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CONMEN are making use of popular online vehicle dealer sgCarMart.com to try and dupe car sellers into sending them money.
These tricksters pose as interested buyers and e-mail sellers who post advertisements on the website. Claiming to be overseas, they ask the sellers to remit several thousand dollars as 'courier and logistic fees' before the deal is done.
The website, which has about 10,000 car listings, said it has received four such reports from its users although no one has been duped yet.
Sales manager Daniel Yek, is one car seller who almost fell into the trap. Two weeks ago, shortly after he had put up his three-year-old Suzuki Vitaro for sale on the site, he received an email from an interested buyer.
The man who gave his name as Jeremy, said he is an offshore marine engineer, and offered to buy his car at $57,000, $1,000 more than Mr Yek's asking price.
Mr Yek thought he had met with an eager, genuine buyer but his suspicions were arose when Jeremy told him he had to first remit $2,000 to a courier company, before the transacted sum could be released to him via PayPal. Jeremy said the courier company would be hired to pick up the car.
These tricksters pose as interested buyers and e-mail sellers who post advertisements on the website. Claiming to be overseas, they ask the sellers to remit several thousand dollars as 'courier and logistic fees' before the deal is done.
The website, which has about 10,000 car listings, said it has received four such reports from its users although no one has been duped yet.
Sales manager Daniel Yek, is one car seller who almost fell into the trap. Two weeks ago, shortly after he had put up his three-year-old Suzuki Vitaro for sale on the site, he received an email from an interested buyer.
The man who gave his name as Jeremy, said he is an offshore marine engineer, and offered to buy his car at $57,000, $1,000 more than Mr Yek's asking price.
Mr Yek thought he had met with an eager, genuine buyer but his suspicions were arose when Jeremy told him he had to first remit $2,000 to a courier company, before the transacted sum could be released to him via PayPal. Jeremy said the courier company would be hired to pick up the car.
