Online shopping has many advantages: purchases can be made around the clock on the Internet or via an app, often at cheaper prices than in brick-and-mortar stores - including when buying a car.
However, the Internet also offers fraudsters numerous opportunities to obtain confidential and personal data. A popular tactic used by fraudsters is social engineering. The “Safe Car Buying on the Internet” initiative from ADAC, AutoScout24, eBay Kleinanzeigen, mobile.de and state and federal police crime prevention explains how buyers and sellers can protect themselves from this and other tricks.

Social engineering

Social engineering is now a widespread fraud tactic with the aim of extracting confidential information or data from unsuspecting online shoppers. Examples of social engineering include the so-called “grandchild trick”, in which money is swindled, especially from older people, by pretending to be a grandchild who is supposedly in need. Phishing, i.e. the “fishing” of personal data, such as passwords or credit card numbers, using fake emails or websites, also falls under social engineering.

You become a victim of fraud faster than you think. The reason for this is the blurring boundary between online and offline purchases: after all, showing an ID is common practice in the car dealership of your choice. However, sending such confidential information electronically, especially to private sellers, involves numerous risks.

One of the most common tricks when buying a car online

When buying a car online, social engineering can mean that a fraudster tries to steal a buyer's identity. Using this false identity, the perpetrator gains the trust of the provider through supposedly serious offers and gets him to reveal confidential information about the car or himself. A first indicator of such a scam are, for example, advertisements that are too good to be true.

Criminals can also use hastily sent vehicle documents for their own purposes: a car that doesn't even exist is quickly advertised and shown as supposedly reputable with the illegally acquired documents. The person interested in this apparently serious advertisement may then also be ripped off again with a high advance payment or similar scams.

“We particularly often observe that fraudsters obtain personal data and then distribute or sell it. We are trying to counteract this with education. When buying online, it is particularly important to look closely and talk to friends about the dangers.”

Harald Schmidt from police crime prevention

7 tips for buying a car safely online

Buying a car online is easy. Nevertheless - or precisely because of this - it happens quickly: buyers or sellers fall into the social engineering trap or become victims of other fraud schemes.

With these 7 simple tips, car (sales) buyers can be safer online:

  1. Conduct all transactions exclusively via a secure website.
  2. Never give out personal information to unknown people.
  3. It is better to delete suspicious emails without opening them and never click on links in them.
  4. Find a personal contact and have the other person show your ID on site.
  5. Never pay in advance and refuse money transfers using cash transfers.
  6. To get help! Ask friends and acquaintances for advice or use the online platform.
  7. Listen to your gut feeling. Cut off contact if something seems too good to be true or “weird”.

Further scams when buying cars on the Internet and tips on how consumers can protect themselves against them can be found website of the “Safer Car Buying on the Internet” initiative

Source:

Saferautokokauf.de

This might also be of interest:
Online shopping: Do not pay with the PayPal “Send money to a friend” function
Fake bank employee steals personal data
Customs warns about fake SMS


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