Cases of scams involving fake car sales are again being recorded in Ukraine. Fraudsters publish attractive advertisements, demand advance payment and disappear - so experts urge you to buy a car only after a personal inspection and verification through official registries.

The State Committee for Special Communications reports this. Outwardly, such advertisements look quite realistic - with photographs, documents, an attractive price and even an “honest” story about the origin of the car, but behind every such “profitable option” there is a scam.

According to law enforcement agencies, criminals place advertisements on popular online platforms for the sale of cars at a price significantly lower than the market price.. The text often notes that the car is supposedly currently undergoing customs clearance or is temporarily in the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where it is awaiting clearance. Such a legend should create the impression that the seller just wants to quickly “get rid” of the car and therefore offers a discount.

To instill trust, scammers show buyers fake documents - registration certificates, certificates or copies of supposedly official papers.. Some even shoot short videos “from the parking lot”, using footage from the Internet or other people’s advertisements.

After several messages in the messenger, the buyer is offered to “book a car” or “make an advance payment” - from several thousand to tens of thousands of hryvnia. They promise that the car can be picked up literally “tomorrow”. As soon as the money arrives in the account, the seller disappears, deletes the profile and stops all contact.

Particularly cynical is the variation of the scheme - “auto for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”. Fraudsters say that they are collecting funds or registering cars for the military, and therefore “a quick prepayment is needed to complete the documents”. Cybersecurity experts note that service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs do not store cars that are “awaiting clearance,” and photos of any certificates or copies of documents received in the messenger cannot be evidence of the reality of the transaction. Before making payment, the buyer must personally see the vehicle, check the documents for the car and the seller through the official registries of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or Diyu. If the seller avoids the meeting or offers to “do everything online,” this is the first signal that this is a scammer..