Fraudsters are targeting classified advertisement websites like AutoTrader to advertise vehicles for sale. Buyers are then contacting these ‘sellers’ to find out more about the vehicles and are being told to pay for them via ‘Apple Pay’. In this case the fraudsters are not using the genuine Apple Pay service and potential victims pay money directly to bank accounts in control of the fraudsters. Individuals receive emails claiming to be from Apple Pay with a web link to a cloned website with false terms and conditions of the ‘escrow’ service. Any money remitted to the fraudsters is then unrecoverable and the vehicles are not delivered.
 
Protect yourself:

• Meet the seller ‘face to face’ and view the vehicle before parting with any money.
• Be cautious of web links in an email. They may not direct you to the genuine website.
• Report scam advertisements to the classified advertisement websites.
• If the vehicle is below market value, consider whether this is an opportunity too good to be true!