You’re browsing online used car website listings and stumble upon a clean, low mileage car, and It’s priced very cheap. You’re excited and call them. The salesperson sounds confident, polite, and cooperative. After gained your trust, salesperson ask you to send remittance by bank wire transfer. If you want to pay by letter of credit or by Japan Trust Pay, they refused and insist you to send payment by bank wire transfer direct to their account.
After you pay by bank wire transfer, the common reason fraudster exporters start saying that:
- Car failed the inspection and we’ll send you another car
- Car has a mechanical problem we’ll send you another car
- Car has failed radiation test we’ll send you another car
- Car was sold to other customer we’ll send you another car.
But the fact is that first car was never existed. It was just bait to get you on the phone or email and fall you into their trap. What they really want is to sell you a poor condition car that is badly accidental repaired, repainted, and overpriced car or just taken your money and never ship any car.
How to Protect Yourself
- Always ask landline telephone number of seller. In Japan, telephone numbers
start from +8190 or +8180 or +8170 are mobile (cell) phone numbers. Also
telephone number start with +8050 is an IP phone number (not a landline
number). - Always ask seller for engine and chassis number before sending payment.
- Inform seller that you will ask 3rd party physical inspection of vehicle
by Japan Inspections Organization or any other inspection agency in Japan.
If seller not agree for physical inspection or start excuses, the car may
not existed or poor condition or different from the pictures in seller’s
website. - Check if seller’s background is clean or not by searching their company
name at Japan Anti Fraud Organization. - Never fall for beautiful photos of car or unbelievable “cheap price”
or “urgent sale” emotional hooks. If vehicle is too clean and too cheap,
it may not real.
Exporters selling cars they don’t own
Fraudster car exporters have been selling cars they don’t even own. Don’t be victimized by sending payment for a vehicle that actually not exist. Always insist seller that you will arrange 3rd party physical inspection of vehicle by JIO (Japan Inspection Organization) or any other reputable inspection agency in Japan.
Defective used cars
One of the most frequent complaints from the overseas buyers is “they purchased good condition clean car, but seller send mechanically faulty car”. To avoid this issue, a pre-purchase inspection by JIO or any other reputable inspection agency in Japan is recommend. If seller refuse physical inspection or start excuses, you have rights to refuse sending money.
Fake or forged documents scam
This is the scam where many overseas car buyers around the world get hit months after the deal when car arrive at their seaport from Japan. Always cross-check registration/de-registration/export certificate paper before sending payment. Due to re-write software and advanced AI technology, car paperwork forgery is a thriving side business in the world. Documents are faked, forged, and even registration de-registration or export certificate can be manipulated easily.
How to protect yourself
Ask seller to send you vehicle’s de-registration/export certificate in PDF format as email attachment and re-check it’s authentication by “Document(s) Authentication Service” at JIO. By paying a small authentication fee you can save your huge amount in falling as fraud/scam victim.
Before sending payment
- Ask seller in Japan for chassis & engine number befor sending payment.
- Ask seller to send you copy of deregistration/export certificate and cross-check
contents by “Document Authentication Service” by JIO. - Ask seller exact mileage of vehicle (odometer reading) and cross-check
it by “Odometer verification in Japan” by JIO.