How to avoid scams when buying a boat

Buying a boat can be a stressful time. To be honest, when you are buying anything that requires a large amount of money to be handed over, you are going to be on edge slightly, hoping that everything goes well. Here at BoatShop24 we understand that these transactions can be daunting, so we are on hand to offer you as much advice and help that we can, to make your lives that little bit easier.

When buying items from people on the internet you are more likely to come across a scam seller than if you are buying face to face. And, whilst we don’t want to put you off buying a boat altogether, we feel that we should make you aware of the sorts of scams that some people do encounter. These scams are hardly common, and you are likely to never come across one, however, we thought we would inform you as to what sort of things you should be looking out for.

Remember, if you follow these tips carefully, then you are eliminating all of the risk and your shopping experience should be nice and smooth and without any hiccups.

Speak on the phone
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You should always make sure that you speak to the prospective seller of the boat you are interested in over the phone. Don’t simply carry out the conversation over email or online. You will want to talk to them in person, and in doing so, you can get a better idea of who they are. Make sure you get a landline number for the seller and then you can make sure that the location of this landline matches the physical location of the boat itself. Also, by speaking to the seller in person, you are able to ask any questions that pop into your head, and it saves you arranging a viewing just to find out that the boat is wrong for you. Iron out all of the creases before you commit to travelling and viewing the boat.

HIN Number
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When on the phone, or over email, you should ask for the boat’s HIN Number. This is the Hull Identification Number and is located on the hull of every boat. It is a unique combination of letters and/or numerals affixed or embossed on the outside of the vessel, generally on the starboard side above the waterline on most boats. By doing a search for the HIN Number online you can make sure that the boat isn’t stolen. The number is required by law, so be wary if the seller isn’t able to provide you with the information.

When emailing
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When you are emailing the owner of the boat you wish to buy, there are a number of things that you should keep an eye out for. For example, you should be wary of sellers who have a poor local knowledge of the area in which they say the boat is located. You should also look out for emails that don’t seem proper. For example, people who have numerically generated email addresses or ones that seem generally made up on the spot, as scammers will tend to use a fake email address and these are usually in this mold.

View the boat first!
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Right, we appreciate that this one is pretty obvious, but if you are buying something that is costing you large sums of money, then we strongly advise you to view it in person before you transfer any money across. When viewing a boat you will be able to get a feel for it and see it up close and personal. This will mean that you can spot any potential issues with it that could put you off making the purchase.

If, however, you cannot view the boat for some reason, you should make sure that someone does. You can send a trustworthy friend or get a survey done on the vessel. If you have the boat surveyed by a professional firm then you are again, cancelling out any risks of buying a dodgy boat and are again, lowering your risk of getting scammed.

Avoid long distance purchases
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You should always use extreme caution when you are considering buying a boat that is located a long distance away from your location. The further you have to travel to view the boat, the more at risk you are for scams. As previously mentioned, you should always be looking to view the boat before you buy it, and if you are having to travel an extremely long distance, you may be tempted to make the purchase without seeing it. Don’t do this.

Keep personal information to yourself
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Again, this should be obvious to most people, but we would strongly advise you to never give out your personal financial information to anyone. You should avoid handing over your bank account number, your social security number and any eBay or PayPal information. If you are asked to hand this information over, then this indicates that the seller is almost definitely a scammer! These details can be used against you and by handing them over you are setting yourself up to lose money.

So, there you have it, some valuable tips and advice to help you make sure you are purchasing the right boat, whilst avoiding scams. If you do suspect an ad on BoatShop24.com to be a scam ad then contact us right away by emailing info@boatshop24.com and we will investigate the ad further.

Also, if you are involved in a scam, then you should contact your local police authority and Trading Standards Officer who may be able to assist you in sorting out your problems.

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