A $7,500 RAV4
Last time: when do you run the VIN? Before you fall in love. And before the Tucson, Sam almost fell for this.
A 2021 RAV4, for $7,500. Way under market. The seller is deployed overseas, so the car ships from a warehouse. Just send a deposit through the buyer-protection program.
Sam almost did. Here are the red flags that kill a deal on sight, the hidden-car tricks, and the one rule that beats every scam.
The five red flags
These come from FTC and FBI warnings about online car sales. Sam’s listing is made up, but every piece of it comes from those warnings. Any one flag is a reason to slow down. Two or more, and you walk.
1. A price far below market.
2. A sob story: deployment, divorce, a move.
3. A seller who won’t meet, or won’t let you inspect.
4. Payment by gift card, by wire, or through a so-called protection program.
5. A VIN that doesn’t match the listing.
Your call: how many red flags?
Go back to Sam’s listing. How many red flags does it have?
Four. It’s below market. There’s a sob story. There’s no way to see the car. And it asks for a fake buyer-protection deposit.
The FTC is blunt: if anyone tells you to pay like that, it’s a scam.
The cars that look fine
Then there are the scams you can’t see in the listing. The car looks fine. The problem is hidden.
Flood cars. They get cleaned up and moved far away. Sniff for a musty smell. Look for water lines, rust, and silt where it shouldn’t be.
Rolled-back odometers. NHTSA estimates more than 450,000 cars a year are sold with false mileage, costing buyers more than a billion dollars a year.
Washed titles: a salvage brand cleaned up in another state. A federal NMVTIS title report keeps every brand, which is why you run one.
Curbstoners: dealers pretending to be private sellers. In Texas, selling five or more cars a year takes a dealer license.
For a host, these tricks cost twice. You overpay for the car, and then it may not be allowed to earn. As of October 2026, Turo bans flood, salvage and odometer-rollback title brands, and washed titles too. A hidden problem can mean a car you can’t list.
The rule that beats every scam
Every trick above fails the same test. Either you can’t see the car, or you can’t check it. So here’s the rule: if you can’t see it and check it, don’t pay for it.
None of this slows down an honest seller. An honest seller will meet you, show you the title, and let your mechanic look. Only a scammer needs you to skip those steps.
Write your no-deposit rules now, before a deal tempts you. Meet in person. Match the title to the seller’s ID. Run the VIN yourself. And never pay by gift card or wire.
Sam walked away from the RAV4, and bought a car that could be seen and checked. Next: was it the right car?