In the last month, dozens of reports have been received from Bulgarian citizens about scams when buying cars in Germany, said Asen Kunchev, head of the "Cyberattacks and Financial Frauds on the Internet" department at the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP), at a briefing.

This is a specific scam that is characterized by the posting of ads for the sale of cars on large, international legitimate online platforms, said Kunchev. According to him, the ads are attractive and at a significantly reduced price from the market price. For credibility, information and photo material of the cars are provided, and upon request, copies of personal documents of the bogus sellers are also provided, added Kunchev.

He explained that communication often takes place in online applications, where potential buyers are convinced that the offer is attractive and are urged to transfer advance funds. They are transferred to pre-prepared bank accounts owned by financial mules, said Asen Kunchev.

The amounts with which the buyers have been defrauded range from one thousand euros to one hundred thousand euros, with the highest amount being for the purchase of agricultural machinery. There is no evidence of a Bulgarian trace among the fraudsters at the moment, but since we are talking about international organized criminal activity, we find traces on the territory of the whole world, added Kunchev.

It is not a new type of scam, but, certainly, it is current, said Vanya Velcheva, a foreign representative of the Ministry of Interior in Germany, who joined the meeting online. She urged consumers to be critical of the low prices of cars, to avoid paying the entire amount in advance.

The advice given by the authorities in Germany is for consumers to contact the platform "Secure car purchase on the Internet", added Velcheva.