NORFOLK police are urging people to be aware of a forged bankers draft scam that is being practised nationwide to fund the purchase of high value vehicles.
NORFOLK police are urging people to be aware of a forged bankers draft scam that is being practised nationwide to fund the purchase of high value vehicles.
The scam works in the following way with owners of vehicles who are attempting to sell their vehicles privately.
They are contacted by an offender who claims the car is exactly what they are looking for and then promptly offers the vendor the full asking price, or something very close to it.
The prospective purchaser then pays for the vehicle with what subsequently transpires to be a forged bankers draft and leaves with not only the vehicle, but both sets of keys and all documentation, whilst the vendor doesn't appreciate the scam until they attempt to cash the draft.
DC Chris Woodcock from the Organised Vehicle Crime Unit said: “Typically, the prospective purchaser will deliberately turn up late in the evening or at weekends when it is difficult to check the validity of a bankers draft. Transactions have taken place in all manner of locations including lay-bys, supermarket car parks, service stations and even vendors home addresses, but the simple message is that nobody should ever part company with several thousand pounds worth of vehicle without first checking the validity of the bankers draft itself. That really needs to be a telephone call to the bank itself
“The perpetrators of the crime will look exceedingly plausible and convincing, but the basic question still needs to be asked - is the document they are offering for the car genuine, and remember the expression of 'if it seems too good to be true, it probably is'. “We're aware of cases of this crime across the country that have occurred over the last couple of months but so far Norfolk residents do not appear to have fallen foul of any such practises. We would be keen to hear from anyone though he feels they may have been subject of an attempt to dupe them in this fashion.”
If anyone suspects they have been a victim of the scam they should contact the Organised Vehicle Crime Unit on 0845 4564567.
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