Leasing trap for young people: Jura cantonal police warn of fraud scheme
Young adults are lured with hundreds of francs per month to provide their names for leasing contracts – with serious consequences.
Criminals exploit leasing contracts in others' names
As Google News CH — Crime (de) reports, the Jura cantonal police have warned of a fraud scheme that deliberately targets young adults: they are persuaded to provide their names for a vehicle leasing contract – in exchange for a monthly compensation of several hundred francs.
The pattern is always the same. Those affected provide their personal data, present themselves to a leasing company and sign the contract. The vehicle is then handed over to another person. "At the beginning, they promise them that everything is legal and that they only need to provide their name," says Sébastien Frund, head of the Jura criminal police, speaking to Swiss French-language television RTS.
However, the consequences for those who sign can be serious. The vehicles are sometimes used for criminal activities, seized by authorities or taken abroad. The actual contract holder remains legally bound to the vehicle and the leasing contract – regardless of who actually uses the car.
"When the leasing company no longer receives the monthly instalments, it turns to the person who signed the contract," warns Frund. This results in financial claims from the leasing company. In addition, there may be fines for traffic offences that are registered in the name of the person who signed.
The Jura cantonal police announced on 26 August that they are currently aware of four such cases. The cantonal police forces of Geneva and Neuchâtel have also registered similar incidents.
The authorities appeal to the public: concluding a leasing contract in one's own name when the vehicle is subsequently used by another person is under no circumstances advisable.
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)