Beware of False Sellers
Motorhome Depot has been made aware of a current widespread fraud in the leisure industry. It involves false sellers posting advertisements online of motorhomes for sale. We are not sure of all of the channels that this may be happening on, but we have seen specific examples on Facebook.
How It Works
The fraudsters are creating Facebook pages as private individuals, although obviously not using their real identities. They are then lifting images of genuine motorhomes for sale from various websites and putting them on their page as a motorhome for sale privately. Tempted by low asking prices, interested parties who enquire are encouraged to leave a relatively small holding deposit of typically £250. There is no further communication and the page disappears.
How to Avoid the Fraudsters
Of course everyone likes a bargain and it is easy to be tempted by a low price. But in today's strong market, if you see something that looks too good to be true....
The main tell-tale sign for this particular wave of fraudsters is that the Facebook pages they set up are personal and they purport to be selling the motorhome on behalf of someone else. They can even claim to be selling the motorhome for a motorhome business "To help them out". So a big red flag is a personal Facebook page that has a photo of a motorhome that appears to be in a commercial setting, such as a dealer's forecourt. They have no detailed knowledge of the motorhome, which is quickly revealed if you ask lots of questions about it. If in doubt, be safe than sorry and move on. The frustrating thing is that we and others have reported this activity to Facebook and numerous bodies but they seem powerless to stop it.
We have previously warned of spoof dealer websites appearing online and other clever ways to part you from your money. With the rise of fraud in all walks of life, the sums of money involved in buying a motorhome make it imperative that you buy through secure channels where there is no risk of fraud. Stick with established businesses and if you're not sure, one quick and effective check is to search for reviews on websites such as Trustpilot. If there isn't a strong history of good reviews that tells you all you need to know.
Safe motorhoming, The Motorhome Depot Team.
