Car sellers warned about scam

Motorists planning on selling a car have been urged to be on their guard against a new scam.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has highlighted a con called vehicle matching.

When a seller places an advert either in a newspaper or online, they are contacted by a cold caller claiming they can introduce them to a guaranteed buyer.

In order to take advantage of the service, people are asked to hand over a matching fee.

However, once this has been paid, many individuals are not being put in touch with someone interested in purchasing their car.

Trading Standards spokesman Peter Stratton stated: "High pressure selling alongside cold calling makes this a very successful scam, often leaving the consumer with very little chance of obtaining redress."

In related motoring news, OFT recently reported there were more than 68,000 complaints from people who had experienced problems buying used cars last year.

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