28/10/2024
*CONTAINER ADVERT SCAMS*
Tip 1 in our series of container purchasing mini blogs targets the advert scams that plague all of the usual selling platforms.
The most common scam involves advertising containers that simply don’t exist. Scammers create fake listings or use stolen photographs to make non-existent containers appear legitimate. They may even set up fake websites or online marketplaces to deceive unsuspecting buyers.
In the past month we have had 3 customers come to us having lost money on fake adverts ranging from £600 to £2000 in these cases (no small amount!)
Just a brief look across the usual platforms, shows countless non-existent containers with convincing photographs, fake accounts and wording trickery. Especially across the ‘go to’ online buying sites:
- Facebook marketplace
- EBay
- Gumtree
- even Amazon!
With our experience it’s not too difficult to spot the fake ones pretty quickly and with just a brief look this morning across Facebook marketplace showed us well over a third of the containers listed being of questionable legitimacy.
Long story short, with containers, if it looks too good to be true, 99% of the time, it really is.
So we will keep it short to help, as we all want a bargain and private sellers are often able to provide that bargain as there isn’t any VAT involved with most of these transactions, hence why the private sales market exists at all.
1. Go and see the container! If the seller makes up excuses in terms of availability or other buyers ready to buy ASAP, do not take these excuses for an answer! If you can’t view it, don’t buy it. This doesn’t guarantee it won’t be a scam, but trust us it will cut out 99% of the scammers there and then.
2. If they send an invoice check the company details properly. We were mimicked recently where they used the CFSTORAGE logo on an invoice but all of the contact details and bank details were of a completely different individual. Luckily the customer didn’t send any money but it showed the level that these fraudsters will go to.
3. Use a haulier you know or locally recommended. If the seller offers the haulage, be careful as it’s another opportunity for them not to provide you with an address for the container and to at least secure the ‘haulage figure’ from you and not the full amount including the container. This method builds trust with the customer as they will say to just pay the haulage and then for the container when you receive it. Trust us…. You’ll never see that money again!
4. The most obvious method of not getting done is buying from age old companies like us! but we take no offence when people find a cheap container that actually exists! 2 things we can offer to help. Give us a call or drop in and we can offer our opinion on the legitimacy of what you are buying, or get a quote from us to do the haulage for you too!
If you have any concerns about any of the above, please get in touch. Seeing the amount of money thrown into the pockets of fraudsters in our industry really strikes a nerve.
Watch out for our next tips, coming soon!
CFSTORAGE TEAM
