Warning to BMW owners following scams in Milton Keynes

A spat of car scams has sparked a police warning to BMW owners in Milton Keynes

In recent weeks fraudsters have been posing as buyers interested in purchasing a BMW.

After making contact to arrange a viewing, they will arrive with one or two other people with them.

Whilst one of them distracts the seller, the second will put oil into the water coolant system and tamper with electrical connections.

They then tell the seller the car is seriously damaged and try to bargain down the price significantly lower than the for sale price

One victim sold their car for 60 per cent less than they planned as they believed the engine was damaged.

You can reduce your risk of falling victim to this scam by following these steps:

Have someone with you when buyers come to view your vehicle

If you are alone and show the engine compartment, close it again when showing other areas of the vehicle.

If you have CCTV, park your vehicle near to the camera with engine facing it.

Take down any vehicle registration the buyers arrive in

If you believe that you have been a victim of this scam, please report this to us online or by calling the non-emergency number on 101. If you become suspicious that interested buyers may be fraudsters, please call 999.

If you have any information that may help with this investigation, please get in touch either by using our online form or by calling 101. You will need to quote reference number 43180359457. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.