Having placed your ad, an interested buyer, generally from abroad, notifies you of his/her intention to buy your vehicle. However, his or her bank’s verification procedure requires that two different amounts of less than 1 Euro each are deposited prior to making the full payment. You are required to confirm the deposit amounts, or the payment code, to the buyer.
- You have disclosed the above transaction data. After that, an online payment service has debited your account without your knowledge or consent?
What to do:
Immediately call the payment service provider handling the debit operation and block your bank account. In addition, report the scam to the police and file charges.
The money was delivered to the receiver
- You have arranged for payment by bank remittance or money transfer and the money was delivered to the receiver.
What to do:
1. Contact the online marketplace where you found the ad and ensure that the ad is immediately withdrawn to prevent any further damage.
2. In Germany: Report the scam to the police and file charges without delay either calling personally at your local police office or online. In both cases, keep the required details at hand. Online marketplaces only disclose any details required for an investigation to the prosecuting authorities at request.
3. Keep copies of the correspondence with the seller in your e-mail software and print an additional hard copy.
4. If you are a member of an automobile club, you are normally entitled to use free legal advice in Germany. You will receive valuable tips on how to proceed.