Watch out for Scammers! Automobile House owners, Take Word! Newest Automobile Rip-off Assortment

Many automotive house owners go away their cellphone numbers on their windshields in case of emergencies, however this may additionally give scammers entry to their data and create alternatives for fraud. This time, Kwiksure has compiled data on numerous automotive scams, together with the newest strategies of telemarketing fraud, phishing textual content messages, automotive insurance coverage scams, and fraudulent gross sales scams, and shares 5 anti-fraud methods to cut back the danger of being scammed.

Watch out for scammers |Newest automotive scams and telecom fraud strategies

1. Unsuitable parking rip-off messages

Some scammers use the cellphone quantity left on the windshield of a automotive proprietor to ship a message claiming that the automotive proprietor has parked within the incorrect automotive. They’ll precisely say the automotive proprietor’s license plate quantity, automobile mannequin, and the situation of the automotive they often park in, making the automotive proprietor mistakenly imagine that the opposite get together is a neighbor and reducing their guard, thereby acquiring extra data to commit fraud.

2. Automobile scratch rip-off

Scammers will contact automotive house owners by way of cellular messaging apps, claiming that they witnessed the scratches on the car owner’s vehicle. They might additionally describe the automobile’s license plate quantity, colour, and the situation of the accident. They tried to make use of the automobile as a subject of ‘friendship’ to commit fraud.

3. A message was despatched claiming that the facet mirror of a automobile had been broken and the sender wished to pay compensation.

The scammers will ship messages to the cellphone quantity left by the automotive proprietor, ‘confessing’ that they by accident scratched the facet mirror of the automotive whereas parking, and recommend that the automotive proprietor test the automobile’s situation and take a video to facilitate compensation. If the automotive proprietor refuses to compensate, the scammers might supply to ‘deal with them to a meal’ and ‘make associates’ to proceed the dialog.

4. Phishing SMS messages utilizing the guise of ‘digital tickets’

Police piloted Digital Fastened Penalty Tickets in June 2025, issuing tickets by way of SMS or e mail. Scammers will counterfeit the mobile SMS format and declare that there are excellent site visitors tickets for automobiles and fix hyperlinks to faux digital site visitors ticketing platforms to trick automotive house owners into offering their private or account data.

5. Pretend license plates

The goal of such a rip-off is intending to buy a used vehicle. Consultants know that scammers can forge extremely life like faux license plates, an identical to real ones in paper high quality, font, and content material. Nevertheless, the automobile proprietor’s data on the plate is fully fictitious. Scammers usually demand money funds from patrons, and even when the client insists on a financial institution switch, they’ll nonetheless be deceived as a result of faux proprietor’s identification on the plate. Earlier than making a transaction, consultants can request the automobile proprietor to use for a Certificate of Particulars of Motor Vehicle to maintain your thoughts comfortable.’

6. Pretend automotive insurance coverage

Scammers will contact victims by way of web sites, social media, or cellular messaging apps,  claiming to be an insurance company intermediary. They lure automotive house owners into shopping for automotive insurance coverage by providing increased premium reductions, and ask the victims to submit insurance coverage data and switch cash to their private financial institution accounts by way of cell phone. They then subject faux momentary and official insurance coverage insurance policies.

7. Counterfeit ‘EasyPass’

Some scammers will impersonate ‘HKeToll‘ textual content message claims that the sufferer has an overdue invoice with penalties and asks the recipient to click on on an internet site hyperlink offered within the message to test and pay the invoice. This methods the sufferer into clicking on a faux web site and stealing their bank card data and private information.

8. Car switch mortgage

Current reports indicate that scammers, posing as patrons, receive automobile registration certificates and copies of ID playing cards from automotive house owners. They then forge signatures on paperwork discovered within the registration certificates and, posing as brokers, apply for alternative certificates and switch of possession, finally transferring the automobile to apply for a car loan. Because the Transport Division doesn’t require the unique ID card to be introduced when reissuing a automobile registration certificates, scammers can apply for a switch of possession for automobile house owners with only a copy of the automobile registration certificates and a accomplished kind. Car house owners have to be additional cautious when promoting their automobiles to keep away from disclosing any private data or paperwork.

Watch out for Scammers | Ideas for Avoiding Telecom Fraud/Car Gross sales Scams

1. By no means disclose any private or account data

Scammers typically ship fraudulent messages by way of cellular messaging apps. Whatever the content material, whenever you obtain a message from an unknown quantity, be skeptical and confirm its authenticity. By no means disclose any private or account data earlier than confirming the identification of the opposite get together.

2. Watch out for phishing textual content messages

When receiving textual content messages that seem like from the federal government or official channels, by no means click on on hyperlinks inside the message. First, test if the sender’s identify is misspelled. In keeping with the SMS Sender Registration Scheme, all SMS tickets can have a sender’s identify beginning with ‘#’, and the content material is not going to embody any hyperlinks. All Authorities web sites will use the area ‘.gov.hk’.

3. Confirm the credibility of the cellphone quantity and web site

In case you suspect you’ve obtained a rip-off message, you need to use the rip-off lure finder ‘Scameter’ App launched by the Hong Kong Police Pressure. The system makes use of ‘suspicious name alerts’ and ‘suspicious web site detection’ features to evaluate the credibility and safety dangers of cellphone numbers and web sites, decreasing the possibilities of being scammed.

4. Confirm the vendor’s identification earlier than making fee

Earlier than buying automotive insurance coverage or promoting a automotive, it is best to all the time confirm the opposite get together’s identification. When you have any doubts concerning the identification of the automotive insurance coverage vendor, you’ll be able to immediately inquire with the related insurance coverage firm. This can stop you from depositing premiums into a private checking account, and you may also confirm the data with the insurance coverage firm after receiving the coverage.

Within the automotive gross sales market, earlier than shopping for a used automotive, patrons ought to fastidiously test the authenticity of the vendor’s automobile registration certificates. Patrons can request authorization from the vendor and pay to use for a Certificate of Particulars of Motor Vehicle to confirm the automobile proprietor’s identification on the license plate. When promoting a automotive, keep away from offering the vendor with copies of the license plate and ID card on the similar time, to forestall faux patrons from utilizing your private data for unlawful functions.’

5. Name the anti-fraud hotline 18222

In case you suspect you’ve been scammed, you’ll be able to name the 24-hour ‘Anti-Fraud Simple 18222’ hotline to contact the Anti-Fraud Coordination Middle for help. You can even get the newest data and warnings about rip-off strategies.

Steadily Requested Questions

How do scammers defraud automotive house owners by way of messages?

After noting down the automotive proprietor’s cellphone quantity, the scammers will provoke conversations by making numerous excuses, comparable to parking within the incorrect automotive or damaging the automotive’s facet mirror. They are going to step by step ‘befriend’ the automotive proprietor to acquire private data after which perform funding or emotional fraud after gaining their belief.

How one can keep away from being scammed when shopping for or promoting automobiles?

Scammers might forge extremely life like automobile registration certificates utilizing false identities. Earlier than conducting a transaction, they might request the automobile proprietor to use for a ‘Certificate of Particulars of Motor Vehicle‘ to confirm their identification. By no means disclose private data or submit any funds earlier than confirming the identification. When promoting a automotive, keep away from offering the vendor with copies of the automobile registration certificates and ID card to forestall faux patrons from utilizing your private data for unlawful functions.