The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) has urged consumers to be cautious when shopping for a car to prevent them from falling prey to scams.
Its secretary-general, Muhammad Shaani Abdullah said unsuspecting buyers did not realise that they were cheated until they did not get the car that they had paid for.
“To avoid fraudulent sales of cars, customers should check the background car dealers and salesmen, and whether the company they deal with has a record of fraud,” he said when contacted today.
He was commenting on a report about ex-serviceman Anuar Ariffin, 45, who had traded-in his car and paid another RM2,616 to make up a deposit of RM23,550 for a new car.
To his dismay, the salesman he dealt with disappeared while the dealer did not want to take the blame, claiming that the salesman he had quit his job three months ago.
Anuar lodged a police report and filed a complaint with the Consumer Claims Tribunal.
Muhammad Shaani also urged the government to introduce tough measures to protect consumers from unscrupulous car dealers and salesmen.