RV Scams to Avoid (and How to Spot Them Early)
Most people you’ll deal with in a private RV sale are exactly who they say they are. But RVs are high-value, often sold at a distance, and frequently paid for in ways that are hard to reverse — which is catnip for fraud. Here’s what actually circulates, on both sides of the deal.
If you’re selling
The overpayment refund
A buyer sends a cashier’s check for more than the asking price — “my shipper’s fee got included by mistake” — and asks you to wire the difference to their transport company. The check is counterfeit. It clears provisionally, you wire real money, and a week later your bank reverses the deposit.
The tell: any transaction where you send money back. There is no legitimate reason a buyer needs you to refund an overpayment. Ever.
The unverified cashier’s check
Simpler version of the above, without the refund. A convincing forged cashier’s check, handed over on the spot.
The defense: go with the buyer to the issuing bank and have them verify and cash it in front of you. A real buyer with a real check will not object to this. Note that “my bank showed the funds” is not verification — provisional credit is not settlement.
The buyer who won’t look at it
Full asking price, sight unseen, immediately, and they’re keen to arrange shipping themselves. Sometimes with a sob story about being deployed or offshore.
The tell: nobody buys a used RV without seeing it or sending someone to. Enthusiasm that skips inspection is a red flag, not a lucky break.
Phishing for your details
Messages that push you to move off-platform fast, then ask for bank details “to arrange the transfer”, or send you a link to a “payment confirmation” page that asks you to log in to your bank.
The defense: you never need to give a buyer your online-banking credentials. Account and routing numbers for a wire are normal; a login page is not.
Fake payment notifications
An email that looks like it’s from a payment service saying funds are “held” and will be released once you provide a shipping tracking number. The service doesn’t work that way, and often doesn’t exist.
The tell: any payment that’s conditional on you shipping first.
If you’re buying
The listing that isn’t real
Photos lifted from a legitimate listing elsewhere, priced well under market, seller can’t meet in person and wants a deposit to “hold” it.
The defense: reverse image search the photos. Ask for a photo of the rig with something specific in it — today’s date on a scrap of paper, or a particular corner from a particular angle. A real seller can do that in two minutes. A scammer can’t.
Fake escrow
The seller proposes an escrow service and sends you the link. The site looks professional. It’s theirs.
The defense: if escrow is used, you choose the provider, independently, and you navigate there yourself rather than following a link. Verify the company exists outside of the seller’s messages.
Title washing and hidden damage history
An RV that’s been flood-damaged or totalled, re-titled through a state with looser branding rules to launder the record clean.
The defense: run the VIN. Check the title carefully — a state of issue that has nothing to do with the seller’s location is worth asking about. Look for water staining above the floor line, mismatched or new-looking upholstery in an old coach, corrosion on metal fasteners in odd places, and a musty smell that air freshener is fighting.
The undisclosed lien
The seller genuinely owns the rig, but a lender still has a claim on it. You pay, you take the RV, and you can’t title it — or worse, it gets repossessed.
The defense: ask to see the title before money moves, confirm no lienholder is listed, and if there was a loan, ask for the lien release. Your DMV can confirm a title’s status.
Deposit pressure
“There’s someone else coming this afternoon, send $500 to hold it.” Then they’re gone.
The defense: don’t send deposits to strangers for something you haven’t seen. If you genuinely need to hold a unit, do it in person.
The rules that cover almost everything
- See the RV in person, or send someone you trust. Every serious scam depends on you not doing this.
- Nobody sends money back. Not for shipping, not for overpayment, not for anything.
- Money settles before keys and title move. Cleared, not pending.
- You pick the third party. If there’s escrow, an inspector, or a shipper, you choose them and you contact them independently.
- Urgency is a technique. Real sellers and real buyers can wait a day.
- Verify the VIN on the rig matches the VIN on the title, and that both match the listing.
What we do about it on AllVHub
A few things, so you know what you’re relying on and what you aren’t:
- Every listing runs through automated text and image moderation before it goes live.
- Messages run through the app, so your phone number and email stay private until you choose to share them.
- There’s a report button on every listing, and reports land with a human.
- You can block a user.
- Dealers, dealerships and brokers aren’t permitted to create accounts at all, which removes a whole category of “private seller” that isn’t.
None of that replaces the six rules above. Moderation catches patterns; it can’t tell whether the person you’re meeting on Saturday is good for the money. Do the basics anyway.
If something feels off, it costs you nothing to walk away. There’s always another rig.