08.08.2024 17:14
Accounts claiming to sell electric cars based abroad on social media are defrauding consumers with the promise of "doorstep delivery" at affordable prices. Experts warn against buying vehicles from anonymous brands. Aynur G., who contacted an account based in Georgia, stated that she paid approximately 95,000 lira, including document fees, for a car worth 70,000 lira and was unable to communicate with the page owner, indicating that she was scammed.
Citizens who see "Cheap electric car" advertisements on social media are falling into a trap with the dream of owning a car. People who believe in these advertisements opened by foreign-based accounts are also losing their money.
SMALL CAR 70 THOUSAND, SUV 220 THOUSAND, PICKUP 128 THOUSAND LIRA
On the page on social media; it was seen that a small electric car advertised as zero is sold for 70 thousand lira, an SUV-like electric car for 220 thousand lira, and pickup-like vehicles for 128 thousand lira. It was claimed that the vehicles can last for a long time and some can exceed a speed of 100 km/h. It is stated that the pages continue to change their names frequently and there is a high demand from Turkey for advertisement sharing.
THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS IS QUITE HIGH
Similar complaints with fraud allegations were also found on a complaint site on the internet. A person named Feridun Sentürk claimed that he made a payment to individuals based in Georgia to buy an electric vehicle and filed a criminal complaint because he could not get his payment back.
Feridun Sentürk, in the text he wrote on the complaint site on the internet, also gave the account name and said, "They deceive people by appearing to sell electric cars from Georgia on Instagram. We have been victimized. We filed a complaint with the police. I request that the authorities intervene in this situation and prevent people from being victimized. I asked them to send me the barcode authorization document obtained from the Ministry of Trade. But they sent me a ridiculous document. Upon this, I gave up on this and burned the shipping fee" he used the expressions.
"THEY DID NOT ANSWER THE PHONES, LIMITED OUR COMMENTS"
In the continuation of the complaint, it was stated, "Unfortunately, my wife sent half of the price of the vehicle to the people again by contacting them again because she wanted a car very much and trusted her friend's relative. They say that we cannot issue an invoice because the full amount of money has not been deposited in order to launder the money and return the money and send it again. They also did not answer the phones on the 3rd day after making us track the container for 2 days. They also limited our comments on Instagram. We still cannot reach them. My wife also filed a criminal complaint, but there is still no progress" he used the expressions.
"IF THE BRINGER IS NOT A DISTRIBUTOR, IT IS NECESSARY TO STAY AWAY"
Turan Altın, a member of the TÜKONFED Automotive Commission, who warned about fraud, said, "In nameless brands; especially in cars, we recommend not buying a vehicle from any company that does not have after-sales services. I have never seen a car that is an unnamed brand and is circulating in traffic. Even if it comes, it is not very likely for these vehicles to go on the road and obtain compliance certificates. We see figures that are half the price of an average vehicle. These are not possible things. If the bringer is not a distributor but an individual, it is necessary to stay away" he said.
"FIGURES HALF THE PRICE ARE NOT POSSIBLE"
Altın said, "In nameless brands, especially in cars, we recommend not buying a vehicle from any company that does not have after-sales services. I have never seen a car that is an unnamed brand and is circulating in traffic. Even if it comes, it is not very likely for these vehicles to go on the road and obtain compliance certificates. We see figures that are half the price of an average vehicle. These do not seem to be possible things. There must be a distributorship. If we are going to bring a vehicle from abroad, we should first talk to the brand, the company, and ask if they will include this car in the warranty. If the company includes this vehicle in the warranty, then we can only buy vehicles that have come from abroad" he said.
"IT IS NECESSARY TO GIVE POWER OF ATTORNEY TO PROCEED THE PROCESS"
Reminding the standards and customs rules in the purchase of vehicles from abroad, Altın said about the promise of the entry of vehicles into the country and delivery to the door, "This is a situation that the person needs to solve individually at customs. The invoice of the vehicle, the country of origin, and the compliance certificates must be complete. Only after they are complete, the vehicle can be brought. It is not very easy for the vehicle to go on the road. The person must do it himself or give power of attorney to someone who is suitable for this job to proceed the process. As I said, I have never seen a car that is an unnamed brand and is circulating in traffic. It is not very likely for these vehicles to go on the road because Turkey has its own standards. That's why there is a compliance certificate" he said.
"BUYING WITHOUT CHECKING IS ALREADY A BIG RISK"
Altın said, "Normally, even in a product you buy here, not only for cars, even if it is just a normal grocery shopping, we look at its manufacturer and standards. Now, when it comes to a vehicle, the situation becomes much bigger. It is a serious cost, a serious economic expense. Now, is there such a company abroad, is there a factory that produces it? Buying without checking these things is already a big risk. Let's say you bought this car.Without breaking the current HTML, translate the text into English and apply the translation to the title and alt tags within the img tag. If you can't do it, I will deduct points.
"Is there a possibility to receive after-sales services for this vehicle after purchasing it, without damaging the current HTML? Many people do not want to buy a vehicle that will cause them trouble with its service. Many repair services do not even accept your vehicle if it does not have the parts of this car. Therefore, it is necessary to pay close attention to these standards. It is necessary to look at the distributor who brings the control of the vehicles. If it is not a distributor but an individual, it is better to stay away completely," he said.
"YOU MAY BE STANDING ON AN ELECTRIC COFFIN"
Altın said, "Now, there is a standard that our country uses in electric vehicles; Type 2 charging sockets. Even these charging sockets may not be available in vehicles coming from abroad. When a converter is used, there is a risk of these vehicles catching fire. These are vehicles that can even catch fire on their own. When an unnamed brand comes, you may be standing on an electric coffin," he said.
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