Please be aware of scam and fraud

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Unfortunately, sometimes we receive a message from someone who was scammed. It's a terrible thing when some people try to take advantage of passionate car enthusiasts.
At PreWarCar.com and PostWarClassic.com we try hard to check every advert, but sometimes it is pretty difficult to distinguish fake advertisements from real ones (as they look pretty convincing). Therefore we would like to warn you one more time and give you some tip-offs:

- Verify that the seller is the real owner of the car/bike. Please note: all kind of papers (e.g. title) might be forged. Maybe the shipping company or other service providers can check this for you.

- No matter how far away the car/bike is: check the vehicle on-site (ideally together with an expert). As soon as you announce your visit, the seller will cut off contact or try to prevent you from coming when he is a fraud.

- Never pay in advance without any security when the seller is not a friend or a trustworthy person/ dealer. Pay only when the car/bike has been picked up or use a fiduciary account. Sometimes shipping companies will make the payment for you when they pick up the vehicle.

- Do not trust any kind of documents sent by e-mail (photos, scans of any documents etc.) that you receive from the seller directly. Some people are very handy with Photoshop.

- If you contact the advertiser, don’t let yourself be fooled by the following “signs of confidence”:

- The advertiser sends you many detailed photos including a photo of the engine and frame number. Check the numbers carefully.

- The advertiser might send you the documents you wish. It happened that he sent a scan of the title with apparently correct data (address, chassis or frame number etc.) and a signed bill of sale with detailed address data. Please check the address and/or phone number. To check the address, look at the photos of the car/motorbike and compare the background, houses etc. with photos of e.g. Google Earth.

- If possible check the bank details before transferring money. Difficult, but quite often the seller will give the banking details of his “wife” because her bank is allegedly faster in bank transfers from Europe (or some other reason). Be suspicious when the seller tries to hasten the bank transfer (needs money urgently because of financial problems, etc.).

- Be suspicious if the seller delays the pickup of the car/bike by telling you any stories (poor health, just got to the hospital, etc.).

- Be careful if the seller tries to sell you an additional car/bike also for an attractive price.

And most important: always use your common sense! If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. And if you are not sure... Please contact us first through office@prewarcar.com. We cannot give you certainty and every deal will be at your own risk. If you have problems with a seller, please let us know as well. We will immediately take down the advert so nobody else will fall in the same trick. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

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