Just want to give everyone a warning about hybrid car scams going on on Craigslist.org. They will usually offer a newer hybrid (usually The Prius) for a crazy low price. Sometimes like asking only $5k on a car that is probably worth at least $20k. They have nice pictures and a nice ad but the scam doesn’t start until you email them about more details. (They don’t list phone numbers).

They will respond saying they are in California or somewhere far from where you are located and want to do the transaction over the Internet. They either say you can pay the dealer or transaction fee upfront and then pay the remainder when the car arrives. However, you pay this fee upfront and you will never see the car.

If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Craigslist is highly visited site and people know they will get a fair price for what they are selling because of the large audience. Never pay an upfront fee for anything. Even if it looks like they are using a “secure” solution like Ebay or Paypal.