Selling a car while abroad - possible to be scammed?

CharlemagneJ

HI all,

I am buying a car off a guy who is abroad with the army at the moment and his dad is selling the car on his behalf.

What is to stop the son from coming back to Ireland and saying his father never had permission to sell the car. Is there anything I can do to safely buy the car?

Wheety

CharlemagneJ wrote: »

HI all,

I am buying a car off a guy who is abroad with the army at the moment and his dad is selling the car on his behalf.

What is to stop the son from coming back to Ireland and saying his father never had permission to sell the car. Is there anything I can do to safely buy the car?

I think selling a car from abroad is a well known scam. Have they asked for a payment yet?

CharlemagneJ

Wheety wrote: »

I think selling a car from abroad is a well known scam. Have they asked for a payment yet?

I have been talking to the Dad. He seems very genuine and has given me his Eir code to go view the car and its the same house as is in the pictures of the car. No payment yet, he only lives 10 minutes away from me and I would be paying when when I went to pick up the car.

Atlantic Dawn

I'd be trying to cover the chance it's a stolen car and person left logbook in car too. Is the address on the logbook the fathers address now or another address? Check when the ownership on the car most recently changed. A son should have the same surname as his father, check photo ID of the father.

Can you lodge payment for the car to the son's bank account? You could put payment reference "For Car" so it will show as this on his statement, this will be a record of the money passing from them to you. Going the pure cash route is not worth it.

CharlemagneJ

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I'd be trying to cover the chance it's a stolen car and person left logbook in car too. Is the address on the logbook the fathers address now or another address? Check when the ownership on the car most recently changed. A son should have the same surname as his father, check photo ID of the father.

Can you lodge payment for the car to the son's bank account? You could put payment reference "For Car" so it will show as this on his statement, this will be a record of the money passing from them to you. Going the pure cash route is not worth it.

We've done the car check and its not stolen. So that's something. That's a great idea about the sons account though.

newmember2

I'd imagine without the owner's signature on the change of ownership the transaction could subsequently be queried.

Del2005

newmember? wrote: »

I'd imagine without the owner's signature on the change of ownership the transaction could subsequently be queried.

You can "pp" a signature and it's legal.


OP if in doubt walk away unless it's super exotic then there's plenty of other cars available. In saying that how many people check the seller's ID when buying a car?

Plumbthedepths

CharlemagneJ wrote: »

HI all,

I am buying a car off a guy who is abroad with the army at the moment and his dad is selling the car on his behalf.

What is to stop the son from coming back to Ireland and saying his father never had permission to sell the car. Is there anything I can do to safely buy the car?

Just curious, is it a Green line Skoda Octavia?

CiniO

Del2005 wrote: »

You can "pp" a signature and it's legal.


OP if in doubt walk away unless it's super exotic then there's plenty of other cars available. In saying that how many people check the seller's ID when buying a car?

What is "pp"?
Can you link to any details about it?

CiniO

If it was me, and I'd be inclined to buy this car, I would ask for them to organise change of ownership from son to father.
Then once car is in father's name, then I would buy it straight from him fully legit.

Only issue with that might be if car is relatively new with low number of owners, then adding extra owner might affect its value.
It wouldn't really matter in an older car.

HeidiHeidi

CiniO wrote: »

What is "pp"?
Can you link to any details about it?

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/per+pro



per pro


Also found in: Legal, Wikipedia. per pro

(ˈpɜː ˈprəʊ) prep (Commerce) by delegation to; through the agency of: used when signing documents on behalf of someone else

[Latin: abbreviation of per prōcūratiōnem]
Usage: See at pp2
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
per pro

A Latin phrase, short for per procurationem, meaning through the agency of; the full form of the abbreviation p.p. used by someone signing a letter on behalf of someone else.

mickmmc

I would made discrete local enquiries about the family to check that the son is in the army and what kind a people they are.

Why can't the father give you his son's phone number or email? You could then give him a ring and send an email to confirm sale.

You have nothing to lose by visiting your local Garda station and seeking advice. You may pick up some information.

CharlemagneJ

CharlemagneJ wrote: »

he only lives 10 minutes away from me

Surely you must know someone that knows them personally then? Even ask in the local shop?

The Gardai will tell you over the phone, if the car is reported stolen, if you give them the reg plate.

There's an insurance company who's details form auto-fills when the car last changed hands when you put in the reg. It's the one for teachers and public servants. Can't think of the name, but I'm sure someone here will have it.

If you can find out that the last date of ownership was a while ago, take screenshots of the ad, get clarity that the car isn't currently reported stolen, then you're fairly safe at that point.

The only other thing you could really do beyond that point is try find out where he's based and give them a ring (I don't mean abroad, i mean in Ireland. If he spends most of his time in Kildare for example, someone there, although they likely won't give you details about him, likely will confirm he actually exists).



You have to be getting a discount on the car for all this messing though. If it's just priced the same as all other similar cars then it's hardly worth the extra hassle.

HeidiHeidi

Would you not just ask for an email from the son, confirming that the dad is selling the car on his behalf?


Would take 30 seconds by him and then you have a record of it.

bazz26

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Would you not just ask for an email from the son, confirming that the dad is selling the car on his behalf?


Would take 30 seconds by him and then you have a record of it.

How would an email prove who owns the car? Anyone could take 30 seconds to send an email from a makey uppy email address just as easily.

CiniO

CharlemagneJ wrote: »

he only lives 10 minutes away from me

Deleted User wrote: »

Surely you must know someone that knows them personally then? Even ask in the local shop?

That kind of things make me realise how much I miss living in Ireland.

newmember2

Del2005 wrote: »

You can "pp" a signature and it's legal.


OP if in doubt walk away unless it's super exotic then there's plenty of other cars available. In saying that how many people check the seller's ID when buying a car?

That's all you do - put a different signature and write 'PP beside it and it's all good?

hawkeyethenoo

Deleted User wrote: »

The Gardai will tell you over the phone, if the car is reported stolen, if you give them the reg plate.

i dont think thats true, they said they cant when i rang before.