​

Technology can save us a lot of time and effort, allowing us to communicate with others, shop for groceries online, learn new skills and even buy cars with a few clicks.

But, as much as we appreciate modern conveniences, there are certain risks involved. For example, scams are quite common, costing Aussies hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Unfortunately, one Perth car hunter found this out the hard way: after placing an online order for a Mazda 3 in October last year, instead of a rare steal she ended up losing $4550, a story that has caught the attention of many.

The primary school worker found an online ad describing a Mazda 3 for sale and sent a message to the seller asking if it was still available. She was told that the car belonged to the seller’s niece, who had moved to Darwin with her two children after the death of her husband.

Be careful when using Facebook Marketplace. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Convinced by the emotional story, Saxton exchanged plenty of messages with the seller and received several photos of the car–without taking the time to inspect the vehicle in person. Feeling satisfied, she agreed to purchase and supplied her personal identification and a selfie–along with the money.

But, instead of receiving her valuable new purchase, the next day Saxton was asked to pay an additional $2000 fee, which was meant to cover the delivery expenses from the NT, a 3800-kilometre journey by road.

That’s when the alarm bells began to sound, and the car hunter realised she had been taken for a ride.

'The transaction was pending, I tried to get it stopped but turned out they couldn’t be stopped,' she said.

'The money got transferred to Bitcoin straight away, so it couldn’t be traced. So I lost $4550.'

Saxton doesn’t want anyone else to suffer such a costly mistake, so she shared her story to hopefully save others from the same thing.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth woman was scammed out of $4550 on Facebook Marketplace while trying to purchase a car.
• Violet Saxton was convinced by a fabricated emotional story and purchased a Mazda 3 car without seeing it, which she never received.
• After losing her money, Saxton warns others of the potential scams prevalent on online marketplaces.

Members, if you’re looking to buy a car, do a proper check first. Consumer Protection has launched a guide to better protect online buyers and dealers, offering a thorough checklist on inspecting a vehicle for damage and an option to do a security check for a $2 fee.

‘These new regulations and the release of the used car buyer’s checklist will bring some peace of mind to buyers in Western Australia who are looking for a used car that is safe, roadworthy and reliable,’ Commerce Minister Sue Ellery said.

‘Prospective used car buyers are strongly encouraged to do a $2 PPSR check using the VIN number found in the owner’s manual before purchasing a used car to avoid buying a repairable write-off, a vehicle that is stolen, or that has finance owing.’

Of course, keep an eye out for possible scams and always have a mechanic inspect the car if you can.

When it comes to our hard-earned money, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Have you ever come across this scam before? Let us know in the comments below.

 

[Trudi]

Why would you even consider buying a car without checking it first and making sure it isn't a stolen vehicle?

 

[Noon]

People get told time & time again but it still doesn't seem to be getting through.

 

[BruceC]

​

Technology can save us a lot of time and effort, allowing us to communicate with others, shop for groceries online, learn new skills and even buy cars with a few clicks.

But, as much as we appreciate modern conveniences, there are certain risks involved. For example, scams are quite common, costing Aussies hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Unfortunately, one Perth car hunter found this out the hard way: after placing an online order for a Mazda 3 in October last year, instead of a rare steal she ended up losing $4550, a story that has caught the attention of many.

The primary school worker found an online ad describing a Mazda 3 for sale and sent a message to the seller asking if it was still available. She was told that the car belonged to the seller’s niece, who had moved to Darwin with her two children after the death of her husband.

View attachment 26878

Be careful when using Facebook Marketplace. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Convinced by the emotional story, Saxton exchanged plenty of messages with the seller and received several photos of the car–without taking the time to inspect the vehicle in person. Feeling satisfied, she agreed to purchase and supplied her personal identification and a selfie–along with the money.

But, instead of receiving her valuable new purchase, the next day Saxton was asked to pay an additional $2000 fee, which was meant to cover the delivery expenses from the NT, a 3800-kilometre journey by road.

That’s when the alarm bells began to sound, and the car hunter realised she had been taken for a ride.

'The transaction was pending, I tried to get it stopped but turned out they couldn’t be stopped,' she said.

'The money got transferred to Bitcoin straight away, so it couldn’t be traced. So I lost $4550.'

Saxton doesn’t want anyone else to suffer such a costly mistake, so she shared her story to hopefully save others from the same thing.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth woman was scammed out of $4550 on Facebook Marketplace while trying to purchase a car.
• Violet Saxton was convinced by a fabricated emotional story and purchased a Mazda 3 car without seeing it, which she never received.
• After losing her money, Saxton warns others of the potential scams prevalent on online marketplaces.

Members, if you’re looking to buy a car, do a proper check first. Consumer Protection has launched a guide to better protect online buyers and dealers, offering a thorough checklist on inspecting a vehicle for damage and an option to do a security check for a $2 fee.

‘These new regulations and the release of the used car buyer’s checklist will bring some peace of mind to buyers in Western Australia who are looking for a used car that is safe, roadworthy and reliable,’ Commerce Minister Sue Ellery said.

‘Prospective used car buyers are strongly encouraged to do a $2 PPSR check using the VIN number found in the owner’s manual before purchasing a used car to avoid buying a repairable write-off, a vehicle that is stolen, or that has finance owing.’

Of course, keep an eye out for possible scams and always have a mechanic inspect the car if you can.

When it comes to our hard-earned money, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Have you ever come across this scam before? Let us know in the comments below.

Once again I have no sympathy whatsoever for this stupid fool.
who in their right mind would pay any money fora vehicle without firstly checking it for roadworthiness and checking ownership history and wether there was any finance owing on it?
This is not a scam, it is a dumb women doing a stupid thing.
If people stopped falling for these things they wouldn’t exist!
A fool and their money are easily parted!

 

[VicRaws]

​

Technology can save us a lot of time and effort, allowing us to communicate with others, shop for groceries online, learn new skills and even buy cars with a few clicks.

But, as much as we appreciate modern conveniences, there are certain risks involved. For example, scams are quite common, costing Aussies hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Unfortunately, one Perth car hunter found this out the hard way: after placing an online order for a Mazda 3 in October last year, instead of a rare steal she ended up losing $4550, a story that has caught the attention of many.

The primary school worker found an online ad describing a Mazda 3 for sale and sent a message to the seller asking if it was still available. She was told that the car belonged to the seller’s niece, who had moved to Darwin with her two children after the death of her husband.

View attachment 26878

Be careful when using Facebook Marketplace. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Convinced by the emotional story, Saxton exchanged plenty of messages with the seller and received several photos of the car–without taking the time to inspect the vehicle in person. Feeling satisfied, she agreed to purchase and supplied her personal identification and a selfie–along with the money.

But, instead of receiving her valuable new purchase, the next day Saxton was asked to pay an additional $2000 fee, which was meant to cover the delivery expenses from the NT, a 3800-kilometre journey by road.

That’s when the alarm bells began to sound, and the car hunter realised she had been taken for a ride.

'The transaction was pending, I tried to get it stopped but turned out they couldn’t be stopped,' she said.

'The money got transferred to Bitcoin straight away, so it couldn’t be traced. So I lost $4550.'

Saxton doesn’t want anyone else to suffer such a costly mistake, so she shared her story to hopefully save others from the same thing.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth woman was scammed out of $4550 on Facebook Marketplace while trying to purchase a car.
• Violet Saxton was convinced by a fabricated emotional story and purchased a Mazda 3 car without seeing it, which she never received.
• After losing her money, Saxton warns others of the potential scams prevalent on online marketplaces.

Members, if you’re looking to buy a car, do a proper check first. Consumer Protection has launched a guide to better protect online buyers and dealers, offering a thorough checklist on inspecting a vehicle for damage and an option to do a security check for a $2 fee.

‘These new regulations and the release of the used car buyer’s checklist will bring some peace of mind to buyers in Western Australia who are looking for a used car that is safe, roadworthy and reliable,’ Commerce Minister Sue Ellery said.

‘Prospective used car buyers are strongly encouraged to do a $2 PPSR check using the VIN number found in the owner’s manual before purchasing a used car to avoid buying a repairable write-off, a vehicle that is stolen, or that has finance owing.’

Of course, keep an eye out for possible scams and always have a mechanic inspect the car if you can.

When it comes to our hard-earned money, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Have you ever come across this scam before? Let us know in the comments below.

 

[Penny4]

There's dishonest people all around the world.
It's known that scammers close their bank accounts after they receive the money, so banks can't track it.

 

[mylittletibbies]

This is one case where I wouldn't expect the bank to reimburse the money. So many steps you should take when purchasing a car which she just ignored. Silly woman

 

[VicRaws]

This happened to me last week I had a Woodfire for sale on market place and I got a message from somebody who wanted to buy it but they could only use PayID and because it was a business account they would have to put more money into my bank than the item was worth and I would have to refund them the difference it turned out I was being scammed and luckily I didn’t have much money in the account so they couldn’t get anything and I only realised it was a scam when I rang my bank and they told me nothing was going into my account the scammer tried to ring me and as soon as I rang them back and said you are scamming me they hung up and I haven’t heard anything since so please be careful on market place and only accept cash and nothing else I hope this everybody.

 

[mylittletibbies]

This happened to me last week I had a Woodfire for sale on market place and I got a message from somebody who wanted to buy it but they could only use PayID and because it was a business account they would have to put more money into my bank than the item was worth and I would have to refund them the difference it turned out I was being scammed and luckily I didn’t have much money in the account so they couldn’t get anything and I only realised it was a scam when I rang my bank and they told me nothing was going into my account the scammer tried to ring me and as soon as I rang them back and said you are scamming me they hung up and I haven’t heard anything since so please be careful on market place and only accept cash and nothing else I hope this everybody.

This is a very old scam, had this tried on me several times.
Only ever insist on cash and pick up only.

 

[Coralea]

I would never buy anything like a car without seeing it first and definitely wouldn’t transfer the money first. That is a definite no, no .

 

[Bridgit]

BITCOIN - dead give away!

 

[Lia]

​

Technology can save us a lot of time and effort, allowing us to communicate with others, shop for groceries online, learn new skills and even buy cars with a few clicks.

But, as much as we appreciate modern conveniences, there are certain risks involved. For example, scams are quite common, costing Aussies hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Unfortunately, one Perth car hunter found this out the hard way: after placing an online order for a Mazda 3 in October last year, instead of a rare steal she ended up losing $4550, a story that has caught the attention of many.

The primary school worker found an online ad describing a Mazda 3 for sale and sent a message to the seller asking if it was still available. She was told that the car belonged to the seller’s niece, who had moved to Darwin with her two children after the death of her husband.

View attachment 26878

Be careful when using Facebook Marketplace. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Convinced by the emotional story, Saxton exchanged plenty of messages with the seller and received several photos of the car–without taking the time to inspect the vehicle in person. Feeling satisfied, she agreed to purchase and supplied her personal identification and a selfie–along with the money.

But, instead of receiving her valuable new purchase, the next day Saxton was asked to pay an additional $2000 fee, which was meant to cover the delivery expenses from the NT, a 3800-kilometre journey by road.

That’s when the alarm bells began to sound, and the car hunter realised she had been taken for a ride.

'The transaction was pending, I tried to get it stopped but turned out they couldn’t be stopped,' she said.

'The money got transferred to Bitcoin straight away, so it couldn’t be traced. So I lost $4550.'

Saxton doesn’t want anyone else to suffer such a costly mistake, so she shared her story to hopefully save others from the same thing.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth woman was scammed out of $4550 on Facebook Marketplace while trying to purchase a car.
• Violet Saxton was convinced by a fabricated emotional story and purchased a Mazda 3 car without seeing it, which she never received.
• After losing her money, Saxton warns others of the potential scams prevalent on online marketplaces.

Members, if you’re looking to buy a car, do a proper check first. Consumer Protection has launched a guide to better protect online buyers and dealers, offering a thorough checklist on inspecting a vehicle for damage and an option to do a security check for a $2 fee.

‘These new regulations and the release of the used car buyer’s checklist will bring some peace of mind to buyers in Western Australia who are looking for a used car that is safe, roadworthy and reliable,’ Commerce Minister Sue Ellery said.

‘Prospective used car buyers are strongly encouraged to do a $2 PPSR check using the VIN number found in the owner’s manual before purchasing a used car to avoid buying a repairable write-off, a vehicle that is stolen, or that has finance owing.’

Of course, keep an eye out for possible scams and always have a mechanic inspect the car if you can.

When it comes to our hard-earned money, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Have you ever come across this scam before? Let us know in the comments below.

I cannot understand why these scams from bitcoin are allowed on facebook I received 2 yesterday in reply to a friend on Facebook I tried to take them off and I could not. I checked the names of the people who sent them and they had no idea someone used their Facebook to send the scams, why does Facebook allow these. I complained to Facebook months ago and no answer. I think Facebook allows the scammers no matter what they do. Innocent people are the ones who are conned into losing money. I believe Facebook should be banned.

 

[freedy50]

This is ridiculous. There's thousands of car dealers around where she could have got a bargain and checked the state of any car right in front of her.

Who on earth would buy something like a car from somebody on Facebook? In fact, who would want to buy anything off Facebook? It's not really a selling site. There's already Amazon and eBay which have lots of rules behind them.

Very silly person.

 

[Sandie1952]

This happened to me last week I had a Woodfire for sale on market place and I got a message from somebody who wanted to buy it but they could only use PayID and because it was a business account they would have to put more money into my bank than the item was worth and I would have to refund them the difference it turned out I was being scammed and luckily I didn’t have much money in the account so they couldn’t get anything and I only realised it was a scam when I rang my bank and they told me nothing was going into my account the scammer tried to ring me and as soon as I rang them back and said you are scamming me they hung up and I haven’t heard anything since so please be careful on market place and only accept cash and nothing else I hope this everybody.

What is wrong with PayID? You’re only giving your phone number and the money goes straight into your account? My bank said this was a safe and secure way of payment

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

Stupid, stupid, stupid woman.

 

[BruceC]

This happened to me last week I had a Woodfire for sale on market place and I got a message from somebody who wanted to buy it but they could only use PayID and because it was a business account they would have to put more money into my bank than the item was worth and I would have to refund them the difference it turned out I was being scammed and luckily I didn’t have much money in the account so they couldn’t get anything and I only realised it was a scam when I rang my bank and they told me nothing was going into my account the scammer tried to ring me and as soon as I rang them back and said you are scamming me they hung up and I haven’t heard anything since so please be careful on market place and only accept cash and nothing else I hope this everybody.

Why would anyone agree to use PayID?The only safe way to sell on marketplace is Pick up only cash only. Have bought and sold many items on marketplace and never had one issue.
Never part with cash until you have sighted and checked the item!

 

[BruceC]

Stupid, stupid, stupid woman.

The old saying Stupid is as Stupid does!

 

[Derekmelly]

​

Technology can save us a lot of time and effort, allowing us to communicate with others, shop for groceries online, learn new skills and even buy cars with a few clicks.

But, as much as we appreciate modern conveniences, there are certain risks involved. For example, scams are quite common, costing Aussies hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Unfortunately, one Perth car hunter found this out the hard way: after placing an online order for a Mazda 3 in October last year, instead of a rare steal she ended up losing $4550, a story that has caught the attention of many.

The primary school worker found an online ad describing a Mazda 3 for sale and sent a message to the seller asking if it was still available. She was told that the car belonged to the seller’s niece, who had moved to Darwin with her two children after the death of her husband.

View attachment 26878

Be careful when using Facebook Marketplace. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Convinced by the emotional story, Saxton exchanged plenty of messages with the seller and received several photos of the car–without taking the time to inspect the vehicle in person. Feeling satisfied, she agreed to purchase and supplied her personal identification and a selfie–along with the money.

But, instead of receiving her valuable new purchase, the next day Saxton was asked to pay an additional $2000 fee, which was meant to cover the delivery expenses from the NT, a 3800-kilometre journey by road.

That’s when the alarm bells began to sound, and the car hunter realised she had been taken for a ride.

'The transaction was pending, I tried to get it stopped but turned out they couldn’t be stopped,' she said.

'The money got transferred to Bitcoin straight away, so it couldn’t be traced. So I lost $4550.'

Saxton doesn’t want anyone else to suffer such a costly mistake, so she shared her story to hopefully save others from the same thing.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth woman was scammed out of $4550 on Facebook Marketplace while trying to purchase a car.
• Violet Saxton was convinced by a fabricated emotional story and purchased a Mazda 3 car without seeing it, which she never received.
• After losing her money, Saxton warns others of the potential scams prevalent on online marketplaces.

Members, if you’re looking to buy a car, do a proper check first. Consumer Protection has launched a guide to better protect online buyers and dealers, offering a thorough checklist on inspecting a vehicle for damage and an option to do a security check for a $2 fee.

‘These new regulations and the release of the used car buyer’s checklist will bring some peace of mind to buyers in Western Australia who are looking for a used car that is safe, roadworthy and reliable,’ Commerce Minister Sue Ellery said.

‘Prospective used car buyers are strongly encouraged to do a $2 PPSR check using the VIN number found in the owner’s manual before purchasing a used car to avoid buying a repairable write-off, a vehicle that is stolen, or that has finance owing.’

Of course, keep an eye out for possible scams and always have a mechanic inspect the car if you can.

When it comes to our hard-earned money, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Have you ever come across this scam before? Let us know in the comments below.

Yes. I got caught by the same people when trying to buy a golf cart. Reporting it didn’t help even though the money went to a genuine bank. And I thought I was fairly savvy with these things. I lost $4000

 

[Strawb]

​

Technology can save us a lot of time and effort, allowing us to communicate with others, shop for groceries online, learn new skills and even buy cars with a few clicks.

But, as much as we appreciate modern conveniences, there are certain risks involved. For example, scams are quite common, costing Aussies hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Unfortunately, one Perth car hunter found this out the hard way: after placing an online order for a Mazda 3 in October last year, instead of a rare steal she ended up losing $4550, a story that has caught the attention of many.

The primary school worker found an online ad describing a Mazda 3 for sale and sent a message to the seller asking if it was still available. She was told that the car belonged to the seller’s niece, who had moved to Darwin with her two children after the death of her husband.

View attachment 26878

Be careful when using Facebook Marketplace. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Convinced by the emotional story, Saxton exchanged plenty of messages with the seller and received several photos of the car–without taking the time to inspect the vehicle in person. Feeling satisfied, she agreed to purchase and supplied her personal identification and a selfie–along with the money.

But, instead of receiving her valuable new purchase, the next day Saxton was asked to pay an additional $2000 fee, which was meant to cover the delivery expenses from the NT, a 3800-kilometre journey by road.

That’s when the alarm bells began to sound, and the car hunter realised she had been taken for a ride.

'The transaction was pending, I tried to get it stopped but turned out they couldn’t be stopped,' she said.

'The money got transferred to Bitcoin straight away, so it couldn’t be traced. So I lost $4550.'

Saxton doesn’t want anyone else to suffer such a costly mistake, so she shared her story to hopefully save others from the same thing.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth woman was scammed out of $4550 on Facebook Marketplace while trying to purchase a car.
• Violet Saxton was convinced by a fabricated emotional story and purchased a Mazda 3 car without seeing it, which she never received.
• After losing her money, Saxton warns others of the potential scams prevalent on online marketplaces.

Members, if you’re looking to buy a car, do a proper check first. Consumer Protection has launched a guide to better protect online buyers and dealers, offering a thorough checklist on inspecting a vehicle for damage and an option to do a security check for a $2 fee.

‘These new regulations and the release of the used car buyer’s checklist will bring some peace of mind to buyers in Western Australia who are looking for a used car that is safe, roadworthy and reliable,’ Commerce Minister Sue Ellery said.

‘Prospective used car buyers are strongly encouraged to do a $2 PPSR check using the VIN number found in the owner’s manual before purchasing a used car to avoid buying a repairable write-off, a vehicle that is stolen, or that has finance owing.’

Of course, keep an eye out for possible scams and always have a mechanic inspect the car if you can.

When it comes to our hard-earned money, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Have you ever come across this scam before? Let us know in the comments below.

My eldest step-daughter recently lost $3000 to a scam on Facebook. This was also for a car with a sad story attached. She was duped by a bogus eBay site which the car was listed on.

 

[Sandie1952]

Why would anyone agree to use PayID?The only safe way to sell on marketplace is Pick up only cash only. Have bought and sold many items on marketplace and never had one issue.
Never part with cash until you have sighted and checked the item!

Pickup and cash is fine if they’re in the vicinity but in the event of sending via post PayID is a safe and secure way of accepting payments I use that method or PayPal and it’s especially convenient if you don’t want to give your bank details for a bank deposit nothing wrong with PayID but with the purchase of a car that’s completely different I wouldn’t be handing any money over until everything has been checked out that just goes without saying