Car dealerships, often considered a bastion of scams and deceit against their customers, have felt the sting in recent years from information on the Internet. It has gone a step further, now, as their lust for sales is being played upon by some pretty clever scam artists.

While most dealerships are catching wind of this, the scam is now being used on private sellers. Anyone who plans on listing a car online now or in the future MUST read this article.

It has never been more difficult to make a buck in the car business. Searching Google for "Car Buying Tips" yields nearly 8 million websites packed with information consumers can use to get a better deal. Throw in sites with new car invoices like Edmunds and sites with competitive used car pricing like usedcarsonly.com and you can see that it's not your father's Oldsmobile market.

Enter stage left the dealership scam artists. No, not the salesman throwing in the floor mats to close a high profit deal; in this case, the dealerships are the "scammees".

Here is the text of an email received by Diffee Ford Lincoln Mercury recently:

"Hi Seller,
I am interested in the immediate purchase of item, Could you kindly let me know
the present condition, availability, asking price and the current location. I am
willing to send your payment by check and i am willing to accept shipping
responsibilities via my shipping company. Email me at once, thanks in advance.
Kevin"

This particular email was sent based upon a posting on a free classified site.

Here is what happens next:

1. The seller emails "Kevin" back, answering questions.

2. Kevin sends back an email with a story about buying it for his son who is getting married in the UK or a friend who is coming into the country soon or something like that.

3. He mails a cashiers check and tells you to email him when it comes in.

4. Once you get the check, you find that it is for $2000 more than your price. He tells you this is to cover the transportation. You are to cash the check and give the transport guy the $1700-$1900. You get to keep the rest for your troubles.

5. The transport comes by that day. You give him the car, the money, and feel good about yourself.

6. The next day, your bank informs you that the cashiers check was counterfeit.

7. You MAY be able to get your car back since these guys rarely try to deal with customs. If not, it is currently being shipped to Nigeria or Europe. It may even be in a chop shop.

8. The transport person, if you are able to track them, is just a middle man paid to follow simple instructions. No liability there.

9. The police refer you to the Secret Service, who has been aware of this scam for a while. Strangely, the link to the bulletin on this particular scam isn't working right now.

Here are some other sample emails received lately:

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