Criminals have come up with more car scams to trick us out of our hard-earned money.
Some gullible people fall for their tricks and end up out of their pockets.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has warned new motorists to look out for fake auto insurance offers advertised on social media.
With thousands of young drivers passing their driving tests after a long delay during the pandemic, motorists are urged to be vigilant when buying insurance policies.
To make young drivers aware of the criminals who are profiting from the pandemic, Select Car Leasing has counted the numbers of five most recent online car fraud attempts.
It has been shown that drivers run the risk of losing up to 5,000 pounds if they fall for any of these scams.
The “ghost broking” scam called by the insurance fraud bureau could bring back new drivers for £ 785.
Here are the latest scams that are making the rounds, detailed from the IFB:
1. “Too good to be true” auto insurance quotes could cost you £ 785
Fraudsters often take the form of fake auto insurance.
Known as ghost brokers, these scammers sell auto insurance offers “too good to be true” to drivers who are unaware that they are buying a policy that is completely worthless.
According to the Association of British Insurers, the average cost of car insurance is £ 485.
In addition to this premium, victims of ghost broking could pay a £ 300 fine if fined for driving an uninsured vehicle.
2. Fake road tax text fraud could cost you your bank balance
The DVLA recently warned of a sharp increase in fake text messages that read as if they were sent by the agency.
The texts either warn drivers that their payment details need to be updated or that their vehicle tax needs to be renewed.
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These text messages provide recipients with a link to re-enter their bank details, which may give scammers access to their bank accounts, where they can instantly transfer the funds to another account.
3. Facebook advertising for cars could cost you £ 5.1,000
While Facebook Marketplace is a great place to buy a used car, scammers also use the platform to advertise vehicles at bargain prices to attract potential buyers.
An unfortunate County Clare victim paid £ 5,179 for a car that was never delivered.
False salespeople urge motorists to leave a deposit and pay for vehicle delivery.
Then they take the money and run – the buyers are left without a car or money.
4. Car scammers can steal £ 2,000 out of your pocket
Not only can buying a car be risky, but selling it online can be too. Some scammers show up for a personal inspection of the vehicle being sold and distract the seller while an accomplice adds engine oil to the water tank.
The car will of course break if it is driven, and the criminals claim the seller tried to sell them a faulty car – they use this as leverage for a significantly lower price.
The scammers then empty the engine oil from the reservoir and sell the car to another, completely ignorant buyer.
The Derbyshire Times found that victims of the fraud were in some reports £ 2,000 worse off.
5. Fake driver’s licenses could cost learner drivers £ 600
After the pandemic, learner drivers have to wait a long time for their driving test.
Some scammers take advantage of the waiting time and target motorists who don’t want to wait to take their exam.
Scammers sell fake driver’s licenses and paper certificates online for £ 600 each, claiming they can access driving test centers and overtake learner drivers without having to get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
No license cards are issued and the scammers take the funds.
You can find more stories from where you live at InYourArea.
