Fraud, Scams & Security – keeping your money & boat safe!

Whether it is sail or power, buying a boat a big investment! It should be an exciting and enjoyable experience, but as with many things in life, there can be pitfalls. Unfortunately we have seen a sharp rise in scam websites, fraudulent boat sales companies and scam buyers in recent years.

As this has the potential to affect our customers we take this very seriously. We use our website and social media to raise awareness of boat fraud and have been instrumental in the removal of a number of these sites. See below for some basic tips on how to keep safe when buying or selling a boat:

• If you are buying and a deal looks too good to be true, it nearly certainly is!
• Use established brokers and boat sales companies whenever possible
• If you are concerned that the company you are dealing with may be in financial difficulty ask one you know and trust to handle the sale on your behalf
• Offers of sale or return without you viewing the boat first are likely to be a scam for your deposit
• When sending money to a company you trust avoid interception fraud by only sending to account details provided in person, or verified by a call to the main office, do not trust just email communication
• Check title documents, proof of VAT and CE/RCD carefully, some companies sell grey imports illegal to use in UK & Europe
• Never accept a cheque or transfer as cleared payment without speaking to your bank
• If in doubt, ask a broker you know and trust to handle the sale, this will put off scammers

If you find an advertisement, website or company you suspect of fraudulent activity notify the police and Action Fraud immediately! Please also tell us, we will then make it known within the ABYA brokers community, publicly share and take steps to stop it if appropriate.