How Not To Become A Victim Of Car Crime And Internet Scams
Car Cloning:
Car cloning is a fast emerging car crime nationwide. This is where criminals give a stolen car, which has often been acquired through car jacking, the identity of an existing legitimate vehicle. In one case, eight cars have been discovered with the same registration number. As advanced as this crime may seem, there are steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of this particular car crime.
Organise a vehicle check through HPI or Experian. Ensure it includes insurance up to £10,000
Never pay cash for a vehicle. Criminals selling a cloned vehicle will never accept a banker’s draft.
Make sure you see the vehicle at the owners address, or at the dealership. Never just view the car on the street.
Ensure you get a verified landline telephone number. Mobiles are more than popular now, but a landline is still that little bit more of a guarantee towards authenticity
Make sure the name and address on the registration document (V5) matches that of the person you are buying from. Do not be afraid to ask for identification. Most people will now have a photo card driving license.
If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.
West African Advanced Fee/Export Fraud:
Whilst only affecting a small section of car seller, the west African advanced fee fraud, or ‘419’ scam, can have serious consequences for its victims.
This scam is a particular version of email fraud, where the seller is contacted by a potential “buyer”. The scammer will often use the story that the vehicle is for a wife or son, to lure the seller into a false sense of security.
The scammers will claim they are owed money by a UK contact, or have the means to send you UK funds from the UK, which will help speed up the transaction, as they are desperate not to hold it up, as it is a present. The scammers offer to send a bankers draft for the full price of the car, plus the extra few thousand it costs to ship it to Africa. (Note: the scammers are getting clever, and may spend days negotiating with you now just to build up legitimacy with you.)
The banker’s drafts that are sent are high quality forgeries, which may even be accepted by your bank. However, when it comes to the money being paid, they will be rejected as fakes leaving the seller thousands of pounds out of pocket, and without the car.
One way to spot these fraudulent emails is by the poor spelling and grammar used. Also they come up with some truly unique and amusing names.
Some great actually used examples are.
Peter Tony
Systematic G. Peel
Smith Sarolos
Mr and Mrs Wallet
Kermitt Burkett
Perry Gunit
Munti
Captivity A. Anne
So in summary, next time Captivity A. Anne drops you an email, “awaiting your immediate reply” your best bet is to delete it, and forget it. Remember they are not just targeting you, but thousands of people. They work on a numbers game. If 1% responds to the email, and 1% of those actually fall for it, there is a huge profit for the scammers.
False Escrow Services:
Users should be aware of fraudulent Escrow services that are currently operating on classified sites across the Internet.
A legitimate Escrow service is a company that holds fund in a neutral account while an exchange of goods happens. The escrow company holds the funds until the buyer receives the goods, and then the funds are passed on to the seller. However, you should be aware that fake Escrow companies place adverts for goods for sale, that are usually cheap to catch the buyers attention. When the buyers enquire about the product for sale, the scammers usually reply with a standard email that states they will pay the shipping costs, and that they recommend using the following Escrow services, that they have used regularly, and never had any issues with.
The Escrow site may feature false copyrights, registration numbers, and logos, all which make the site seem genuine. It may also include a mobile number disguised as a foreign landline. However once you have sent your money, they will disappear, with all email address being web based, mobile numbers being pay as you go, they are untraceable.
A legitimate escrow site would never send you an email asking you to send your money to another third party. They would ask you to make a payment to a corporation. They will not ask you to wire money via Western Union either as this is not a traceable procedure.
If you are suspicious of an escrow service, do a search in the search engines for the company name. Legitimate escrow services will have lots of results come up, where as newer ones, or fraudulent companies will not have been listed very long.
You can also take further precautions by:
Avoiding escrow sites that have a dash in their name, or .org, .biz, .us, .cc,. info
Also avoid site that do not have HTTPS:// or are without the padlock sign in the bottom right of your browser. These are insecure sites.
Ensure the escrow website has both an address, and a land line telephone number. Call the number, and if you only get a fax tone, or an answering machine, be suspicious.
Also try the escrow company email address. If they do not respond, do not send them money.
If you want to check out the legitimacy of a company, you can check with Companies House and the Financial Services Authority (FSA)
General Advice:
Never leave your keys in the vehicle when you are not driving it. IE when you pop out to post a letter, or are just popping into the shop. Never leave windows open, or convertible roofs down in the summer. Do not leave your doors unlocked when you leave the vehicle. Park in well lit areas, as this may deter thieves. Never leave any valuables, or bags on display in the vehicle. Put them in the boot. If your stereo can be removed, take it with you. (Usually the facia can on most newer models, or a security section) Also make a note of the serial number in case it is stolen.
Michael Webb has several years expeirence within the Uk Motor trade. He has successfully sold cars for many years and built up a loyal database of clients. In 2006 he launched his online resource designed to help peoplebuy and sell used cars for sale in the UK safely, and affordably. For more details why not visit http://www.justcarsOnline.co.uk to see how they can help you buy or sell a used car in the UK.
Tags: Avoid car Crime, buying a car, car crime, false bankers drafts, selling a car, used cars for sale
