Beware of Purchasing Cars on the Web from Scammers

 In a new twist on an old con, scammers are posing as members of the military in order to explain why they are selling their vehicle at a steal. The fictitious military personnel claim they have either been sent to a foreign country to improve military relations, or they must sell their vehicle quickly and cheaply because of their upcoming deployment to either Iraq or Afghanistan

Most of the scams include some type of third-party vehicle protection program to ensure a safe transaction. After receiving convincing e-mails from the phony vehicle protection program, the victims are directed to send either the full payment, or a percentage of the payment, to the third-party agent via a wire payment service. No vehicles are delivered to the victims.

If you have fallen victim to this type of scam, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov/.