Freight forwarding scams
Scammers pretend to be interested in cars listed online and trick sellers into sending them money for fake shipping costs.
Scammers pretend to be interested in cars listed online and trick sellers into sending them money for fake shipping costs.
How the freight forwarding scam works
- A scammer contacts the seller about their car listing. They claim they want to buy the car immediately, at the full asking price, without even seeing it.
- The scammer makes up a backstory. They might say they work overseas or can't see the car for some other reason, but really want to buy it.
- The scammer says they need the car freighted (shipped) to them and that they’ll handle the arrangements.
- The scammer sends the seller fake proof of payment that includes the freight cost. They then tell the seller to pay the “freight company”. They provide a bank account number or directions to make a payment using a service like Western Union.
- The seller pays, not realising there's no real freight company. They've actually sent money directly to the scammer.
- The scammer never pays the seller, and the seller loses their money.
Warning signs of the freight forwarding scam
- Someone wants to pay full price without seeing the car.
- Someone contacts you from an unusual number, like 8222 or a number from another country. (People who recently moved to New Zealand might have a foreign number. This isn't always a scam, but be cautious.)
- Someone asks you to use an overseas payment service (like Western Union, PayPal, or MoneyGram) instead of a New Zealand bank transfer.
Stay safe from freight forwarding scams
- Be suspicious if someone wants to buy your car at full price without seeing it.
- Never send money using overseas payment services like Western Union, PayPal, or MoneyGram.
- Never agree to ship a car overseas, even if the buyer says they'll arrange it. Trade Me members are based in New Zealand.
- Even if the buyer sends you proof of payment, wait until the money is in your account before doing anything else.
If you find a listing that looks like a scam, report it through Community Watch.
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