![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/phone-based-gps-car-858109172.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDRIVERS have been warned over the threat of scams if they make a key error when selling their motors.<\/p>\n
Andrew Jervis, CEO of ClickMechanic, urged car owners to be alert to the risk of fraud and avoid a major tech blunder.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Andrew explained that modern cars could give criminals access to all sorts of personal data if it isn't properly deleted before you sell up.<\/p>\n
This applies to vehicles that use Bluetooth to connect to your mobile phone.<\/p>\n
It's an extremely handy feature, which lets you take calls hands-free, listen to music and even send texts using voice-recognition software.<\/p>\n
However, according to Andrew, it can also make second-hand cars a lucrative target for scammers.<\/p>\n
He told The Express: "Many of us sync our phones to in-vehicle entertainment systems to enjoy music while we drive or to help us find our way.<\/p>\n "But the mistake too many people are making is forgetting to erase the device from the Bluetooth system when selling their cars or handing the keys back on a rental vehicle.<\/p>\n "Failing to remember to erase your phone is essentially sharing your personal details with strangers who may use it for fraudulent purposes."<\/p>\n This is because the car's system stores all sorts of information from your device, including location data, contacts and even your navigation history.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n By selling your car, you could unintentionally be handing over your home address or personal phone number to crooks.<\/p>\n Andrew urged: "While some rental car companies have a policy of wiping the system after each driver, many don\u2019t and it\u2019s up to the individual motorists to do it themselves."<\/p>\n Thankfully, ClickMechanic's technicians are on hand to walk you through the process.<\/p>\n You can delete your phone from the list of paired gadgets in its System Settings menu.<\/p>\n And you can also remove all paired phones from the car using the factory reset function on the infotainment system.<\/p>\n This is particularly important given that a study by Which? found that 51% of drivers do not un-pair their phones before selling their car, while 79% did not delete potentially sensitive data.<\/p>\n It comes after it was revealed that a viral hack to fix dents in your car's bodywork could actually cost you thousands, as well as putting your safety at risk.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, new plans could see users of self-driving cars escape prosecution for serious offences.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/motorists-try-avoid-huge-pothole-807998408.jpg\")
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