Drivers are under threat of being caught out by three motoring scams, according to fraud expert Jenny Radcliffe. They range from problems around buying second-hand vehicles, to paying ULEZ fares and car insurance. The specialist opened up on the three biggest concerns facing road users this autumn while speaking on This Morning.
Used car scam
Motorists could be caught out by a series of worrisome frauds when buying a second-hand vehicle. Research last year from Close Brothers Motor Finance found one in 10 British drivers have been the victim of fraud when buying a vehicle.
Ms Radcliffe stressed buyers could end up buying stolen vehicles or end up paying more if they don’t do thorough research. Jenny told This Morning: “How do we know whether the car is actually for sale or is stolen? Is it legitimate? Is the seller legitimate?
“One of the things we need to think about is if this is supposed to be a personal sale, consumer to consumer, It’s always worth just looking a little bit into the background. Let’s look back, have they sold lots of these? What are the reviews if they’ve sold cars before?”
Ms Radcliffe urged drivers should always inspect their cars before parting ways with their money. It was also vital road users matched the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) with the paperwork to determine whether it is the same vehicle.
Motorists should also go on the DVLA website to check a vehicle’s MOT history. Finally, she urged buyers to be hesitant about being dragged away from selling apps as this could dramatically backfire.
Ms Radcliffe added: “A big flag would be they only want to talk on other social media or direct messaging sites. You want to try and stay where you are buying that car. Then if anything goes wrong you’ve got the app in your corner.”
ULEZ payment scam
Next, Jenny warned motorists were being caught out by unofficial ULEZ sites which are taking money from unaware road users. Drivers of non-compliant vehicles have to pay £12.50 per day to enter the ULEZ zone but scammers have now got involved.
She said: “There are a lot of bogus websites on this. People are falling victim to paying bogus websites. You think you’ve paid it. You think you’re covered…They’re not real, you think you’ve paid and actually you’re not legally driving within the zone.
“Not only can you be set for a fine for driving without paying your charge but once you’ve started one scam all your details are harvested.” She stressed the only site to pay a ULEZ charge was the Transport for London site.”
Ms Radcliffe admitted road users should contact the council to make sure they have the right website in other cities with Clean Air Zones like Birmingham and Oxford.
Ghost Broker car insurance
These scams take money off drivers promising to deliver a car insurance policy which later turns out to be invalid. Jenny admitted the scheme was likely to impact people on social media with younger drivers at particular risk.
She told This Morning: “You pay it, it sounds like a great deal and you’re not covered. It’s a fraudulent site. Don’t forget we are responsible as drivers for that so it’s a £300 fine, six points on your licence and they can seize your vehicle.
“So we need to check we are going on the official insurers, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will tell you, but also the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) and the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA).”
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.