Watch car cons

By Bridget Cook
CASEY residents are being warned of con artists offering to find car buyers for a fee.
Narre Warren South Labor MP Judith Graley said private car sales advertised in newspapers, magazines and online, could be targeted by scammers claiming to represent interested buyers and asking for a so-called refundable fee for bringing buyers and sellers together.
“Beware of this internationally-recognised scam,” Ms Graley said. “Scammers simply abscond with the fee, leaving the seller out of pocket.”
Minister for Consumer Affairs Tony Robinson recently visited Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House to talk to local senior citizens about scams operating in Victoria.
At a morning tea, Mr Robinson warned against falling for scams which included Nigerian emails asking for bank details in exchange for large sums of money.
Mr Robinson urged people who were approached “out of the blue” with this type of offer, to ignore it.
He also said Victorians looking to sell their car should consider selling it through a licensed motor car dealership or at auction through one of the major car auction houses, to avoid this sort of fraud.
“If you decide to sell your car privately, never provide personal or financial details to anyone you don’t know or trust and never pay money up front for a finders’ fee,” he said.
“Always insist on a bank cheque or some other form of direct payment before handing over the car. Scams often look and sound genuine. But don’t be fooled – always remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Ms Graley said door-to-door scams had also become popular in the Casey area.