What should I do if I think I’ve been contacted by a scammer?

If you think you’ve been contacted by a fraudulent buyer or seller get in contact with us - send us a message via this page.

What is a vehicle export scam?

A vehicle export scam involves a buyer from abroad posing as an international dealer who wants to buy a vehicle. They claim that they are owed money by a client in the UK who will send a bankers draft for the full price of the vehicle, plus a few extra thousand to cover the cost of the shipping without viewing the vehicle or proof of condition. The seller is asked to pay the draft into their bank and wire the excess money to the buyer to pay for the shipping costs.

For more information read our advice on vehicle export scams.

What is a phishing email?

A phishing email contains a message from a false company or individual who attempts to gather personal information from another company’s customers, before using it to unlawfully take their money.

For more information about phishing emails, read our scam email alert story.

What is a vehicle history check?

A vehicle history check is the most important thing you can do when buying a used car. For the price of a tank of petrol you can find out if the car you’re about to buy is recorded as stolen, has outstanding finance or a dodgy past.

Want more information? Here are ten reasons why you need a vehicle history check.

What is car cloning?

Car cloning is a crime where a stolen car is given the identity of an existing legitimate vehicle.

For more information read our steps to avoid buying a cloned car.

What is a ‘cut and shut’?

A cut and shut is where the remains of two or more cars have been welded together to create a 'new' vehicle. The remains that are welded together are likely to be write-offs. For example, a vehicle with a front-end impact could see its rear being welded to a vehicle that has been rear-ended. The resulting vehicle is then re-sprayed and made to look like a genuine vehicle.

For more information read our guide to avoiding cut and shut cars.

What is TeleSafe?

TeleSafe is designed to block canvassing calls. The service works by offering customers placing adverts through Auto Trader, both on and offline, the ability to have their telephone number replaced by a new number that appears in their advert.

This new number is automatically directed to the original phone number, thus when a buyer calls they are immediately routed to the seller as if calling directly at no cost to the seller. Read more about TeleSafe here.