Cases of fraud when buying cars from abroad have become more frequent in Russia. According to Izvestia, fraudsters are actively using Telegram channels and fictitious supply contracts to extort money from gullible buyers.
One of the victims transferred more than 3.5 million rubles for a Mercedes-Benz GLC 300, allegedly brought from Germany. After signing the contract and making a prepayment, the "car dealer" first delayed the deadlines, and then stopped contacting altogether.
According to experts, a popular scheme is the "window at customs", when money is taken in advance, but the car is never delivered. In some cases, fraudsters hide behind the names of real entrepreneurs who are not involved in the fraud.
Any transaction with 100 percent prepayment should be suspicious. Lawyers urge to check sellers through tax registers and remember that messengers are an uncontrolled environment, convenient for fraudsters.
Read more on the topic:
Russians are facing massive surcharges for parallel imports of cars
Fraudsters convince Russians to take out a car loan: here's how they do it