WEST MICHIGAN -- We have all heard consumer advocates say "buyer beware," but now the Better Business Bureau is saying 'seller beware'.
A new scam involving fake car reports has surfaced and crooks are looking to steal your money. The BBB said bogus buyers are targeting sellers by asking the seller to purchase a vehicle history report through specific websites. The websites turn out to be phony.
"There's no way that I would pay for a report on a car or anything that I was selling," one seller, who asked to remain anonymous, told FOX 17.
He listed a car to sell for $1,000 on Craigslist and says the ad got lots of interest. One prospective buyer sent the seller a link, asking him to buy a vehicle history report from efficientautoreport.com. This is just one of a series of similar websites found to be bogus, including drbeepbeep.com.
"So I clicked on the link because I just wanted to see because I'm just a naturally curious person," the seller explained.
After being redirected and Googling the buyer's contact information, the seller realized he was texting with a bot that only wanted his money through a fake website.
"I could see people in a bind falling for this," he said.
Troy Baker with the BBB said, "When you compare the report that was given through Dr. Beep Beep to some of the more well known brands like Carfax, the amount of information isn't even comparable."
"The Better Business Bureau is aware of another company connected to this who has had a number of complaints along the same lines," he explained.
Baker added, "The company, two years ago, attributed the problem to rogue employees, but it's happened for two years since then."
Dr. Beep Beep's website is down, but the BBB said there are often duplicate websites.
Whether you're buying or selling your vehicle, research the website before purchasing a car report or obtain it through a well-known brand like Carfax or Autotrader.
