Buyers Beware of 'Ghost' Used Cars, Warns UK Leader

    ROCHDALE, ENGLAND, September 17, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A leading UK car retailer is warning internet car-buyers to be vigilant as criminal gangs target them with a series of 'ghost cars'.

Using bona-fide well-known online car retail websites - fraudsters are luring unsuspecting buyers with great deals on cars that aren't for sale or don't even exist.

Once the buyer bites, they are then re-directed to a site that offers to securely hold their cash whilst the car is being shipped. Of course, the ship never leaves the dock and the money is pocketed by the gang operating the scam.

But how can buyers know if the ad they are looking at is suspect? Julia Phipps, Group Marketing Director at Carcraft, the UK's largest nearly new cars and used cars hypermarket, has some useful tips:

"If it's a deal that seems too good to be true, then unfortunately it probably is" she said. "Alarm bells should also start ringing if the ad is littered with spelling mistakes or the phone number shown only offers a recorded answer machine. If you can't shake the hand of the person you're buying from or inspect the car before you part with the asking price, then our advice is think twice."

About Carcraft

From a single forecourt in 1951, Carcraft has come a very long way. Not only are we the UK's longest established used car retailer, we are part of one of the country's largest car dealership networks, the UK Car Group.

With 10 car supermarkets around the country and hundreds of people working together to provide our customers with the best possible deals and service, Carcraft is the first choice for over 50,000 car buyers every year. In fact, every ten minutes, someone drives away their next car from one of our nationwide showrooms.

Whichever one of our sites you visit, you can be sure of a warm welcome in spacious and comfortable surroundings which are heated in Winter to ensure your complete shopping enjoyment. Whether you want to pay cash or use one of our flexible finance deals, you'll get all the help you need from our helpful fully trained staff.

Some things, you may be pleased to know, haven't changed since we first began all those years ago. Carcraft is still under the independent ownership of the family who started it all. As such, we extend traditional family values of care, honesty and trust to customers, colleagues and suppliers alike.

Website: http://www.carcraft.co.uk

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