Gardaí highlight dangers of buying cars privately

GARDAÍ are seizing up to two stolen cars a week from innocent buyers who have purchased the vehicles privately believing they were genuine cars.

The buyers are forking out on average between €20,000 and €40,000 for their cars in cash and have no way of getting their money back after gardaí impound their vehicles.

The Garda Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit will tonight take part in a Crimecall broadcast on RTÉ highlighting the dangers of buying cars privately. “There’s an epidemic of people buying stolen cars through the trade magazines... and over the internet,” said Detective Sergeant Finbarr Garland of the investigation unit.

He said they were constantly trying to get the message out to car buyers to be careful and offer advice on how to avoid being ripped off.

“We are receiving one to two cars a week. People don’t realise they are buying a stolen car. We come along and take it off them. They have paid between €20,000 and €40,000 in cash in a neutral venue and there’s no trace on cash.” He said sellers either insist on cash or, if the buyers give them a bank draft, tells the buyer to cash the draft, claiming the bank would not cash it for them.

He said buyers were often going for high-quality cars, such as Mercedes, BMWs, Volkswagen and various 4x4s. “People are obviously visibly upset when we seize the cars. Embarrassment comes in and anger when they realise what has happened.” He said all they might have is a mobile number of the seller, with the number no longer in use.

Det Sgt Garland said gangs involved typically paid local criminals €1,000 to €1,500 for a stolen car, and then sold them on for 10 to 20 times, earning large profits. He said they were targeting two main gangs involved in the trade. He said they had dismantled one run by Polish citizens. One had been sentenced to four years in jail, while another was awaiting trial.

He said a second gang, an Irish gang based in west Dublin, had been disrupted as they had seized 15 vehicles from them and had charged one member.

He said the gangs were quite sophisticated in forging documentation. Det Sgt Garland urged people to check out the Car Buyer’s Guide on the Garda website.

* www.garda.ie