A new wave of AI-powered scams is targeting car sellers with fake buyers and bogus “condition report” links. One almost worked — here’s how to spot it before it nails you.
If you’re selling a car online right now, pay attention. There’s a new scam doing the rounds, and it’s slick enough to fool even seasoned gearheads. It uses AI bots, fake buyers, and a little psychological trickery to squeeze money out of sellers — and it nearly worked on someone I know.
Over dinner last night, a friend dropped a story that made everyone at the table rethink how they sell cars. He was helping his mum ditch her daily driver for a mobility scooter and listed her car online. Within hours, a “buyer” popped up on Messenger, ticking every box of a legit lead: asking smart questions, replying quickly, even acting slightly flaky in that way real buyers often do.
But there were small red flags. The buyer couldn’t remember basic details they’d already discussed. Plans shifted for no reason. Then came the weirdest move of all — they “countered” an asking price of $3,250 with an offer of $3,500. Overpaying isn’t negotiating, it’s bait. But the promise of an easy deal is exactly what keeps people from questioning it.
Then came the hook. The buyer asked for a condition report — fine — but insisted the seller pay for it using a link they provided. That’s where the scam cashes in. In any real-world deal, the buyer orders and pays for any inspection they want. When my friend pushed back, the buyer’s tone flipped from friendly to hostile. “Can’t you afford to get a report?” they sneered, hoping to shame him into clicking.
He didn’t bite. The deal evaporated, and the scammer vanished. Later, over another pint, someone else at the table shared an almost identical story. Same fake urgency. Same dodgy report link. Same script. Gone are the days of the Nigerian prince-level grift — it’s a polished, AI-driven hustle designed to bleed $80 from distracted sellers who just want the car gone.
The trick works because it preys on tired people who want a quick sale. The bots sound human enough, they make believable mistakes, and they act just convincing enough to drop your guard. My friend admitted that without a couple of odd turns of phrase in the messages, he probably would have gone through with it.
Here’s the rule: if a buyer ever asks you to pay for a report, walk away. Real buyers don’t operate like that. And with AI getting smarter by the week, the scams are going to get harder to spot. Stay sharp, trust your gut, and don’t let anyone hustle you out of eighty bucks while you’re trying to shift an old car.