10:53 am, January 14, 2026
Fraudsters are targeting car buyers who are shopping on Cazoo by offering them discounts that real dealers never could.
That is according to a new report on the BBC’s Morning Live programme, which has been looking into a recent rise a new type of scam.
The report revealed how criminals are intercepting seller emails to find out which cars they have enquired about.
They are then contacting the buyers, posing as the dealers, offering significant discounts and often asking for a £400 deposit to secure the car.
The show, which went out on BBC1 this morning (Jan 14), revealed how one customer was scammed out of more than £2,000 after being offered a 10% discount on a BMW X3 he had previously been unable to negotiate a price for.
Other would-be victims narrowly avoided being conned after growing suspicious about being asked for such a significant deposit and ringing the real dealers themselves.
Following the rise in cases, Cazoo got in contact with shoppers warning them to be ‘vigilant’.
In a letter to customers, the marketplace said: ‘Your safety is our top priority and we have rigorous information security processes in place, regularly invest in our systems to ensure they are in line with industry best practice.
‘In response to this threat we have taken immediate action to tighten our security measures including requiring password resets for all our dealer partners and working closely with the Police and Action Fraud.
‘Please stay vigilant and if you spot anything that seems suspicious please let us know.’
Meanwhile, Barry Judge, CEO of Motors and Cazoo told Car Dealer: ‘The safety and security of car buyers on our platforms is of the utmost importance to us. Like in other industries, maintaining online security is an ongoing and complex challenge.
‘We have teams dedicated to trust, safety and security, who work alongside external parties, to continuously monitor emerging threats, share intelligence and implement safety measures across our platforms.
‘We also actively communicate with car buyers and our dealers, providing guidance, sharing updates and supporting safe practices across our platforms.
‘We ask anyone who believes they may have experienced online fraud on our platforms, to contact us immediately. Our team is here to help, investigate and provide the support you need.’
Among the contributors to the BBC piece was Car Dealer’s editor-in-chief, James Baggott, and he had a very clear message how people can avoid being scammed.
He said: ‘This is a relatively new scam. These are people pretending to be a dealer by getting into their email inboxes, which makes it more of a worry and it is a lot harder to detect.
‘You need to spend time investigating the people you’re buying a car from. If it was me, I’d pick up the phone, I’d go and speak to them. I would definitely want to see that car in person too.
‘I would never hand over money for a car I hadn’t seen to people that I hadn’t met before.’
You can see the full Morning Live piece on BBC iPlayer.
