8:29 am, May 30, 2023
Scam car dealers have ramped up their cons in recent weeks and switched tactics – but help is at hand to spot cons.
Car Dealer has received an influx of reports from consumers who have been targeted by fake motor traders looking to steal their money in recent weeks.
In two weeks, there have been 14 fresh report of dodgy websites passing themselves off as legitimate car dealerships.
The con artists are also now asking consumers to pay holding deposits via a credit or debit card over the phone instead of sending their cash via bank transfer.
While using a credit card affords consumers more protection, paying via a debit card has less cover and should be avoided.
The scammers are using an online payments provider to process the cash, according to fake invoices and requests seen by this magazine.
The news comes as Car Dealer teams up with Brego.io, the used car valuations providers, to offer consumers an online tool to help them flag suspect adverts.
Director Simon Hunt has been following our investigations and felt compelled to help.
His business uses artificial intelligence to predict used car values and his development team has built a page where consumers can check the validity of a car advert.
The web page allows users to enter the car’s registration which then cross references that data to flag if the price is suspicious.
The firm also uses its expertise to analyse the website’s data to look for abnormalities.
Hunt said the firm can flag if the website has been recently set up despite promoting itself as a long established business and can look for ‘irregular features’.
Hunt said: ‘The result is a comprehensive report, advising the user whether the advertisement seems legitimate or if they should tread carefully due to potential scamming activities.
‘It is important to remember that while the app serves as a robust tool for scam detection, it doesn’t provide an absolute guarantee and users should still exercise due diligence when making a purchase.’
Car Dealer has produced a guide to staying safe when buying a used car online which can be found on our website.
Hunt said he was wanted to help after reading about the plight of conned consumers.
He added: ‘Car Dealer Magazine has been instrumental in identifying and reporting scam car dealerships, but as new cons continue to surface, it’s clear that this issue is escalating.
‘These sophisticated scams are causing unsuspecting individuals to lose substantial amounts of money and the scams are getting smarter.
‘Brego’s primary function is to provide accurate car valuations and data for lenders, dealers, insurers and other businesses in the industry. However, I was compelled to help these consumers distinguish between legitimate and potentially fraudulent car adverts.
‘We’ve developed this app in partnership with Car Dealer, and are committed to continually enhancing its capabilities to out manoeuvre any new scamming strategies.
‘Our aim is to provide consumers with an easy-to-use tool that can vet adverts and provide recommendations on whether to proceed or exercise caution.’
You can try the new scam checker on the Brego.ie website.
