Unscrupulous repairers are using Waze to scam motorists: here’s how to protect yourself

To scam motorists, troubleshooters use alerts sent on Waze to arrive on the scene before the troubleshooter commissioned by the police and insurance. They take advantage of this to overcharge the driver.

The Waze application can be both useful and counterproductive for motorists. In the event of a breakdown, the procedure requires the authorities or the driver’s insurer to appoint a repairer to go to the place where the vehicle is parked. Except that unscrupulous troubleshooters are watching for the slightest alert launched on Waze, to bypass the good troubleshooter. They then engage in a pure scam, asking totally disproportionate amounts from consumers.

Real troubleshooters overtake those mandated, using Waze, to arrive early at the scene of the breakdown

Whether on the highway at a terminal or on a national or departmental road, thanks to your insurance, you will be able to raise the alert to get help, and have your vehicle returned to a garage near your home. . So far, so good.

But alerts generated in the Waze navigation app can lead you to get scammed, almost completely legally. Real troubleshooters who are not very morally sensitive will in fact see the alert as soon as it appears in the application and go to where you are in just a few minutes.

Thus, the repairer in question is sufficiently ahead of the one who has been mandated by your insurance or by the police to engage in his misdeeds. What is this scam, and is it possible to uncover and protect yourself from it?

The victim finds himself trapped and forced to pay an astronomical sum

As expected, the repairer leaves with your vehicle and promises you that you will get it back as quickly as possible, and in good condition. Except that when you decide to remove your vehicle, the repairer presents you with an invoice for a staggering amount. Simple repair services, which should theoretically only cost a few hundred euros at most, can cost you several thousand euros.

The problem with the world of car repairs is that until you pay, you cannot get your vehicle back, even if you are the victim of this overcharging scam. Only after paying can you fight the professional and your insurance in the hope of being reimbursed. So how can you anticipate such a scam?

Always ask for the exact name of the repair company before the intervention

Among our colleagues at South RadioLuc Le Baron, president of the automobile trade union chamber of the department of Essonne, systematically recommends that anyone who breaks down should ask the insurance company or the representative of the police, to spell out the exact name of the repairer who must go to the scene.

You will therefore always be able to check, during the intervention, whether it is the right repair company. If the crooked troubleshooter ever tries to convince you despite the bad name, take the time to check systematically. Prevention is better than cure.

Source: YouTube @SudRadio