Buying a Car in Ghana Safely: Tonaton, Jiji and Instagram Car Scams, Fake Auctions and Document Checks

Short answer: never pay a deposit for a car you have not seen, inspected and matched to its documents. Check that the chassis number on the car matches the papers, that the seller is the owner on DVLA records, and that customs duty was paid. The Ghana Revenue Authority does not sell cars "from the port" through Facebook pages or ask for "registration fees" for auctions. Complete the change of ownership at a DVLA office, with both of you present, before you hand over the full amount.

Common car scams in Ghana

• The car that does not exist. A clean Toyota Corolla or Hyundai Elantra on Tonaton, Jiji or Instagram at a price well below the market. The seller is "at the border" or "travelling" and wants a deposit to "hold" it. Photos are lifted from foreign sites.
• "Cars from the port" and fake customs auctions. Posts claim seized or overstayed cars are being sold cheaply by Customs, and you only need to pay a registration or clearing fee. In December 2024 the GRA said it was not conducting any vehicle auction, called a circulating notice fake, and stated: "the process of auction of vehicles does not involve payment of a registration fee." In 2022 it warned buyers against a website posing as a seller of Customs vehicles and directed people to its official auction portal, auction.icums.gov.gh. The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has also warned about fake e-auction notices.
• Clearing agent deposits. "Your car has landed at Tema, send GH¢8,000 for duty and I will clear it." The agent vanishes, or the car was never yours.
• Uncustomed cars. In July 2026 a GRA Customs official warned that some temporarily imported vehicles with foreign plates had been sold illegally to buyers without duty paid. Buyers who skip the check risk having the car impounded later.
• Cars the seller does not own. Borrowed, financed, stolen or still registered in someone else's name, with forged or incomplete papers.

Home-used vs foreign-used: what is the difference?

Home-used means the car has already been registered and driven in Ghana. It should have Ghana plates, DVLA registration documents, a roadworthy certificate and a history of previous owners. Your main checks are ownership, condition and whether the papers match the car.

Foreign-used means a used car recently imported, often from the US, Europe or Asia, and not yet registered or only just registered in Ghana. Your main checks are the customs documents, whether duty was paid, and the car's history abroad, including any record of accident or flood damage that a VIN history report can show for some countries.

Neither is automatically better. A well-kept home-used car with clean papers is safer than a cheap foreign-used one with a doubtful customs status.

How to check a car's documents and chassis number

1. Find the chassis number (VIN) on the car itself. It is usually on a plate at the base of the windscreen, on the driver's door pillar and stamped on the body or frame. All of these should match each other and the documents. Scratched, re-welded or freshly painted areas around the number are a serious warning.
2. Check the DVLA papers. Ask for the Vehicle Registration Certificate and registration documents, and compare the name with the seller's Ghana Card. In a May 2026 statement, the DVLA advised buyers to confirm the seller actually owns the vehicle and that the registration documents are authentic and complete. It added that it cannot change ownership records without legal authority, so a buyer who cannot trace the seller later may have to go to court.
3. Check customs duty status. The GRA official advised using the Vehicle Calculator on the external ICUMS/UNIPASS platform, entering the VIN, chassis number, make and model, then confirming with a physical inspection at a Customs office that the chassis number has not been tampered with. Do this before paying anything.
4. Ask for the customs entry documents for any foreign-used car. DVLA lists original customs entry documents among the requirements to register an imported vehicle.
5. Have a mechanic inspect it. Pay a mechanic you trust, not one the seller brings, to check the engine, gearbox, suspension, signs of flood damage and accident repairs.

How change of ownership works at DVLA

The DVLA's own service guide lists these requirements for a change of ownership:

• A signed application letter for transfer of ownership from the present owner
• The vehicle itself
• The vehicle documents
• Physical presence of both the present and new owner
• Two recent coloured passport-size photos of both seller and buyer
• Valid national ID (Ghana Card) for both

DVLA checks the transfer letter, physically inspects the vehicle to authenticate ownership, then issues an invoice for the fee if the transfer is approved. For online transfers, the new owner's biometrics are captured and a Certificate of Title, Vehicle Registration Certificate and roadworthy sticker are issued. In January 2026, DVLA's Director of Corporate Affairs warned that many motorists wrongly assume they own a car just because they drive it, and urged buyers to complete the full transfer.

A seller who refuses to come to DVLA with you is giving you an answer.

How to pay for a car safely

• Do not pay any deposit for a car you have not seen in person.
• Meet in daylight at a public place, ideally at or near a DVLA office.
• Write a sale agreement with both names, Ghana Card numbers, the VIN, the price and the date, signed by both and a witness.
• Pay by bank transfer to an account in the registered owner's name, timed with the DVLA transfer. Avoid carrying large cash.
• For a dealer, check their physical yard, their business registration and their reviews. Search the business on TrustCheck's business directory and look for real customer reviews.

The same rules as any online purchase apply; see our Jiji safety guide and Instagram vendor checks.

Red flags when buying a car online

• Price far below what similar cars sell for.
• "Pay a deposit to hold it, many people are interested."
• The seller cannot show the car, or only sends photos and videos.
• Names on documents do not match the seller's Ghana Card.
• Foreign plates on a car being sold locally, with no customs papers.
• "Customs auction" offers through WhatsApp, Facebook or a personal MoMo number.
• The seller will not go to DVLA for the transfer.

Already paid for a car that never came?

1. Report to the police with all messages, adverts, receipts and transaction IDs.
2. Call your bank or MoMo network immediately (100 on MTN, Telecel and AT) and ask them to block the receiving account.
3. Report fake customs or port offers to the GRA, and online fraud to the Cyber Security Authority by calling or texting 292.
4. If you paid for a real car but cannot complete the transfer, contact DVLA (toll free 0800 160 160, or complaints by WhatsApp or SMS on 020 322 6006 and complaints@dvla.gov.gh) and get legal advice; DVLA says it can only change records with legal authority.
5. Warn other buyers. Check a number, handle or website on TrustCheck before you pay any seller, and report it if you were scammed. Our guide on how to report a scam in Ghana lists every channel.