PUBLIC WARNED OF A RESURGING VEHICLE RECALL SCAM
In September 2020 De Wet De Villiers Brokers issued a warning about the following vehicle scam. We were recently informed by Hollard that this scam has now resurfaced. They write:
Under NO circumstances should you ever hand over your vehicle for a “recall”, without independently checking with the manufacture.
We would like to warn the public about an old Modus Operandi that has recently resurfaced.
Criminal syndicates are posing as vehicle manufacturers/agents, where they call unsuspecting victims to inform them that their vehicles are being “recalled” for various reasons e.g. airbag malfunction or other serious mechanical issues etecetera.
As consumers, we are obviously entitled to know when the products we have bought fail to meet industry standards, especially for safety. Syndicates are again taking advantage of unsuspecting customers. They first phone, and then follow up with an email, where the syndicate arranges for the vehicle to be collected by tow-truck. The client naively hands over their vehicle, believing that the service is legitimate, however when they follow-up a few days later they discover none of the calls or emails originated from the manufacturer and that the vehicle has in fact been stolen.