Many people who are selling their cars chose to privately go about the deal by listing the car online and in newspaper classifieds. Recently my husband and I listed our 3 cars for sale and what happened next came as an absolute shock to both of us.

Now we all know about internet scams including spam mail that tells you that the bank of Africa wants to deposit money into your account or that you have won the U.K Lotto...etc. But there is another type of scam out there that I didn't know about till 2 days ago that mainly targets people who are trying to sell their used vehicles.

The company that approached us by calling us on the phone has a website which to the untrained eye may look legit but if you know anything about websites you will quickly come to realise that the website is a sham.

They go by Motor help USA and their website is MotorhelpUSA.com, they called us from a number that we tried to call back only to find out it was not theirs. The person who answered the phone actually told us that this company taps into their phone lines and uses them to call people who are trying to sell their cars with a promise that they have a buyer who is interested in the car and they only have to pay them 189 Dollars to match you up with that person and they will return the money to you once the sail is done.

Motor help USA has a history of associating themselves with TheBiglot.com which is a legitimate used car advertising and selling company so make sure you do your research!

When and if you are approached by someone trying to convince you they have a buyer for your car here are some tips to help you judge if this is a scam or not:

1-Ask for names, numbers and any kind of paper documentation to prove who they are and where they are located.

2-Check out their website, Websites that look like motorhelpusa.com are a scam.

3-Make sure you understand and are comfortable with everything you are being told. Ask a lot of questions and make sure you are 100% convinced of the sale.

4-DO NOT accept any checks or payment orders for prices that are higher than what you are asking for especially if they tell you to send them back money for this or that.

5-Most of these calls come from people who are outside your region of residence or where you have listed your car for sale.

6-If you are about to proceed with a transaction make sure they know you have a financial adviser/lawyer who is looking over everything and ask them to forward documents to them.

7-Call them back! In my case the number was a false one and that's how I found out.

8-Do not be rushed into making any decisions ASAP. That's a good sign that you are being victimized.

9-NEVER EVER give out any financial or credit card information over the phone unless you trust that you are speaking to a legitimate financial organization and that it is essential to give this info out.

Learn more about this author, Iman Ashour.
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