Recognize signs of fraud and use these best practices to safely sell, rent or buy an RV on our marketplace.
Negotiate all deals face-to-face
Do not exchange property or money with anyone you have not met in person. Inability or refusal to meet face-to-face to inspect the RV and complete the transaction is a red flag. Follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts!
How We Maintain Marketplace Safety
Our team works hard to protect our sellers from fraud. Here are a few steps we take to ensure seller safety on our platform:
- We actively block access to our services from areas outside the United States. At the moment, we require all RVs listed on our marketplace to be physically located in the United States. It’s up to you as the seller to choose to negotiate and transact with buyers from other countries, but we suggest you follow the tips below to recognize potential scam attempts.
- Sellers have the option when adding a listing to the marketplace to choose the level of address details they want displayed on the listing page. We suggest using City and State. Specific details like street address should be reserved for dealers or other professional service providers that accept walk-in buyers at their location of business.
- We require interested buyers to create an account to message you about a listing. Your email address is not viewable on the platform. We caution you against adding contact information in plain text to the listing description.
Recommendations for Sellers
Because all sales transactions take place outside our platform, it’s important that as a seller you take steps to prevent fraud.
Watch for suspicious activity as outlined below and take precautions to protect yourself if something seems out of the ordinary or inconsistent. Most scam attempts involve one or more of the following. Consider these tips when working with potential buyers.
- Be skeptical about any vague initial inquiries not specific to your listing (e.g. asking about “the item”). Poor grammar/spelling.
- Be skeptical about interested parties posing as an “agent” representing a buyer. Always attempt to communicate directly with the buyer.
- Do not accept payment prior to the buyer seeing the RV in-person.
- Verify the buyer’s identity prior to meeting. Do a Google search. Attempt to match names, addresses and phone numbers with public records, directories or social media.
- Be cautious when using Western Union, Money Gram, Paypal or Zelle. Follow the tips in our listing instructions for a smooth transaction when completing the sale.
- Fraudulent deals often involve the buyer offering to pay with a money order or cashier’s check for significantly more than the asking price.
- Love That RV is NEVER involved in any transaction between buyer and seller. If the buyer claims that we will handle the transaction, immediately report them. We are not associated with any third party that provides a “guarantee.” Nor are we associated with any online payment company or escrow service. Anyone who claims otherwise is suspect.
- Do not click any links from a buyer that appear to be a Love That RV login. Never access any links sent by buyers that seem abnormal.
- Report any message from someone asking you to do something unusual like “verifying” your account via a Google code. Love That RV does not employ any sort of verification system like this.
- It’s not uncommon for a buyer to request transportation of the RV to their local area, but real buyers will never overpay for shipping then request any sort of refund for overpayment. Offers involving unusual shipping requests are immediate red flags.
Completing the Sale
If you follow the steps above to ensure you’ve protected yourself through the research and negotiation phase, it’s time to complete the sale! Follow these tips in our listing instructions for a smooth transaction.
Recommendations for Buyers
Our team reviews every listing before it is added to our marketplace, but sellers can update listing details after the initial listing is submitted. And messaging with the seller can take place outside of our platform. So there are steps you should take as a buyer to protect yourself from fraudulent seller activity.
Watch for suspicious seller activity or unusual listing details as outlined below and click the “Report Listing” link on the listing page if something seems out of the ordinary or inconsistent.
- Do not purchase sight-unseen. A photo does not verify the RV is real. Always inspect the RV and complete the transaction in-person. This step alone helps reduce any scam attempts.
- If a seller asks for payment prior to seeing the RV, report the seller to us immediately.
- Know the market value of the RV you want to buy. Be suspicious of any listing priced significantly below market value. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. It’s good to maintain a healthy skepticism.
- Be skeptical if listing images do not appear to be original or are commonly used on other websites. You can use Google’s reverse image search tool to see if the images appear on other websites such as stock photo services.
- Examine the listing photos before inspecting the RV in person. Ask the seller questions if the RV does not appear to have normal branding, logos, and or other identification normally associated with the manufacturer.
- Be aware that Love That RV is NEVER involved in any transaction between buyer and seller. Report any seller who states that Love That RV will handle the transaction. We are not associated with any third party that provides a “guarantee.” Nor are we associated with any online payment company or escrow service. Anyone who claims otherwise is suspect.
- Love That RV DOES NOT offer any type of purchase protection or warranty program, nor do we partner with any third parties to offer such a program. Report a seller who claims that Love That RV offers purchase protection or a warranty.
- Be honest about your expectations. Remember that an RV will travel down the road so expect minor imperfections from bumpy roads. Used RVs have the advantage over new RVs that they have been road tested.
- Call the Department of Motor Vehicles in the seller’s area to verify the seller owns the RV and is able to sell it.
- Always ask for paperwork (e.g. registration, warranty info, title, etc.) to verify a seller’s claims. Know if the RV is being sold with a warranty or “as is”.
- Check to see if the RV has any public recalls.
- Have an expert examine the RV.
- Print a copy or take a screenshot of the marketplace listing for your records.
- Make sure the terms of the sale are clear.
- Meet sellers in person in an open, public location. Many police stations offer “safe transaction zones.” Most large department stores have cameras in their parking lots. Meeting on federal property increases the penalties against anyone making bad choices during the transaction.
- Be cautious of anyone who refuses to communicate on the telephone.
- Negotiate terms as much as possible before you meet to avoid contentious negotiations in person.
- Request a detailed written bill of sale from the seller.
- Contact your bank prior to the sale to inform them of your intention to purchase the RV. They can walk you through the steps and timeline required to complete a successful transaction.
- If using an escrow service for payment of the transaction, verify that it is a reliable service provider. Never click to an escrow service site via a link in an email. Always go directly to the site by typing in the service provider’s URL in your browser.
- Verify the seller’s address and phone number before sending payment. Zip codes, area codes, names and addresses must match up.
- If presented with an “invoice” from PayPal or other payment service, verify it is genuine. Use your best judgment in all transactions.
- Do not send personal or financial information (such as your social security number, credit card or bank account information) to a seller via email or text message. Email and cell phone communications are not secure.
Suspicious Activity With Rental Listings
Love That RV does not directly handle any rental transactions between the RV owner or renter.
If you are the RV owner adding your rental listing to our marketplace, we suggest you use a professional rental platform like Outdoorsy or RVezy as they provide additional protections such as renter verification and insurance. Free rental solutions such as Craigslist or your blog don’t offer much protection against potential scams.
If you are interested in renting an RV you see on the marketplace, we suggest you only complete rental contracts through professional rental platforms like Outdoorsy or RVezy. If information on a rental listing in our marketplace seems suspicious, click the “Report Listing” on the listing page.
What To Do When You Suspect Fraud
If you find a listing that you feel is fraudulent, flag it by clicking the “Report Listing” link and fill out the required information on the form. Our fraud team will review the listing and take the appropriate actions.
If you receive messages from buyers that you suspect are a scam attempt, consider the message or offer carefully before responding. If you are suspicious, it’s often best to just ignore the message. Responding to scammers may just encourage them to continue pushing the scam.
If the buyer continues to message or otherwise harass you, please contact us immediately.
Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov. The IC3 is a division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concerning suspected Internet-facilitated criminal activity. The IC3 develops leads and notifies law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, local and international level.
You can also report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov
If you are defrauded by someone you met in person, contact your local police department.