Used cars: beware of the wreck scam

Buying a second-hand car is definitely no picnic. As well as the well-known payment scams, some organised networks are setting up highly sophisticated scams, such as the wreck scam, involving car professionals who have no qualms about selling cars that are visually in good condition but have actually been taken off the road.

Professionals who take advantage of private individuals

The scheme mainly involves three professions: garages, body shops and car experts. The garages and body shops get their hands on cars that are initially off the road because of their condition. These badly damaged cars will then undergo a few cosmetic alterations designed to disguise the real condition of the vehicle and fool private buyers. Finally, a car expert will produce forged documents and roadworthiness certificates. Of course, apart from the purely cosmetic aspect, the vehicle has undergone little or no repair. As well as being a financial scam, this type of scam can have very serious consequences and put the lives of buyers at risk.

A potentially deadly scam

In fact, these vehicles do not undergo any major repairs and the documents are forgeries. Using such a car on the roads endangers not only the people in the vehicle but also all road users, not forgetting pedestrians. With more than 5,000 cases of wreck scams recorded by the police in France in a single investigation that led to the dismantling of a network, it is clear that there are many more vehicles in circulation that have been made up, or are ready to be sold by unscrupulous people. So it's vital to remain extremely vigilant.

What's more, if a motorist driving such a vehicle has an accident, he or she may be denied any compensation by his or her insurance company, since, without knowing the actual condition of the vehicle he or she has purchased, the owner will have declared information that does not reflect the actual condition of the car.

If you are a victim of this scam, cancel the sale

It is possible to try to have the sale annulled on the grounds of a latent defect. However, if the trader ceases or has ceased trading, it is very difficult to take legal action in court, and if it is a network with fake sales outlets, it will be potentially impossible to trace them. In the best-case scenario, if the victim wins the case, reimbursement will only be made if the fraudster-seller is solvent... which is far from guaranteed.

Secure payment for your used vehicle

It is already necessary to thoroughly inspect a vehicle before purchase and to be accompanied by an expert who has no connection with the seller. What's more, in order to guarantee optimum traceability of your vehicle purchase, ensure that the identity of your seller is verified and secure your funds, we invite you to use a secure payment method such as Obvy, which provides you with a trusted third party during the transaction.