Prospective car buyers have been warned of the dangers of buying vehicles online after a member of the public became the victim of a motoring scam.
Gardaí in the Stolen Vehicle Unit said today they are investigating an incident in which a member of the public bought and paid online for a car which was never delivered.
According to gardaí, this is just one of many online scams involving cars. Another popular scam involves a seller claiming to be from mainland Europe who has a right-hand drive car with Irish-registered plates.
The seller claims it is too difficult to drive the car outside of Ireland, which is why they are offering it for sale at a knock-down price.
In April car buyers were warned of two other online car scams, one in which a would-be car seller attempted to get buyers to part with half the purchase price before shipping the car to Ireland and another in which people selling their second-hand cars were being targeted by scammers attempting to gain access to their bank account information.
Gardaí have advised prospective car buyers to ensure they are satisfied themselves as to the bona fides of individuals or organisations offering items for sale over the internet.
Separately, the European Consumer Centre (ECC) said that it had received a large number of calls over the past few weeks about second-hand cars that had been bought online from overseas.
"When you buy cars in a private sale, especially if you're buying second-hand then consumer law doesn't really apply so individual's rights are very limited," Rosaleen Quinlan from the ECC's Dublin office, told the Irish Times.
"The biggest problem areas relate to the warranty and after sales service which isn't accepted in Ireland or is difficult to access," she added.
Last year, almost 45 per cent of all complaints received by ECC Ireland concerning cars related to buying vehicles from abroad.
