0800hrs, 30/06/08
Press Office, Fettes

Lothian and Borders Police are warning people selling cars to be wary of a scam which has been used in England within the last few months, and has previously been used in Scotland.

When a high-value vehicle is being advertised for sale either in a motoring magazine, or website, the seller is contacted, and the sale is completed using a bankers draft. The vehicle is then swiftly removed from the UK.

Meantime when the seller tries to cash the bankers draft, it emerges to be a fake document and totally worthless. By this time the seller is out of pocket and the buyer is long gone.

Detective Sergeant James Lackie of the Road Crime Reduction Unit said: 'Last year in the Lothian and Borders Police area we investigated 3 separate offences where this type of fraud was used against unsuspecting car owners selling their vehicles.

'They were all high value vehicles and the sellers were left thousands of pounds out of pocket. Their vehicles were not recovered and insurance companies were reluctant to recompense them.

'Unfortunately this type of scam regularly occurs in the force area and all sellers should not part with their vehicles until the authenticity of the bankers draft has been checked with the issuing Bank and the funds have been paid into their bank accounts.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131 or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.