Everyone likes a good deal.  So when one of our analysts found a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with less than 50000 km on Autotrader for $11500, his heart skipped a beat. This vehicle was loaded with aftermarket goodies and usually goes for four times the price.  Check her out, she is a beauty!!

 

 

He hoped with all his heart, that this was the real deal. However with the price being so low, his scam detector was running at full power. He contacted the seller and discovered that the vehicle belonged to her father who has just passed away. She knew nothing about jeeps and just wanted to get rid of it. Hmmm, that sounded plausible. He investigated further.

The seller informed him that if he wanted to purchase the jeep he would have to do it through WTC, otherwise known as Wiozacars Trading Corporation. Our analyst did some research and found that it was an escrow company with tons of good reviews from various sources going back several years. Oddly enough, there wasn’t one link in the three pages of search results to the company’s website. Maybe it didn’t have one. This might be legit after all.

Our analyst informed the seller that he was interested but didn’t know anything about WTC and asked for more information. The seller sent him detailed instructions on how to complete the transaction along with a link to the WTC website. That is when things started to fall apart. If the company had a website, why didn’t a Google search find it? He clicked the link the seller provided and found a very beautiful and professional looking fully functional website.

He decided to call their bluff and asked if his wife could look at the vehicle. Never mind that he was in Calgary and the vehicle was in Quebec. By now he was certain it was a scam, however he wanted to see what the sellers would do. Sure enough, after his request all communication stopped and the ad was removed from Autotrader. Scam confirmed.

No matter how badly you want to believe that once in a lifetime deal is the real thing, take the time to do your research. If their website doesn’t come up in a Google search or they are asking to use an unknown third party to do the transaction, walk away.