In Ukraine, cases of fraud when selling cars online have become more frequent, so buyers are advised never to make an advance payment without personally inspecting the car and checking documents. If the seller offers a suspiciously low price, refuses to provide a VIN code, does not allow you to check the car at a service station, or insists on completing the transaction remotely, it is better to refuse such a purchase immediately. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (MVD). Law enforcement officers explained what signs can be used to understand at an early stage that the ad was most likely created by scammers. Most often, attackers rely on the emotions of a potential buyer. To do this, they create the impression that the car is being sold much cheaper than the market value or that it needs to be purchased literally “here and now”.

In advertisements you can often see phrases like “today only”, “urgent sale due to relocation”, “we will register remotely” or “there are already several buyers for the car”. All this is designed to make a person rush to a decision and not check the information..

The main goal of scammers is to receive an advance payment or even the full cost of the car even before a personal meeting and paperwork. The Ministry of Internal Affairs named the six most common danger signals that should alert the buyer, these include:.

Law enforcement officers emphasize that if several such signs are combined in one ad, it is better to refuse the purchase.

Before making an appointment, you should carefully check the seller himself. In particular, it is recommended to pay attention to the date of creation of his account. If the profile was registered just a few days ago and contains a single ad, this may indicate fraud.

It is equally important to check the photos of the car using an image search. Quite often, scammers use photographs from foreign sites or copy them from real advertisements of other owners..

Experts also advise that you be sure to ask the seller to provide the car’s VIN code.. This is a unique vehicle body number that can be used to check its history and ensure that the car really exists..

Another important step is checking the vehicle registration certificate. If the seller sent a photo of the document, its authenticity can be checked through the online service “Document Verification” on the official website of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs recommends that the purchase and sale agreement be drawn up exclusively through official means.. The safest thing to do is contact the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where the contract is drawn up free of charge. Upon completion of the procedure, the new owner receives a car registration certificate in his name and new license plates.

You can also officially purchase or sell a car, motorcycle or moped through the " In this case, the agreement is signed with the electronic signatures of the parties, and new documents and license plates are sent by mail. To complete the transaction, the buyer must have a passport of a citizen of Ukraine and the registration number of the taxpayer’s registration card (RNOKPP). The seller must additionally provide a vehicle registration certificate. If a person has become a victim of Internet scammers or has information about such schemes, the Cyber \u200b\u200bPolice advises to immediately report this through the official website or by calling 102.