Unfortunate as it may be, scrap car buying and selling scams are rife. Loaded with recyclable materials and components, even the most derelict scrap car can still be an invaluable commodity.
Where there’s a will to make a quick buck at the expense of someone else, there will always be a way to make it happen.
On the plus side, the vast majority of everyday scrap car scams are fairly easy to spot. Truth is, unless you make the effort to reach out to a fully-licensed car scrapping and recycling specialist, you’re taking a risk.
In general, being approached with weird and wonderful offers out of the blue for a scrap car should set alarm bells ringing. More specifically, each of the following is an example of one of the most common types of car buying scams to be aware of in the UK:
Buyer Matching
First up, this is where somebody contacts you to tell you they’ve found any number of enthusiastic buyers for your car. Importantly, buyers who are willing to pay more than its scrap value. The whole thing seems legit, with the small caveat of being charged a finder’s fee of some sort. Sadly, this finder’s fee is the only transaction that takes place, as they take off with your money (and perhaps your personal information) and head for the hills.
Payment by Cheque
Accepting payment by cheque from a licensed, registered and authorised car scrapping and recycling specialist is fine. Accepting a cheque for a scrap car from any other provider is a recipe for disaster. By the time the cheque bounces – which it almost certainly will – you’ll have no realistic way of tracking down the ‘buyer’. Even if you could find them, your car will have already been scrapped/sold on and there’s little you can do about it.
Unrealistic Offers
As a general rule of thumb, it’s advisable to steer clear of anything that sounds too good to be true. All scrap cars have an approximate scrap value, calculated on the basis of scrap material prices at the time. If someone claims to be able to offer you way more than this scrap price for no apparent reason, you’re probably looking at a scam. One that could ultimately see you out of pocket and saying goodbye to your car for no payment in return at all.
Blaming PayPal
Last up, it’s also surprisingly common for scammers to point the finger of blame at online wallets and payment services like PayPal. They set up the payment, send evidence of the money being ready to transfer and all seems legit. However, they also specify that the payment will not be released until they receive the vehicle. After which, they claim there’s something wrong with their PayPal account, tell you to wait a few more days and then disappear into the ether. PayPal is a pretty safe payment platform in general, but can still be manipulated by scam artists.
