JAPAN: POSSIBLE SAFETY TIPS FOR ONLINE MOTOR VEHICLE ORDERING!

Many People may recently have been shocked by media reports alleging increasing cases of importers who are falling victim to online fraudulent transactions involving used motor vehicle imports from Japan. However, a careful look at online motor vehicle trade shows that with the advent of the internet it was only a matter of time before the worldwide web became a booming marketplace for all manner of commodities including cars. The online car market actually involves millions of car deals every year and is a good avenue for buyers and sellers alike. This is because of the systems efficiency and speed and as a matter of fact, the vast majority of online car deals through auction sites are positive transactions. On the darker side, however the growing online Motor vehicle trade has attracted a rapidly growing number of fraudsters. All manner of Con artists and Scam artists are lining up to take advantage of unsuspecting car buyers particularly from Africa. Consequently every potential car buyer and seller ought to exercise due caution while taking necessary steps to protect themselves from online criminals. The following tips are particularly useful: I. BE ALERT!- Firstly, the buyer needs to ask himself if the selected company has a genuine address! One must avoid dealing with car exporters who only provide cell phone numbers i.e. those starting with either +81 -80…and +81 -90… Kindly note that these are cell phone numbers meaning that the owners may probably not have a permanent address and hence a land line which is quite easy and affordable in Japan. Do not deal with a company that communicates by only email or cell phone. Once they disappear with your cash, you may never track down such phantom dealers. Secondly, every online car buyer has the duty to do some Homework… or a comparative research. This will help you notice some minor but important discrepancies that could save you much pain. According to the Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA), most East Africans are lured by unbelievably low prices from fraudulent online dealers. Photo-consistency-Photos from a genuine company will be consistent. Before you even begin an email discussion with an alleged exporter, start by carefully examining the back ground for all cars. Genuine car dealers are likely to show the same general background meaning that all the shots were taken on the same piece of land and address. This company probably OWNS the vehicles in their yard!! Most phony websites claim an incredible amount of amazing stock but have simply taken photos off other websites. Generally such companies own nothing even though they might claim to own 500 cars. II. TAKE CAUTION!- Odometer fraud is a growing concern in internet motor vehicle business. Odometers have been altered and even digital odometers can be tampered with. The discerning used vehicle buyer may wish to demand for a competent odometer inspection certificate before confirming the order or remitting the money. III. BE THOROUGH! Potential buyers are advised to always demand multiple photos of the selected car. For instance ask the dealer to show you all photos. If still unsure, ask for more specific photos even from a specific angle. For example, zoom in on the Stereo or the CD changer. Zoom in on the Chassis Number; show a picture of the exact mileage on the odometer etc. You can even ask to see something that is not important like the photos of the door handles. The catch here is that if the company does not get back to you within a reasonable time, it’s likely they simply do not own that vehicle. In addition, always read all the communications carefully. If web messages are full of grammatical and spellings errors, this could be a high indicator of a fraudulent website. Though some scammers are very careful, most overseas frauds contain vast grammatical errors and misspellings. If it does not look right... then there is probably something wrong. Get it in writing.Some fraudsters in Japan will send you a quotation on an email that does not carry anybody’s name! If the client encounters difficulties with the transaction, they cannot say who sold them the car and no one can take responsibility!!! IV. BE WARY! Always check to be sure that the new dealer you are dealing with is a genuine motor vehicle exporter by verifying that the dealer has the certification of the Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporter’s Association ( JUMVEA). JUMVEA is registered and duly recognized Japan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (METI). Apart from JUMVEA, potential Kenyan importers of used cars may verify information on online exporters with the Nairobi office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) because JETRO has access to a database called Teikoku Data bank which contains key data on Japanese businesses.