by Andrew Carey
A CAR buying fraud involving the use of forged bank drafts has been highlighted by gardaí who say there have been more reports of the scam so far this year than in all of 2013.
However, the rate of detection has been exceptionally high with all but one of the 79 cars taken by fraudsters recovered in the last three years.
Gardaí are urging people buying or selling their cars privately to take necessary precautions before finalising the sale.
A spokesperson for the Crime Prevention Unit explained that fraudsters usually target people who advertise their vehicles for sale on classified websites. Contact is made expressing an interest in viewing and then purchasing the vehicle.
The criminals also place adverts seeking “drivers wanted” on websites. They then arrange for the drivers to meet with the sellers in pubs, hotel receptions or car parks in the evening time, usually on Fridays.
A forged bank draft is handed over and the driver receives the vehicle and its registration certificate. The seller is told the buyer is in the motor trade and given an RF105 (Change of ownership to Motor dealer) form with details of a fictitious garage.
The vehicle is already re-advertised on the internet below the market value to attract attention. It is then immediately resold, sometimes within hours, to an innocent purchaser.
When the false draft is discovered the vehicle is reported as stolen.
All the cars recovered over the past three years were returned to their owners, leaving the unsuspecting buyers out of pocket – with one person suffering a loss of €40,000 last year.
Gardaí have been working with classified websites such as DoneDeal.ie, Adverts.ie, Carzone.ie and autotrader.ie to trace the suspects, warn their customers and remove adverts.
Sellers are advised to only accept bank drafts that are verified by the banks and if they are about to purchase a vehicle themselves, they should consider a method of payment that is traceable.
Any information to contact Garda Crimestoppers – 1800 250025
