- Audi has issued a warning over a scam involving used cars that’s catching European buyers out.
- Criminals created fake, but real-looking Audi-branded websites with bargain-priced vehicles.
- The mystery gang has tempted people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to part with cash.
After your house, a new car is the most expensive thing we tend to buy, so it’s understandable that many people prefer to purchase from a genuine franchised dealership. But criminals are tapping into that sentiment by ripping buyers of using fake Audi websites.
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The automaker has issued a warning after it learned about a scam involving websites claiming to offer used cars at temptingly low prices. It says the sites purport to be officially related to Audi itself or its sales partners, and in some cases even use images of genuine Audi sales reps to add credibility.
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Their aim is to use the low advertised prices to lure buyers to purchase outright or make payments on used cars that look very real, but which they’ll never see. There’s no evidence of the scam happening in the US or the UK so far, the thieves seemingly limiting their scope to German-speaking countries such as Switzerland, Austria and Germany itself. But their ruse has proved believable enough to have snared a few victims in those states.
“Unfortunately, several customers have already been victimized by this scam,” Audi admitted in a statement. “AUDI AG regrets this very much. Affected persons should inform the police right away.”
The automaker says it has filed a criminal complaint and is helping police with enquiries, but it has made no comment yet on whether it will – as a goodwill gesture – reimburse those buyers left out of pocket.
This story will trigger some nasty memories for a bunch of unfortunate classic car fans in the US who were scammed in a similar manner. Thieves would steal images of real collector cars from genuine dealers and then use them to trick people into buying the classics.
YouTuber Pleasant Green investigated the phenomenon last year and found that the criminals could in some cases even come up with fake, but convincing, ownership documents to put buyers minds at ease.
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