Safety & scam prevention

Never send money for a vehicle you have not seen in person, and never hand over a vehicle before funds have cleared in your bank account. 21ST AURA does not hold money and cannot recover a payment you have made.

• The seller will not meet in person, or is 'overseas' or 'deployed' and wants a courier sale.
• A price far below market for the year, condition and odometer.
• Pressure to pay a deposit now to 'hold' the vehicle.
• Requests to move to text, email or a messaging app straight away.
• The name on the ownership papers does not match the seller.
• Photos that look like stock images, or that appear on other listings.
• Refusal to allow an independent pre-purchase inspection.
• A business selling many vehicles while badged as a private seller.

• An offer above asking price with a story about an agent or shipping company.
• An 'overpayment' followed by a request to refund the difference.
• A payment screenshot or receipt instead of cleared funds in your account.
• A buyer who wants the keys before payment settles.
• Requests for your identity documents, licence photo or full bank login.
• A test drive request with no licence shown and no meeting point agreed.

Meet in daylight at a public or business address — a service station, shopping centre car park or a workshop. Bring someone with you. Tell a friend or family member where you are going and when you expect to be back.

Photograph the driver licence of anyone test driving your vehicle, go with them, and confirm your insurance covers a test drive.

Use a bank transfer you can trace and wait for the money to actually arrive in your account. Treat cash carefully and count it at a bank where possible. Do not accept a cheque, a 'pending' transfer screenshot, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.

Check the Personal Property Securities Register before paying — if money is owing on the vehicle, the lender can repossess it even after you buy.

Keep conversations on the platform. Do not share your home address, identity documents, or bank login details. Share your phone number only when you have decided to meet, and only if you are comfortable doing so.

21ST AURA will never ask you for your password, and will never ask you to pay a fee to release a payment.

Report the listing or user so moderators can review it. If you believe a crime has occurred — fraud, a stolen vehicle, threats — contact the New Zealand Police. For misleading conduct by a trader, contact the Commerce Commission; for a dispute with a registered trader, the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal.

21ST AURA moderates content and accounts. We cannot recover money, take possession of vehicles, or resolve a private dispute.