Staying safe on Going Once Cars
How Going Once Cars keeps buyers and sellers safe, and what you can do to avoid scams. The short version: pay only Going Once Cars, and give your handover code only once you have the car.
1. Everyone is verified
Every buyer and seller verifies their ID with our provider Didit, or with our team in a manual check, before they can bid or sell. Dealers are shown with their business name. Private sellers are shown as “Verified private seller” with their city, and buyers as “Buyer #” plus a number, so nobody sees anyone else's phone number or email.
2. Your money is held by Going Once Cars
The buyer pays Going Once Cars, never the seller. We hold the money until the handover is confirmed and pay the seller 1–2 business days later. Sellers never have to take cash or a transfer from a buyer, and buyers never have to trust a stranger with their money.
3. The handover code
After paying and booking a pickup, the buyer gets a 6-character handover code in the app. At the pickup the buyer checks the car, the keys and the papers, both sign the sale contract we prepare, and only then does the buyer give the seller the code. The seller enters it in the app, which confirms the handover and releases the payout.
4. Never share your code early
Give your handover code only to the seller, at the pickup, after you have the car, both keys and the signed papers. Going Once Cars will never ask for your code, your password or your card details by phone, email or message, and GOC Assistant can't see the code. Anyone who asks for it is trying to scam you.
5. No payments outside Going Once Cars
Never pay a seller directly, never send a deposit to hold a car and never pay or accept cash. Our bank details are shown only in the app, on your purchase, and we never send new bank details by email or message. Sellers: a payment is confirmed only when the app says so, never by a screenshot or a message from the buyer.
6. Scam warnings
- Emails, texts or calls that claim to be from Going Once Cars and ask for your handover code, card details or password.
- A “seller” or “buyer” who asks you to move to WhatsApp, Viber or phone, to pay a deposit or to do the deal outside Going Once Cars.
- A buyer who offers more money if you cancel the sale and sell to them directly.
- Links to look-alike websites. Our website is goingoncecars.com and our web marketplace is goingoncecars.com/app.
- Fake payment confirmations. A sale is paid only when the app shows it as paid.
7. At the pickup
Meet at the time and place confirmed in the app. Sellers check the buyer's ID against the name we send them. Buyers check the VIN, the mileage, the damage shown in the listing, the keys and the registration documents. If something is wrong, don't sign and don't give the code: contact GOC Support from the pickup. Don't renegotiate the price or exchange contact details.
8. Report a problem
In the app, write to GOC Support or in the thread of your purchase or sale. You can also email info@goingoncecars.com, or legal@goingoncecars.com for fraud, security and privacy matters. If you are in danger or a crime has been committed, call the local police first.
Questions about this document? Write to us at legal@goingoncecars.com.