Television presenter Mike Brewer has said that the ‘fight is one’ after his used car dealership was targeted by fraudsters using a fake identity.
Brewer, who is best-known for his appearance in the series Wheeler Dealers, operates One Automotive in Warwickshire and it was here that a Volkswagen Golf was sold over the phone to a buyer who wasn’t able to view the car in-person.
To put the sale through, Brewer and the rest of the team checked the would-be buyer’s car details and driving licence – both of which matched up. Once processed, the buyer – who Brewer only knew as ‘Gary’ – contacted Brewer to arrange collection of the Golf via their own courier and paid £10,490 to complete the sale.
However, shortly after, One Automotive was contacted by its card provider Barclays which revealed that the buyer was a fraud that had used another person’s identity to purchase the car. Barclays then revealed that the money paid to One Automotive would be reimbursed to the victim of identity theft – though because the car had long since been collected, it left Brewer’s business out-of-pocket.
Since the event, Brewer has been contacted by other dealers who have been hit by similar fraudsters.
Speaking to Car Dealer Magazine, Brewer said: “This is not unique. We’ve found out that this has been happening time and time again to several dealers up and down the country where they’ve been scammed in the same way.
“It has put us off remote sales. Our business cannot suffer a £10,500 loss – we just don’t have that kind of profit in the business. The customer has to be there in-person, or we’re going to have to go to the customer’s address which is on their driving licence.
“I suggest it should be the same for every dealer out there. You really have to be diligent.”