Avoiding Scams and Fraud
Buy Safer with Online Car Auctions
Protection
The best way to avoid scams is to purchase your vehicle directly from Copart.ca. However, if you are purchasing a vehicle from a third party, such as Kijiji or eBay, you should take extra precautions to avoid being scammed. Here are tips on how to avoid being scammed by third parties claiming to sell Copart vehicles:
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Do not extend payment to anyone you have not met in person.
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Beware of offers involving shipping - deal only with local vendors you can meet in person.
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Never wire funds - anyone who asks you to could possibly be a scammer.
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Do not accept cashier's/certified checks or money orders - banks will hold you responsible if the check is fake.
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Transactions are between users only, no third party provides a "guarantee".
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Never give out financial info (bank account information, social insurance number, PayPal account, etc.).
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Do not rent or purchase vehicles "sight-unseen".
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Refuse background/credit checks until you have met in person.
Who you should notify about scams for fraud attempts:
Canada
United States
Common Scams
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Someone requests wire service payment (Western Union in particular)
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Deal often seems too good to be true or the price is too low
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Scammer may (falsely) claim a confirmation code from you is needed before he can withdraw your money.
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Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, UK, Netherlands—but the scam could originate from anywhere.
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Vehicle may be local, but owner is "traveling" or "relocating" and needs you to wire money abroad
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Scammer may pretend to be unable to speak by phone (scammers prefer to operate by text/email)
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A distant person offers to send you a cashier’s check or money order and then have you wire money
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This is almost ALWAYS a scam in our experience—the cashier's check is FAKE
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Sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not
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Scammer often asks for your name, address, etc. for printing on the fake check
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Deal often seems too good to be true
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