ONLINE VEHICLE SCAMS INCREASE
Warnings are again going out to motorists about online used car sales scams as the volume of incidents continues to rise over the last few months. And with frauds reportable becoming more sophisticated to the point of creating convincing fake dealer websites, the potential for getting caught out is greater than ever – especially when it comes to niche vehicles.
These latest warnings come from Mycarcheck.com, an organisation that holds extensive data on every vehicle on UK roads. Mark Bailey, head of CDL told Classics Monthly that in his opinion the sheer volume of online scams this summer ‘is off the scale’, with seasonal vehicles like convertibles, motorhomes and campers being targeted.
An increasingly common scam is when an advert is put online for what is termed as a ‘virtual vehicle’ that has been cloned from a legitimate source. This means that particular vehicle shows up as HPI clear but is usually priced well below the market value to attract potential buyers. The seller will then get the victim to part with cash in the way of a deposit, or even the full about to secure the ‘bargain’.
Being told that a deposit is required to secure a vehicle ‘because it’s had a huge number of enquiries’ can be very tempting but when the seller disappears, so unfortunately does any transferred cash. Our advice is to carefully research typical values of the car you’re looking for and follow the mantra of ‘if it looks to good to be true, then it probably is’.
Be extra wary of strange payment requests, any complex links providing payment details, overseas transfers and email address that include a series of numbers rather than a name. Never use Western Union to transfer large amounts of cash unless you totally trust the recipient and don’t be afraid to ask the vendor for more identification.
With fakers even using a verifiable home address, it’s a case of ‘buyer beware’ but the more searching questions you ask (even Googling the number plate can help), the more uncomfortable fraudsters usually becomes. Buying a classic car can still be a pleasant experience, but you just need to more vigilant than ever to ensure that tasty bargain isn’t just in the scammers imagination.