As the PistonHeads classified section grows in size, we have to take increased measures to protect readers from the unlawful activity of criminal gangs and scammers.
Long gone are the days when a Ferrari 355 would pop up at £10,000 and stick out like a sore thumb as a non-genuine advert; these days the fake ads are harder to spot and can often look as good as a genuine advert. However, it usually all becomes clear once correspondence with the seller has started, when in most cases the transaction appears to be a little odd. The best advice most can offer is the old saying of 'if it seems too good to be true, then it usually is'. We don't want to simply rely on PHers being quick- witted to avoid any trouble, though; we'd rather nip it in the bud and do all we can to stop rogue adverts appearing on the site in the first place. To help us do this, we have recently put a number of measures in place.
Firstly, I am pleased to announce that we are now members of VSTAG, the Vehicle Safe Trading Advisory Group. This group was formed by major UK car classified websites who joined forces with the Metropolitan Police in an effort to combat vehicle-related fraud. Members of the group share information daily fraud prevention measures and new fraud techniques spotted in an effort to stay one step ahead of any potential problems. In addition to this, VSTAG makes reporting problem adverts even easier, with a section offering advice on how to contact the Police to report a fraudulent advert.
The site is full of useful information on how to buy and sell a car safely, and PistonHeads is proud to be a part of the UK's main organisation that is working hard to combat vehicle fraud. If you are considering buying or selling a vehicle and would like more information on protecting yourself from fraud, take a look at the VSTAG website. In fact, even if you aren’t buying a car right now, it is still well worth a read.
One of the main worries of buying a car is how you actually pay for the vehicle once a car is bought or how you accept payment as the seller. Banker’s drafts don't carry the security that they once did and carrying a bag full of £50 notes also has its risks. You may have considered using an ESCROW service, but this method has received its fair share of bad press over the years and for this reason many give this option a wide berth. To put a new angle on ESCROW, PHer Tazio1 has recently launched a UK-based service called CarPay, which offers a completely secure way to transfer funds without any risk for either party. At any time during the transaction you can speak to a UK based CarPay team member for guidance, the money is only released when you are entirely happy and this means that you are in complete control of the entire transaction.
The service is the first British secure vehicle money transfer service and is registered with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Darren Gross (Tazio1) said: "The whole idea behind CarPay is to provide buyers and sellers with a completely secure way to do business."
"They both have to register information and prove their identity, which we check, to give both sides peace of mind."
We'd like to hear your views on this payment method, so please take a look at the site here
In addition to these measures, we have appointed more admin at PHHQ to monitor activity within the classified section, and to answer customer queries more effectively in an effort to provide the sellers of the UK's best cars with the highest level of service.
Thank you for your support and I hope that these measures go to show that PistonHeads treats customer security with the utmost importance.
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