You’re looking to buy a car and you decide to check out what’s available online. You find one at a great price-- better than anything you’ve found so far.

The pictures look good and the seller is up front about what's running and what needs work. You do the math and decide it's still a great deal so you jump to contact the seller.

While you are working through the details of the purchase, the seller mentions he has to fly out of the country for a month. He tells you he'll be happy to get a friend to deliver the car to you.

Nice guy that he is, he even knocks a few hundred dollars off the price to make up for the inconvenience. All you need to do is either pay the full amount or a significant deposit, so he knows he can trust you, and the car is yours! Except for one small detail: the car never existed--or at least, he never had it in his possession.

How to avoid: if the seller asks you to wire the money through Western Union, Money Mart or Money Gram, it's a scam. These are great companies to send money easy and fast, but the scammers take advantage of the convenience of not being tracked down.