CAR owners have been warned of a remote key-fob scam after a luxury BMW was stolen from outside a property in Churt.

Detectives in West Surrey have seen two scams recently whereby high value cars advertised for sale on AutoTrader have then had their keys substituted by visiting conmen.

The first theft took place in Churt on Friday, September 18, after conmen posing as would-be-buyers swapped a BMW X5’s working key fob for a non-functioning set.

Later on that evening the SUV was driven away across a neighbour’s garden but was later recovered on the A3.

Martin MacDonald, a 33-year-old of no fixed abode, has been charged with the theft of a car and having no licence or insurance in relation to the Churt offence.

He is currently remanded in custody and is next due to appear at Guildford Crown Court on October 15.

BMW X5 owner Natalie Stewart said: “It transpires that during the car-viewing at our house he switched our car key for a fake identical one and then headed off saying his friend would buy the car and contact my husband to make a deposit payment. We heard nothing more till 3am the next morning when my husband woke up and heard the gravel and car noise.

“Luckily, my husband’s quick call to the police resulted in them alerting all the local police. They pulled the car over near Cobham approximatively 3.45am, even though they had already changed the registration plates. It had been recovered intact with minimal damage.

“The accomplice in another car (they think the car which drove down and dropped the suspect off) got away. We are all very shaken up. The police gave assurance that this is likely a criminal gang and so local residents should not be too concerned.”

A similar scam took place last Wednesday (September 23) when a black convertible Mercedes Benz E220 in the St John’s area of Woking was advertised and two men went to view the vehicle.

While scrutinising the car one of the men asked the owner for the manual key to check it was working. The Mercedes had an electronic fob with a metal key which can be used manually in case of electronic failure.

The seller later discovered the remote key would not operate and was a different one to the original handed over to the buyer. She alerted police and as a result patrols in the area were stepped up.

Dc Mike Taylor, investigating officer, is urging anyone who is selling a car either online or in traditional publications to be aware of the distraction technique.

He said: “There is a very clever distinctive scam happening in which rogue buyers are removing a set of keys and replacing them with another set which does not work. The offenders are then leaving with the functioning set and plan to return to steal the vehicle.

“Please don’t be conned in this way and don’t handover keys to an unknown person, instead demonstrate how they work yourself. If you have any suspicions about the legitimacy of a would-be purchaser please follow your instincts, keep hold of your property and call Surrey Police.”

Four further men are currently on bail in relation to the two incidents. They are due to report back to Surrey Police on November 21.