Police warn vehicle sellers after bonnet inspection trick thefts

Why it matters: The thefts highlight how criminals are exploiting sellers' trust using a specific bonnet inspection trick that catches victims off guard.

The details: In both recent cases, prospective buyers asked to open the bonnet during viewings. While the bonnet was up, they sat in the driver's seat with the key in the ignition and drove away with the bonnet still open.

The incidents affected both private sellers and commercial dealers across Suffolk and Essex.

What they're saying: Inspector Ben Hollands said: "It is important to remain vigilant when you are showing your vehicle to a potential buyer and to never leave them unsupervised with the keys.

"This might sound like common sense advice, but these types of criminals are very good at building a rapport with you and gaining your trust.

"Most people would expect in a situation where the bonnet is up, that there would be nothing to worry about – these recent cases prove otherwise."

What to watch out for: Police warn sellers not to leave prospective buyers unsupervised with vehicle keys and advise never letting them go on test drives alone – even if they leave their own keys as security.

Officers stress you cannot know whether any vehicle left as security actually belongs to the potential buyer.

What's next: Hollands urged people to share the warning with friends and family selling vehicles and called on commercial sellers to review their security protocols.

The bottom line: Criminals are using the bonnet inspection trick to steal vehicles because sellers naturally assume there is no threat when the bonnet is raised – but these cases prove otherwise.