Should I give a car buyer my home address?

What did the police warning describe?

The Nottingham Post reported the force’s warning on 8 February 2025. Fake buyers used sellers’ addresses for targeted vehicle thefts in other parts of the country. The chats looked ordinary: lots of messages, a price, a collection time. Then the buyer stopped replying, and the vehicle was stolen.

The reported advice was direct. Do not share your address with someone you have only contacted online. Be suspicious of a buyer who wants the car without seeing it. The article also says to meet in a neutral, busy place and to take another person.

That report is from February 2025. A later news story that repeats it is not a new investigation unless the force says so.

The Nottingham Post reported on 8 February 2025 that Nottinghamshire Police had warned people selling cars on Facebook Marketplace. The force said fake buyers had used sellers’ addresses for targeted thefts in other parts of the country, after chats that looked genuine, a price and a collection time. The buyer then stopped replying. The reported advice was not to share an address with someone you have only spoken to online, and to be suspicious of a buyer who wants the car without seeing it. The article also includes a tip to meet in a neutral, busy place and to take a friend or family member. Source

What should I share before anyone visits?

Share the make, model, mileage, faults and a public area for a first look. Do not send the house number, a photo of the driveway, or a pin that lands on your home, just to prove the car exists.

Facebook’s safety help says to meet in a public, well-lit place and to tell a trusted person the plan. If the buyer will only come to your house, and will not look at the car first somewhere else, that matches the pattern in the Nottinghamshire warning.

Facebook’s Marketplace safety help recommends meeting in a public, well-lit place, and sharing the meeting plan with a trusted friend or family member. It says that if something seems suspicious you should cancel, stop the conversation and report the listing or person. Source

Facebook’s Marketplace safety help says local pickup items paid person to person are not covered by Purchase Protection, and that Facebook does not offer refunds for person-to-person transactions. It says to avoid payment links and to log in through the payment service’s own website. It also says not to share financial information, such as a PayPal login or bank details, and to reject an overpayment that the buyer then asks you to send back. Source

Does an in-app payment stop a vehicle theft?

No. Paying through an app does not stop someone taking a vehicle from a driveway at night. SilentSale® is a marketplace for personal goods between private individuals. It is not a way to secure a car on your drive, and this page is not an offer to sell vehicles.

If you are selling a household item rather than a car, PIN Pickup is a different handover: the buyer pays in the app, inspects, and shares a six-digit PIN. There is no cash. It still does not stop a theft or a robbery. Read selling without meeting if you would rather post a normal item than have anyone visit.

Where should I read next?

Read a fake banking screen at collection, fake notes, selling without meeting the buyer, collection safety for ordinary items and SilentSale® vs Facebook Marketplace.