I’m a car expert… drivers face getting scammed by making error before selling their motor

DRIVERS have been warned of the risk of fraud if they make a crucial mistake when selling their engines.

Andrew Jervis, CEO of ClickMechanic, urged car owners to be aware of the risk of fraud and avoid a major technical error.

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Andrew explained that modern cars could give criminals access to all sorts of personal data if it is not properly deleted before sale.

This applies to vehicles that connect to your cell phone via Bluetooth.

It’s an extremely convenient feature that allows you to answer calls, listen to music, and even send text messages hands-free using voice recognition software.

However, Andrew says used cars can also become a lucrative target for scammers.

He told The Express: “Many of us sync our phones with in-vehicle entertainment systems to enjoy music while driving or to help us find our way.”

“But the mistake too many people make is forgetting to delete the device from the Bluetooth system when they sell their car or return the keys to a rental vehicle.”

“If you don’t remember to wipe your phone, you are essentially giving your personal information to strangers who may use it for fraudulent purposes.”

This is because the vehicle’s system stores all sorts of information from your device, including location data, contacts and even your navigation history.

When you sell your car, you may inadvertently give your home address or home phone number to scammers.

Andrew urged: “While some car rental companies adopt the strategy of wiping the system after each driver, many do not and it is up to individual motorists to do this themselves.”

Luckily, ClickMechanic technicians are on hand to guide you through the process.

You can delete your phone from the list of paired devices in the System Settings menu.

And you can also remove all paired phones from the car using the infotainment system factory reset function.

This is particularly important as a study by Which? found that 51% of drivers did not unpair their phones before selling their car, while 79% did not delete potentially sensitive data.

This comes after it was revealed that a viral hack to fix dents in your car’s body could actually cost you thousands and put your safety at risk.

Meanwhile, new plans could ensure self-driving car users avoid prosecution for serious violations.