So you may well be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime backpacking around Australia in a campervan, and it may well be one of the best times in your life but as with any online activity you still need to be aware of the pitfalls and dangers.

On one hand many online scams seem old-hat now, users have learnt not to give out their account details, not even for the promise of those 10 million dollars they're unable to cash in Nigeria - but are willing to wire to your account if you'd just give them your info. We know not to log in to HSBC and enter all our personal details if we don't have an account with HSBC, but not every scam is quite so ridiculous and as buyers become more savvy the scammers too have become more sophisticated in order to stay one step ahead.

On the other hand it's also the case that in the weird and wonderful world of the backpacker nothing ever seems quite 'normal'. There's no such thing as a free lunch . . .or is there? If it looks too good to be true then it probably is . . . or is it? When you're on the road anything goes! Backpackers might be willing to halve the price of their vehicle if they have to leave the next day or campervans might even be given away for free at airports if it's the only alternative to dumping it. Ok these are extreme examples, and we certainly wouldn't recommend you base your travel plans around receiving a free car on your arrival, but you get the point. How do you discern between the rip-offs and the genuinely good deals. Well, regardless of the price - even if someone is trying to give you a campervan for free, here is our minimum recommended action to avoid fraud:

• NEVER part with any money until you've seen the vehicle: it sounds ludicrous, but with the promise of mutual escrow accounts (where "a trusted third party collects, holds and disburses funds according to Buyer and Seller instructions") some pressure and a great deal of convincing it can be done.
• ALWAYS take the campervan for a test drive: even if it's just around the car park, but preferably more. You might be willing to skip this step if someone is offloading their camper at a bargain price (or even free) but if it doesn't go what's the point in having it!
• DON'T be afraid to ask questions: sellers are just that, sellers, which means they want you to buy their car - if a seller is reluctant or unwilling to answer any of your questions or explain any details then they most likely have something to hide. (and if they're just being miserable then they don't deserve your money anyway!).

Just to repeat, this is the bare minimum we would recommend to avoid fraud - there are a whole host of extra precautions you should take when buying a campervan to avoid buying a sub-standard vehicle, such as independent mechanical checks, certificate of roadworthiness etc. See the "What do I need to know before buying a campervan?" section of our FAQ's for more details.