Warning - Tyre Purchase Scam

We would like to warn garage owners, autoparts traders and employees of a scam which has appeared in the past few weeks involving the fraudulent purchase of premium car tyres. We have had incidents of this type reported to us at premises in Auchterarder and Kirriemuir, and we are also aware of a number of similar incidents in the Aberdeenshire area as well. The scam involves a person contacting a garage or trader and asking to buy expensive sets of tyres for higher-end cars.

The business usually receives a phone call from a mobile phone number, and a foreign sounding male requests to place an order for tyres, which is paid for by credit card. The tyres are ordered for collection only, or a fitting appointment is made but then cancelled and the tyres collected.

On each occasion the purchased tyres are collected by a man who is usually in a rental van (potentially a paid courier who is unaware of the scam). After collection, payment is withdrawn from the seller’s account as the credit cards used are actually stolen, and the seller is left significantly out of pocket.

We would like to ask all garages and tyre sellers / fitters to be aware of this scam, and to contact Police Scotland on 101 if you receive a suspicious order of this type.

If you have any doubts as to the credibility of a potential buyer, do not allow the sale to go through.

Original Message Sent By Mark Armstrong (NHWN, Community Support Officer, NW Scotland)