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Cologne (dpa / lnw) - The ADAC Nordrhein and the Cologne police warn of increasing fraud in the used car trade on the Internet.
Since the beginning of 2020, according to Thursday, alleged used car bargains have turned out to be stolen vehicles in more than 100 cases when they were registered.
The focal points of the criminal machinations are the cities of Cologne and Leverkusen.
The trick of the fraudsters: When searching the Internet, the prospective car buyer comes across a “great offer” and arrange a meeting point with the seller.
"The seller is often late because he first spies on whether it is a harmless buyer or the police," said Chief Inspector Jürgen Endres from the Cologne police.
If the seller feels safe, the handover takes place after a problem-free test drive.
The sales contract will be signed and the money will be handed over.
When changing registration at the registration office, the "rude awakening" follows.
Both the car and the registration papers were found to be stolen.
“It is usually difficult to identify the seller due to the lack of traces and the wrong contact details,” says Endres.
Even if the perpetrators were identified, the money could no longer be found and often nothing could be obtained from the fraudsters.
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The consumer advocates of the ADAC Nordrhein are also increasingly registering cases in which car buyers fell for fraudsters.
“You can't buy property in stolen things - even if you didn't know that the car was stolen.
So the buyer is left empty-handed », warned legal expert Gabriele Schön.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210304-99-686933 / 2
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