Dealership lost my certified cheque, now wants a wire transfer. Any advice?
I flew to Montreal last week and bought a used car from a dealership. Reputable, big brand, everything went pretty smoothly.
Today, they're telling me they lost the certified cheque bank draft I gave them for the down payment. They want me to go to the bank, cancel the cheque draft (they'll pay fees), and send them a wire transfer.
I don't think they're trying to scam, though I'll be going over everything with a fine tooth comb, validating their identity somehow, etc. I have no interest in screwing with them and will pay, but this feels like a risky situation to be in.
Does PFC have any advice? Any best practices on how to deal with this?
Edit: Bank draft, not a certified cheque, my mistake. I'm seeing what everyone is saying about it being effectively cash and am going to pump the brakes, take it slow. That money was out of my account the minute I had the cheque generated, so I'm not going to pay another cent until it's all back. If it can all go back, because it kind of sounds like that may not be an option. Also going to dig into the dealership some more; I'm not absolutely sure I'm not getting phished by someone who might have captured the sales guy's email.
Edit 2: Called the dealership, not a phish, they really might have lost the cheque! Still going to take it slow and protect myself as much as possible. Hopefully it all works out easily, but I'll update if it gets interesting. Thanks folks, appreciate the help!