Scams to watch out for when selling a caravan or motorhome

Most buyers are genuine. The few who aren't tend to use the same handful of tricks, and every one of them depends on you handing something over before the money is really yours. These are the common ones to watch for, with what to do about each.

The golden rule: nothing changes hands until the money has cleared

No keys, no V5C and no handover until the full amount has cleared in your own account. Check it yourself, in your own banking app. Auto Trader's selling checklist, written with VSTAG (the Vehicle Safe Trading Advisory Group), says never to release it until the payment has cleared in your account.

If they pay by bank transfer, Pay.UK says that once sent, a Faster Payment cannot be cancelled.

Fake payment screenshots and "pending" transfers

A buyer sends a screenshot, an email or a text saying the money is on its way, or that it's showing as pending. As Gumtree puts it, a screenshot or email "is not proof that you have been paid." Screenshots can be edited and bank emails can be faked. Look in your own banking app, and wait until the money is there.

Overpayments and "refund the difference"

The buyer pays more than the asking price, by mistake they say, and asks you to send back the difference. Never accept more than the price, and never refund an overpayment. The Caravan and Motorhome Club's scam warning describes this one: you send the "refund", their cheque doesn't clear, and you're left out of pocket.

Cheques and banker's drafts

A cheque that bounces is taken back out of your account. Barclays says it will subtract the amount "even if you've already withdrawn the money." British Transport Police advises avoiding cheques and banker's drafts altogether.

Protect your V5C and your caravan's documents

For a motorhome, you can show a buyer the V5C log book so they can see the details match. GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) says "do not share your log book document reference number", or pictures or copies of the log book, because they could be used to get a fraudulent copy. Auto Trader's checklist adds: never let a buyer photograph your documents.

When it's sold and paid for, give the buyer the green "new keeper" slip and tell DVLA you've sold it (opens in a new tab).

Caravans don't have a V5C. CRiS (the Central Registration and Identification Scheme) is the caravan registration scheme (the Caravan and Motorhome Club points buyers to it), and the guide to what a CRiS number is explains where yours is.

Fake shipping agents and couriers

A buyer agrees the price without viewing it and says their own shipping agent will collect. Then they "add the shipping fee" to their payment and ask you to forward that part to the agent. The payment never really arrives, but the money you forwarded has gone. MotorhomeFinder publishes real examples of these emails. If a buyer won't view it, wants you to pay anyone, or pushes for speed, stop.

Anyone asking you for a fee up front

Check who you're dealing with before paying anything: an "advertising" fee, a "valuation" fee, a release fee or a deposit to a buyer's agent. A genuine buyer pays you, not the other way round.

Test drives and towing

Before anyone drives your motorhome, see their licence and agree how they're insured. A motorhome over 3,500kg needs category C1 (opens in a new tab). Stay with it, keep the keys, and never let a buyer drive off alone. For caravans, the weight a buyer can tow depends on when they passed their test: see GOV.UK's towing rules (opens in a new tab). The guide to what to expect when buyers come to view covers test drives, test tows and the rest of viewing day.

When a buyer quotes damp readings

If a buyer says they've found damp, keep calm and ask questions. Simple DIY meters can be misleading (source: Camping and Caravanning Club), and readings vary with the weather (source: AWS sample damp report). Ask where each reading was taken and with what meter, and offer an independent damp report. It's your caravan or motorhome: you don't have to let a buyer use their own meter on it. The guide to checking for damp explains what the readings mean. If there is damp, here's how selling a caravan or motorhome with damp works.

If something goes wrong

Call your bank first. Then report it to Report Fraud (opens in a new tab), online or on 0300 123 2040. It replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (source: Report Fraud). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

For context, UK Finance reported that in 2025 purchase scams "accounted for 71 per cent of all cases, with losses rising 20 per cent to £118.1 million" in authorised push payment fraud. That covers purchase scams of every kind; it isn't a figure for motorhomes, caravans or sellers.

How Hitchbay helps when you sell through Bradley

When you sell through Hitchbay, Bradley handles buyer enquiries, and the keys only go once the money has cleared. He speaks to buyers by phone before any viewing is arranged. If a buyer says they've found damp, Bradley will ask them to put the readings and where they were taken in writing, and can suggest an independent check, so you're not pushed into a lower price on a claim nobody can back up. Hitchbay doesn't hold buyer money, and Bradley doesn't attend viewings or test drives, so the viewing and test-drive advice above still applies.

See selling your motorhome with Hitchbay, selling your caravan with Hitchbay, or start with a free valuation. Would you rather sell it to us? Bradley's direct offer comes with free UK nationwide collection, a hassle-free sale and any outstanding finance settled for you. Still weighing it up? Read the best way to sell a motorhome or caravan and how to choose a motorhome broker.