Hi Keith,

It seems that the only 100 per cent safe method for a private seller to receive payment for their car is a verified bank transfer directly to your account. However, most buyers won't want to do that, so you need to decide what you think is acceptable. An official bank draft in your name is preferable to cash as it places you in no personal danger to carry it around (as opposed to a large amount of cash), though they have been known to be forged, so insist on getting identification from the buyer and taking a copy of it. The same goes for cash. On the latter score, it's always good to have a witness or someone else in the house to support you and back you up when the transactions are large in particular. You could also insist that the 'deal' is done at a bank branch where you can immediately pay in the bank draft or cash.