A CAR that was stolen from Wheeler Dealers’ host Mike Brewer has been recovered by the police.
The TV star was recently conned out of a motor in a shocking credit card scam.
Mike revealed to fans last week that a VolkswagenGolf GTD that his One Automotive dealership had advertised for sale for just over £10,000 had been snapped up by a buyer.
He explained how the motorist rang up to enquire about the car and quickly offered to buy it, but arranged a collection service to pick it up from Mike’s Leamington Spa showroom as they weren’t based locally.
He said that the buyer’s driving licence “checked out” and the bank details provided appeared to be legitimate, and that they were quickly invoiced with the courier arriving to pick up the motor for collection.
But Mike was then contacted by his own bank provider, who revealed the person charged for the vehicle had disputed the sale.
The Wheeler Dealer said that they had run various checks on the buyer’s personal information to process the sale before letting the VW go.
As it turns out, a criminal had used a stolen card and ID to pay for the used car in two separate payments over the phone, and then sent a courier to pick it up at Brewer’s dealership.
Brewer and his team did not know anything was up until Barclays contacted the business to say the card had been fraudulently used.
The bank then reversed the chargers, which left Brewer without the money or the car.
However, after reporting the incident to the police, the car was marked as stolen and officers were alerted to its location when a new owner in Scotland tried to register it.
In an interview with Car Dealer Magazine, Mike said: “We have had a call from the police to say they have recovered the car.
“Someone had bought the Golf for £7,500 on Facebook and paid cash for it.
“When they tried to register the car as their own, it was flagged as stolen and the police went around to the house.
“They asked them if they had HPI checked the car prior to buying it – and they hadn’t – and they impounded the car.
“Now another person has been scammed by these criminals.
“It shows you have to be really careful buying cars on social media sites, especially when they are so cheap.
“I am very pleased the car will be returned to us and thank the police for their efforts in recovering it.”
How to spot a scam
Scammers are becoming far more sophisticated in the way they swindle people out of their money, here's some tips for spotting a scam according to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Firstly it advises: “Scammers try to quickly gain your trust. They aim to pressure you into acting without thinking.”
It adds that if a message makes you suspicious this is usually a “tell-tale sign”.
National Cyber Security Centre gives the following pointers to steer clear of scammers.
- Authority– Is the message claiming to be from someone official? For example, your bank, doctor, a solicitor, or a government department. Criminals often pretend to be important people or organisations to trick you into doing what they want.
- Urgency– Are you told you have a limited time to respond (such as “within 24 hours” or “immediately”)? Fraudsters often threaten you with fines or other negative consequences.
- Emotion– Does the message make you panic, fearful, hopeful or curious? Criminals will use threatening language, make false claims of support, or tempt you into wanting to find out more.
- Scarcity– Is the message offering something in short supply, like concert tickets, money or a cure for medical conditions? Fear of missing out on a good deal or opportunity can make you respond quickly.
- Current events– Are you expecting to see a message like this? Criminals often use current news stories, big events or specific times of year to make their scam seem more relevant to you.
Mike also added: “Be careful buying cars on social media and make sure you buy from a reputable dealer instead.
“Do your homework on them first as it’s a minefield out there.”
Sadly, Mike has little hope he’ll ever seen his beloved classic Ford Fiesta again, after the little motor was stolen well over a year ago ahead of filming for a new episode of Wheeler Dealers.
The petrolhead admitted back in May that “it’s completely gone from the face of the Earth.”
Elsewhere, a British brand has announced it won’t sell any new cars for an entire year after it unveils its new EV sports car in the coming months.
