she was preparing to leave on military duty. A follow-up email said the sale was arranged through eBay Services, where the buyer would send the money before the seller ships the car within three days. The Nashville woman, however, never got the car.
While nothing in the initial communication seemed abnormal, she first realized something was off when the seller wanted her to pay an additional $1,000 with gift cards for "insurance" on the delivery.
"I can usually smell a scam, I'm not an idiot, I'm not a pushover and they really did a lot of work to prepare for this," she said.
Even though buying cars online has become more commonplace, the woman hopes her story can serve as a warning for others, especially those purchasing a vehicle through websites like Facebook Marketplace.
"Remind them that they should never deposit a check in their account," she said. "They should never pay for anything with any kind of gift card and let them know eBay doesn't not finance or handle the finance for anything but purchases."