When an invoice scam left our customer without their car only three days after taking delivery, the last thing they were thinking about was their interest rate. Here’s how our friends at Wisr helped us get their car back, and why aftercare support matters alongside rates and terms when choosing a lender.
Imagine purchasing a new car, only to have it forcibly collected 3 days later
Once the finance had settled and the payment remittance had been sent to the dealer, our customer took delivery of their new car. With the car now at home, they had every reason to think the purchase was complete. Little did they know, the money had never reached the dealership’s account. Just three days after delivery, the dealer forcibly collected the car from their home, leaving them without the vehicle they’d just financed and caught in a dispute over a payment that had already been made. To help get their car back, we needed to understand how the money could have been sent without ever reaching the dealer.
How a genuine purchase was caught in a scam
After a thorough investigation we discovered that cybercriminals had intercepted the dealership’s emails and changed the bank details on the customer’s invoice. The payment had followed those altered instructions, sending the funds to a scam account and leaving the dealership unpaid. The customer had bought a car from a genuine dealership, yet someone had been able to interfere with the payment along the way. An ordinary purchase had left them caught in a situation they never anticipated.
Wisr went into bat for our customer
Understanding what had happened was only the first step. With our customer still without their car and a dispute with the dealer to resolve, our friends at Wisr stepped in to help. They went into bat for our customer and pushed hard for the right outcome. It took time and perseverance, but around a month later our customer finally had their car back. We were grateful for the effort the Wisr team put into helping our customer when they needed support after the finance had already settled.
“Wisr Finance were recently very helpful to Magnolia Lane in resolving a dispute between our customer and a third party – Wisr went into bat for our customer, which resulted in a successful resolution in our customer’s favour. We were really impressed with how Wisr pushed hard to get the right outcome, and we’d recommend them as a lender to deal with who are trustworthy and will go the extra mile for their customers and brokers.”
— Angus Askew, Director, Magnolia Lane Financial Services
Two things to take from this story
1. Call and confirm. Before you pay an invoice sent via email, call the dealer on a number you already have and check the bank details match, rather than relying on the invoice or email.
2. Choose a lender who has your back. Your broker should be able to tell you who you’d contact once the finance has settled and how they and the lender would help you work through it if the unthinkable happens.
For advice on choosing the right lender for your next asset purchase, call us on (02) 8287 3000 or email admin@magnolialane.au.