How not to get ripped off by a caravan scammer

One of Australia's largest financial institutions has provided some useful insights into how an online scam plays out, and some tips for caravan sellers on how to spot 'red flags' and avoid being scammed, especially when using social media sites.

In a post on NAB News titled 'Unmasking the caravan scam trying to roll away with your money', the National Australia Bank used the real-life example of one of its employees, Graeme, who'd recently completed scams and fraud training and had listed his caravan for sale online on both caravancampingsales and Facebook Marketplace.

The first 'red flag', was when he received an enquiry from ‘Darren’ in less than an hour.

“When it comes to selling large items like caravans or cars, it usually takes a while for people to express interest.  This really fast response raised the first red flag for me, but I was still hopeful I’d just gotten lucky,” Graeme said in the NAB News article.

“I had an inkling from the first message that this could be a scam, it just didn’t feel right, but I proceeded with caution just in case it was legit,” he said.

“The second red flag was when he asked me why I was selling the caravan and whether it was in good condition. Given I had answered both questions in the first sentence of the item description, he clearly hadn’t even read the post.

“After answering his questions anyway, he replied saying he couldn’t come to inspect it, but he trusted me so asked for my PayPal details to transfer the money to me.

“This was red flags three and four – not only did he not want to inspect it and rush the purchase through, but he also didn’t try to negotiate the price, which is unheard of on Marketplace.”

Another red flag was when "he told me he already paid via PayPal, so asked for my bank details so he could check if the transfer went through".

The final straw was when 'Darren' "provided a picture of a driver’s licence that matched the name and details of the man he claimed to be, and a photo of the same man holding the licence to prove it was him" -- another red flag that hinted at possible identity theft.

Graeme eventually put an end to the conversation, but only after speaking directly with PayPal about whether a part-payment made by 'Darren' had actually gone through.

The NAB article listed a number of tips to help spot a red flag and avoid falling victim to a scam, including 'trust your gut', get a second opinion, double check the evidence, never give away your bank details or personal information, and don't assume they're only after the 'jackpot'.

For more buying and selling advice, read caravancampingsales’ tips to help protect yourself online.

And if you're interested in buying Graeme's caravan, a 2021 21ft 6in Sunland Phoenix, you can find it currently listed for sale on caravancampingsales here.