An unfortunate aspect of the Internet is that it is awash with scammers, unscrupulous characters and charlatans, all willing and ready to deprive you of your hard earned coin at a moment's notice.
From Nigerian Princes to "unclaimed" lottery winnings, the manner and method that people will stoop to dupe you are many.
Online car shipping scams are one of these ways. You organize everything, get all the paperwork and permits sorted, drop off your vehicle, pay the bill and travel to your new state or country ... and your car doesn't arrive.
This can lead to a prolonged and frustrating process of travelling back to your original location to collect your car if you're lucky, and then chasing a refund from the dodgy mob. This can take weeks or even months and even then you might not ever see your money.
Here are some simple ways to avoid these online car-shipping scams.
Check Your Chosen Companies Credentials
Prior to trusting a car shipping company with your trusted auto and hard earned, do some research and check them out.
Are they fully insured and registered with the appropriate agencies and authorities?
Check their references and reviews and be aware that some companies can actually commission false reviews to help improve their brand.
Does it Look Too Good?
If a particular car shipping company has significantly lower prices than the competition, this could be a sign to practice some caution.
While some companies do genuinely have lower offers and special deals, sometimes a very low price could just be bait for a scam.
Not every single company or deal is a scam waiting to happen, but just practice some common sense.
Give Them a Call and Check Their Website
The majority of scam websites for any product or service are often fly by night operations with hastily constructed websites that are poorly designed and have shoddy content.
Also, while some very slick scammers might operate over the phone as well as online the majority of scam websites have no phone number or any other point of contact.
So, give the company a call and have a good browse of their website, keeping the above tips in mind for any dodgy business.
If you are scammed, always inform the appropriate authorities. The police, your bank or credit union, consumer affairs and your insurance company should all be notified immediately.
If you want to find out more about which professional car transportation companies you can use to ship your vehicle from one place to another - without the possibility of getting enthralled in an online scam – get in touch with AutoMove today to find out more about how we can help you easily solve your auto moving problems.