Auto Shipping Scams Are on the Rise, Warns Dependable Auto Shippers
Mesquite, TX (PRWEB) April 16, 2015 -- With the busy season starting,Dependable Auto Shippers wants to warn people of potential car shipping scams, which are on the rise.
Posts on eBay and Craigslist have already started appearing, claiming that Dependable Auto Shippers has a vehicle available for shipment. These posts are not from the company. They are from con artists who pose as overseas travelers, such as someone in the military who's being deployed for a year, and need to quickly get rid of their vehicle because they "can't afford to keep it" or "don't want to." The con artist also suggests that the buyer should pay a portion of the cost up front, and the rest once the vehicle arrives.
The worst part of it all is that the scam is set up in a way that keeps the federal government from getting involved. The "cars" posted online are normally worth around $10,000 or less, and so the victims pay $5,000 up front, a sum that's small enough not to warrant the federal government's attention. Consequently, victims are left helpless as the con artists get away.
"Typically what will happen is someone will use our name or call our sales agents asking for information on where their car is," said Jon Kreuger, the Quality Director at Dependable Auto Shippers. "We have to be very polite and apologetic and say that we don’t have their car because we didn't authorize that sale."
These scams are not only happening in Mesquite, Texas -- where Dependable Auto Shippers is based -- either. They're prevalent throughout the entire United States, and as peak season approaches next month, the country should be on the watch.
"It's frustrating for everyone involved," said Kreuger. "It's frustrating for us because when we get a call in from someone wondering where their car is, then we look like we’re the ones who had something to do with it. However, once we point them in the right direction they start to understand how and why we weren't involved in the scam."
Busy season for those with car hauler jobs starts around May and ends around the beginning of Fall, basically when kids get out of school and when they go back to school. Since families don't want their children missing any school, they wind up moving during the summer, between school years, making summer the auto shipping industry's busy season.
Dependable Auto Shippers gets notified of these scams about four or five times a week, and with the busy season just around the corner, it's likely that there will be even more if people aren't warned first.
To avoid being conned, Dependable Auto Shippers recommends looking into the company's history, and seeing how long it's been in business. They also advise people seek out recommendations from other companies in the industry -- as well as past customers -- to help avoid being scammed.
About Dependable Auto Shippers
Dependable Auto Shippers aim to make auto shipping an easy, stress-free process for their clients, whether their vehicle's destination is across the state or across the country. Dependable Auto Shippers can ship cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, RVs, and more. To learn more about the company, visit http://www.dependableautoshippers.com
Jon Krueger, Dependable Auto Shippers, http://dependableautoshippers.com, +1 (512) 969-2296, [email protected]
Share this article