5 types of scams now targeting drivers Go Compare has warned motorists to be vigilant as new concerns that economic uncertainty, along with tightened lockdown measures designed to preventing a second wave of the pandemic, will increase fraud. The restrictions have doubled the amount of time people spend online managing their affairs. This has attracted cyber criminals who are targeting the sale of vehicles through digital sales platforms or are acting as genuine organisations and companies, including the DVLA, to steal victims’ money, personal information or to try to get them to click on links which may contain malware.
Scammers pretend to be legitimate insurance brokers to sell fake or invalid car insurance policies. Motorists are lured by the promise of cheap premiums. Fraudsters ask their victims for an upfront ‘arrangement fee’ to secure the deal. Victims of “Ghost brokers” are usually oblivious to the fact they are not insured until they submit a claim following an accident or are stopped by the police for driving without insurance. In some cases, ghost brokers also retain the victim’s card details and use these to pay for other victims’ insurance.
Coronavirus has also meant that many people are having to manage on much-reduced income – making them more vulnerable to fraudsters offering deals that are DVLA Scams to good to be true. This year DVLA warned of a 20% increase in fraudulent activity. Cyber criminals posing as the DVLA issue text message and email Fake car listings copied from legitimate car scams and set-up fake websites. Official adverts are used to incise buyers, citing coronavirus restrictions as the reason the car looking messages will have links asking for payment details to rectify failed vehicle tax can’t be viewed in face to face. Fraudsters are offering to deliver the car once money has payments or advising victims that they are been placed into a holding account, assuring due a vehicle tax refund while the websites attract motorists looking for the DVLA site to the would-be buyer that the cash will not be renew their driving licences. Criminals have released until they have seen the car and also coxed drivers into paying for services agreed the purchase. Victims are often lured that do not exist. Scams have included selling by too good to be true deals and hand over driving test passes e payment to remove large deposits to secure the vehicle. The fraudster then immediately banks the money, penalty points from driving licences. leaving their victim with nothing. Accident scams Fake car sales
Vehicle matching scams Fraudsters who cold call someone that has just placed an advert to sell their car, claiming they have an immediate buyer for the car. They then ask the seller for an upfront fee, which is refundable if the car does not sell. The car is not sold and, the refund is never paid. Insurance broker fraud (also known as ‘ghost broking’)
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Crash for cash scammers are run by criminals who stage accidents by targeting an innocent driver to become the ‘at fault driver’, to profit from fraudulent insurance claims. Common tactics are deliberately slamming on the brakes to ensure the vehicle behind crashes into them or ‘flash for cash’ scams where criminals wait for victims to exit from side roads, and flash their headlights, appearing to offer the victim a right of way to join the flow of traffic. Once the victim commits to exiting the criminals speed up and hit them side-on.
