The Caravan Scam

Due to travel restrictions and the lose of holidays overseas during the pandemic, there has been a shift in planning for a staycation. This has led to people purchasing caravans and motorhomes for use when government guidelines permit. The increase in demand has been exploited by criminals advertising fake listings for caravans and motorhomes on auction sites citing lockdown restrictions as the reason vehicles can’t be viewed in person.

Vehicles are advertised at attractive prices to tempt people into believing they’re getting a good deal, when in reality they simply don’t exist or don’t arrive once paid for. Payments are usually requested via bank transfer as opposed to using a recommended secure payment method. However, recently criminals are requesting the buyer pays using PayPal. The criminal then fails to send a PayPal invoice, at which point the buyer is contacted by someone pretending to be a representative from PayPal and receives a reference and bank account number for payment to be made into. Ultimately, the buyer doesn’t receive their goods as payment has been made into an account controlled by a criminal so customers should be on the lookout for scams.