The police have already dealt with several attempted fraud in the sale of used cars through websites with advertisements. We advise everyone buying a vehicle online to be extremely careful and cautious!

In most cases, citizens themselves found out that they would be victims of fraud if they followed the instructions of unknown people over the Internet, and in some cases they were warned by bank employees who checked the authenticity of checks and bank accounts with banks abroad.

Be especially careful if:

• goods online are offered at an unreasonably lower price than the price of comparable goods on the market,
• the payment for the ordered / purchased goods is made abroad, and the money is sent to the (false!) name of the person or directly to the bank account abroad,
• the financial transfer takes place through the Western Union system, where the identity of the recipient of the money can be hidden
• advance payment (of a percentage or a partial amount) is obligatory, usually due to the costs of the transaction, administration, etc.,
• the circumstances of the transaction are in any way suspicious.

The perpetrator usually publishes an advertisement for the sale of a newer car at an unreasonably lower price (around 5,000 euros) than similar vehicles are worth in terms of year, model and mileage. The ads are written in English, and the perpetrator states that the vehicle is in excellent condition, without damage, regularly serviced and free of encumbrances (without leasing). As a reason for the sale, he usually states that he could not take over the car after the death of his brother or relatives, because he lives abroad.

In the last few cases, the perpetrators have stated that the seller is in England and the car he is selling is said to be in Italy. The car was allegedly registered in the perpetrator's name. All the documents of the car are supposed to be arranged, so there is no need to pay any additional duties on the purchase.The seller accepts only cash for the purchase of a vehicle, and only lists its e-mail address as a contact address for potential customers.

When a potential buyer responds to an ad, the "seller" usually sends him the following conditions under which he will come and show the car:

•  As a guarantee, it requires the arrangement of a deposit in the buyer's name by transferring the sale price of the car.
• The deposit must be arranged with a specific company (MoneyGram quick deposit), through which a person can send money to another city, the country where the beneficiary can receive or withdraw it. When the buyer arranges the deposit, he must state his name as the beneficiary of the withdrawal.
• After the transaction, the potential buyer must send him a scanned confirmation of the transaction via e-mail.
• All these procedures were to be followed by a meeting at a pre-agreed location (in the cases we were informed about by the police, this was Udine in Italy).
• The "seller" also warns the buyer that the transaction fee will be deducted from the selling price of the car, which is why he should make the transaction 200 euros less than the selling price of the vehicle. In addition, he reminds the buyer that the purpose of the transaction is the transfer of money, but not the purchase of a car, because in this case the company would require a higher commission.

In the cases described, we can assume that the "seller" withdraws cash with false documents, after the buyer transferred it to him via a quick deposit and sent him a certificate of service. After withdrawing cash, the perpetrator does not leave a trace behind, as he always logs on to the Internet with new e-mail addresses that cannot be traced.

Vehicle Verification Websites - A Welcome Aid

List of stolen vehicles in Slovenia (only in Slovenian Language)

The European Database for Stolen Vehicles

Other providers of vehicle data in Slovenia and abroad:

AutoDNA - a leading provider of vehicle history reports for second-hand cars from Europe and the USA

CARFAX - Your Vehicle History Expert

Carvertical - Vehicle History & VIN Lookup