‘I’m a mechanic - this is the biggest scam used car owners could fall for'

Top car mechanic Scotty Kilmer has warned second-hand used car owners could be caught out by the biggest scam on the roads. The leading expert warned road users could fall foul of "disreputable used car lots” who try and pull the wool over motorists' eyes. He stressed one of the biggest problems involved second-hand car dealers lying about who the true owner of a petrol or diesel vehicle actually was.

Instead of admitting the vehicle is owned by the dealer, some firms will simply pretend it's a private individual sale. Private sales are usually more attractive for buyers as models can be cheaper due to no overhead costs.

However, Scotty warned many of these sales were being disguised with road users potentially paying more through no fault of their own.

Scotty explained: “Today I’m going to show you one of the biggest scams in used car sales. Disreputable used car lots will advertise a car on Craigslist or Facebook, but they’ll have a private individual pretending it's their car.

“So demand to see the title like this. It shows that I'm the present owner and the previous owner was [Mr and Mrs] Martin.”

Scotty encouraged road users to demand to see vehicle paperwork with ownership details and completely walk away if there are any discrepancies.

He warned any differences picked up on these forms should be a major red flag and road users should not hand over any money or go ahead with the deal.

Scotty added: “If the present owner isn't the same name as a person selling you the car, run away.

“So people might say what’s in a name? Well the name on the title, there’s a lot in that.”

Motoring experts at WeBuyAnyCar stressed it was vital second-hand car buyers establish proof of ownership from the outset.

They explained: “Request proof of ownership. Only the owner can give authorisation for the vehicle to be sold. Request to see the bill of sale along with a form of identification (e.g. passport or driving licence).

“Check that the names on both documents match to verify that the seller is the rightful owner of the car.

“If the seller is acting on behalf of someone else, ask them to produce a signed letter of intent from the owner, authorising them to sell the vehicle, along with photo ID for the owner, and themselves.”