View and check the vehicle and documents before handing over any money. If you’re paying a deposit or paying upfront for home delivery, consider using a credit card as this offers additional protection.

Never share card details or personal information, including passwords, by the phone or email.

If you’re selling a vehicle and need to give the buyer your account details, you can share your account number and sort code safely. You should never give away your long card number, expiry date or security code.

Just Land Rovers will never ask you to provide the following information over the phone:

• Mother’s maiden name
• Full/long card number
• Card expiry date
• Card CVV code

If you get an unsolicited or suspicious phone call from someone claiming to be from Just Land Rovers, just hang up. You can report scam phone calls to Action Fraud (UK only) at https://reporting.actionfraud.police.uk or to your local law enforcement agency

Never leave a potential buyer alone with the vehicle, give them the keys, or let them borrow the car documents. Never allow unsupervised access to the engine or allow yourself to be distracted during a viewing of your vehicle.

If the vehicle is based in the UK and you know the registration, you can do a DVLA vehicle check.

This allows you to find out:

• Vehicle tax – the current rate and when it expires
• SORN status
• When its MOT expires
• The date it was first registered
• Last log book (V5C) issue date
• Year of manufacture
• Type approval category
• Weight
• Engine size
• Fuel type
• Emissions – CO2, real driving emissions level and European status
• Export status

You can also check the MOT history up to 2005 of any vehicle in the UK. Find out:

• if it passed or failed
• the mileage recorded when it was tested
• where each test was done
• what parts failed at each test, and if any parts had minor problems
• when its next MOT is due

Check the vehicle identification number (VIN) and engine number, usually stamped into the chassis of the vehicle. Every car has a VIN, and you should make sure these match the details on the log book.

What are VIN numbers?

Check the vehicle identification number (VIN) and engine number, usually stamped into the chassis of the vehicle. Every car has a VIN, and you should make sure these match the details on the log book.

The Vehicle Safe Trading Advisory Group (VSTAG) are warning private sellers to be on the lookout for potential buyers who turn up to an arranged viewing with the intention of obtaining the vehicle at a lower price by tampering with the vehicle Read more 

The scam involves secretly pouring oil into the coolant reservoir, exhaust or over the engine in an attempt to negotiate a lower price claiming the engine is damaged

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always do your research and look for vehicles of the same make, model, age and mileage to see if the price is comparative. If the price is too low, the seller may not be genuine, may not have the vehicle in their possession, or the vehicle may be stolen

Don’t allow yourself to feel pressured for example, if you are told there is lots of interest in a vehicle and plenty of potential buyers. Trust your instinct, if you feel rushed or uneasy at any point you are well within your rights to slow down a deal or stop a transaction. There should be no rush.