Couple warn of car-buying scam after fraudsters tamper with Skoda before test drive

A Hertfordshire couple came close to losing thousands of pounds after fraudsters tampered with a car they were selling before taking it for a test drive.

Jerry Scagell and Jennie Shaw had advertised their Skoda Octavia Scout online and within hours, they had been contacted by an interested party looking to view it that evening.

Three people arrived – a couple and a child who remained in their car – with the pair quickly asking to see underneath the bonnet.

“The man claimed to be a mechanic,” said Mr Scagell. “He was saying that because he knew this sort of model that the turbos often went.

“They opened the bonnet and had a look inside and asked if they could check the Vehicle Identification Number to make sure it corresponded with the number on the car. So I went into the porch to ask my wife to get the V5 document.”

After this, Mr Scagell drove the vehicle while the interested buyers accompanied him. “He was interested in hearing the turbo, which involved me putting my foot down a few times. We were probably out for 10 to 15 minutes, during which time I put my foot down quite a few times. He was claiming to hear a whine.”

Mr Scagell stated that the Scout – which he and Ms Shaw had owned for over six years – had never had any previous mechanical issues.

It was on their return to the house that the buyers asked to open the bonnet of the car again – revealing an engine bay coated in oil. “There was engine oil all over the engine and the turbo,’’ said Mr Scagell.

‘‘He was saying that the turbo had gone and added that because he was familiar with these cars, he could swap an engine from a car he already had into this one.

“He said, ‘look, I could help you out’ and offered £1,500.’’ Mr Scagell had advertised the Skoda for £8,500, so the move would’ve seen a knock-down of £7,000.

“Eventually they walked away having been insistent that this was a good deal – and it was looking like it, to be honest. But in the cold light of day the next morning, I phoned up a local garage.’’

The garage discovered that it looked as though the fraudsters had removed the caps to both the coolant tank and the engine compartment. This had sent oil and water everywhere, particularly when Mr Scagell had been asked to accelerate. Thankfully, no permanent damage had been caused to the vehicle – though it cost £400 to repair the issues caused.

Mr Scagell continued: “The garage flushed everything through and it was all fine. They also saw some cables had been removed meaning that the car was running on three cylinders.”

Mr Scagell received 36 text messages from the would-be buyer during the following days, during which time they upgraded their offer to £3,500. However, he blocked the number and contacted Auto Trader, with whom he had advertised the car, to report the incident. Details were also passed on to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau – though it couldn’t further pursue the issue.

The PA news agency contacted Auto Trader, with a spokesperson for the company stating: “Crime is a sad fact of life regardless of sector or brand. In this instance, oil in coolant scams are generally a distraction type scam, so it’s advisable to have someone else with you during a viewing and not to leave potential buyers unsupervised.

“We have a dedicated security team that works seven days a week, 365 days a year to monitor for fraudulent and unlawful activity and take appropriate action as required.

“We also collaborate with other classified advertising sites to promote best practice, and in 2006, we established the Vehicle Safe Trading Advisory Group (VSTAG), which brings together law enforcement, Trading Standards, Get Safe Online and other key classified market-places to share the latest advice to help consumers buy and sell vehicles safely.”