I'm not sure I understand the point of the question - I used cars.com and autotrader.com to find RX-8s when I was searching for a used one. It's just a means of finding a dealer or private seller - no different from a newspaper. There are some standard car scams online such as the dude who is selling a mint-condition RX-8 for $6,000. All you have to do to see it in the Cars.COM warehouse is to paypal him a $250 deposit. Check the FAQ for the websites - they post their own fraud alerts. There's nothing about the service itself which is less safe/reliable/honest than the newspaper.

I found a private seller 6 hours away. Fortunately, my old high school buddy (and best man from my wedding) lived 15 minutes away. The seller agreed that my buddy could act as my agent to inspect and test-drive the car and my buddy was happy to do the favor. I suggest finding someone in the area you can use as a 'trusted agent'.

 

Here is the standard scam. I didn't make up that story. Fortunately, I had read about this scam first, but I wanted to check the lead anyway. Everyone should know there is no such thing as an AutoTrader.com warehouse
in Denver, Colorado or anywhere.

From: Stefany Zelaya [mailto:stefanyzelaya_3@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 4:19 PM
Subject: Re: Owner 56877048: AutoTrader.com: Vehicle Lead 2004 Mazda RX-8

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in purchasing my car.
I have worked in USA for the past 6 months and I
purchased the car there. My
company wanted me back home, so currently I'm in UK.
I didn't bring it home with me because the car's
steering wheel is on the
left side, and so it's difficult driving it around the
UK.
The vehicle is in good condition, has no technical
damage at all, no
scratches or dents, no hidden defects, no smoking,
remaining warranty
available.
It's fun and robust to drive. Technical inspection and
emissions testing is
passed and stamped as well.
It has title of ownership, cleared of any obligations
or fees and comes with
all the documents you need to register it.
The car is now located at the AutoTrader.com warehouse
in Denver, Colorado.
The car will be shipped and insured by AutoTrader.com
and Square Trade.
AutoTrader.com will act as a 3rd party for our
transaction. You will not have
to pay additional taxes for this.
To be able to receive or pick up the car you'll have
to make a $2,800
deposit.
After you inspect the car if anything seems wrong
you'll be able to receive a
full refund from AutoTrader.com.
Please send me your full name and shipping address to
forward them to
AutoTrader.com. They will contact you with all the
information you need.
Thanks for your interest, please feel free to email me
any questions or
concerns you may have.

Respectfully,
Stefany Zelaya

----- Original Message -----
From: dealerleads@autotrader.com
To: stefanyzelaya_3@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:25:35 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Owner 56877048: AutoTrader.com: Vehicle Lead
2004 Mazda RX-8

>
> ***VEHICLE LEAD***
>
> The following lead was generated from
AutoTrader.com's web site at
> http://www.autotrader.com. The listing is provided
by AutoTrader
> magazine.
> To view the vehicle, click the link below:
>
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=188923225
>
>
> VEHICLE INFORMATION
> Make: Mazda
> Model: RX-8
> Year: 2004
> Price: 11400
> Mileage: 37443
> Body Style: Coupe
> Color: Blue
> Cylinders: Rotary Engine
> Transmission: Manual
> Doors: Two Door
> Stereo: Unavailable
> VIN: JM1FE173040109694
> Description: 2004 MAZDA RX-8, 37,443 mi, air bag,
abs, ac, ps, cc,
> tilt, lthr, p/seats, p/windows, tint, pdl,
p/mirrors, sunroof, If you have
> any questions E-mail me!, $11,400, 773-247-8456
>
> BUYER INFO
> Name:
> Comments: Why so cheap? Is there water damage or was
it wrecked and
> repaired?
>
>
> Fraud Awareness Tips For Sellers:
>
http://www.autotrader.com/research/s...ticle_id=12125

 

I was curious so I sent this e-mail:

Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 5:17 PM
To: 'Stefany Zelaya'
Subject: RE: Owner 56877048: AutoTrader.com: Vehicle Lead 2004 Mazda RX-8

Hello Stefany,

I'm sorry you could not take the car back to the UK with you. I'm sure you miss it a lot.

The deposit applies towards the purchase of the car, right? My bank will express ship cashier's checks or make wire transfers. How do you like to receive the deposit?


However, I had already reported him too and received the reply below. Clearly a form letter, but it was a quick response. I also never heard back from the dude about a deposit. I expect autotrader.com shut that particular RX-8 fraud attempt down, but I'd expect the same guy had hundreds of similar scams running and is still running them now.

From: customersupport@autotrader.com [mailto:customersupport@autotrader.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 4:48 PM
To: xxxxx
Subject: Re: FW: Owner 56877048: AutoTrader.com: Vehicle Lead 2004 Mazda RX-8 [INTR:1125634] {*AGNT_SharonJones*}

Dear xxxxx,

Thank you for reporting your security concerns. We take your security seriously and will investigate your complaint right away. On the behalf of our staff, I'm sorry you experienced any problems related to our service.

I can tell you that our security team constantly reviews our site for suspicious activity and uses filters to block deceptive email and spam from going to our customers. Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to identify and stop all fraudulent buyers or sellers. The best prevention is using your own good judgment and being aware of the signs of fraud. Find out more below.

================================================== =======================
How You Can Prevent Fraud

* Please review our Fraud Awareness Tips so you know the signs of fraud.

* Sellers, copy and paste the link below: http://www.autotrader.com/research/s...s&restype=used

* Buyers, copy and paste the link below: http://www.autotrader.com/research/s...s&restype=used

* Links to Fraud Awareness Tips are also available on the main Home Page and areas of the site where a seller's contact information is displayed. They are also attached to all the emails that are sent to Sellers directly from the site.

* Be particularly cautious if you receive email from us encouraging you to complete a sale. We never get involved in buyer-seller transactions and it is probably a spoof.

A Message on Deceptive Emails and Websites
Spoof emails are a growing trend on the Web. Protect yourself against fraud and know how to spot a spoof.

What are spoof emails?
Spoof emails are fake emails sent by spammers. These emails appear to be from a popular website or company and ask customers to disclose personal information - including the kind that can lead to identity theft. Senders of spoof emails often:

* Include a well-known company's logo and email greeting.
* Use a fake email address that includes the company's name.
* Provide links inside the email to a bogus website that appears to be legitimate.
* Request sensitive personal information, such as financial account information.
* Urge recipients to wire money or send payment.

Have AutoTrader.com customers received spoof emails?
Spoof emails are a common problem for online services. Unfortunately, our company is not immune from this type of fraud. Some of our customers have reported receiving spoof emails from senders posing as AutoTrader.com representatives. These spoof emails urge our sellers and buyers to:

* Complete the sale or purchase of a vehicle listed on our site.
* Wire money for some type of bogus deposit.
* Reveal financial account information to the sender.
* Pay money to claim a bogus sweepstakes prize.

How can I spot a spoof email?
Rule number one - use common sense. And keep in mind:

* If the email describes a deal that is too good to be true, it probably is.
* If an email that appears to come from AutoTrader.com solicits a payment or financial account information, it's a scam. We only ask for such info when you're placing an ad on our website.
* If an email refers to some program or service that is not clearly described on our website, it's probably a spoof.

You'll be more likely to spot a spoof email if you know what we do and don't do on our website:

We don't get involved in transactions between buyers and sellers. We'll never send you email urging you to complete the sale or purchase of a vehicle listed on our site. We won't ask you for a deposit or for information about how you intend to pay for a vehicle.

We don't verify information about buyers or sellers. We won't send email assuring you that a transaction is secure or that we've verified information about a particular buyer, seller or listing. Watch out for spoof emails that describe so-called `preferred' or `pre-approved' buyer or seller programs. We don't offer such programs.

We don't offer escrow services. We're not affiliated with nor do we endorse any escrow services. Avoid any escrow website that states or implies that it's affiliated with us.

We don't warehouse or ship vehicles for sellers. We'll never ask you for a deposit or payment for the purchase or shipment of a vehicle supposedly stored in an AutoTrader.com warehouse - it doesn't exist!

We don't require payment to enter a sweepstakes or claim a prize. From time to time, we may offer promotional contests. But we'll never require you to pay any money or reveal financial account information to enter a contest or receive a prize.

What should I do if I receive a suspicious email?
If you receive a suspicious email that appears to come from AutoTrader.com:

* Don't just delete it! Report it to us first.
* Forward any suspicious email message you receive to customersupport@autotrader.com.
* Don't change the subject line or send it as an attachment - doing so could hamper our investigation.

If you've been targeted by a spoof email or other form of online fraud, you can also bring it to the attention of federal and state law enforcement agencies by filing a complaint with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center - http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp

How can I learn more about Internet fraud?
We've included some additional resources below:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC):
Types of Fraud - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...row%20Services

Press Release - FTC Warns Consumers about `Check Overpayment' Scams - http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/12/checkoverpayment.htm

Consumer Alert - Check Overpayment Scams: Seller Beware - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...verpayalrt.htm

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC):
Special Report on Fraud - http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consum...r03/index.html

Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC):
Internet Fraud Preventive Measures - http://www.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/fraudtips.asp
================================================== =======================

Again, I apologize for any inconvenience this incident may have caused you. And thank you for helping us fight fraud. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

You can email us at customerservice@autotrader.com or call us Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. EST at 1-888-512-0094.

Thank you for using AutoTrader.com,
Sharon Jones
AutoTrader.com Customer Support
888-512-0094

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AutoTrader.com is a vehicle-listing service that connects buyers with sellers. By using this service, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement. The Visitor Agreement is available at the bottom of each page of our site.

Please view our Visitor Agreement at: http://www.autotrader.com/visitor.jtmpl?ac_afflt=none

 

Glad to help!