The government has "zero tolerance" for consumer rackets like the alleged car mileage scam reported in recent days, minister Julia Farrugia Portelli has said. 

In comments to Times of Malta, the Consumer Protection minister said that the country "takes cases like these very seriously" but said it was still too early to discuss potential compensation for scam victims.   

"The consumer should never be treated this way. We have zero tolerance for such cases," Farrugia Portelli said, as angry second-hand car owners demand answers after finding out their cars had their odometers rigged. 

The police are currently investigating two car dealers, Rokku and Tal-Qasab on the suspicion of having tampered odometers and falsified documents of second-hand cars they imported from Japan. 

Farrugia Portelli said investigations by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) are underway and urged anyone who might have been impacted by the scam to come forward. 

"After the MCCAA collects all the necessary information from consumers, we need to make sure that if it is established that a crime has been committed, the police does its job," she said. 

On compensation, Farrugia Portelli said the MCCAA's investigation is still in its “early days” and so the facts are still being established.

"The investigations are still ongoing. Afterwards, there will be discussions on who will be obliged to give compensation," she said. 

The minister again urged affected consumers to call the authority's helpline 8007 4400 or file a complaint via this link. 

It remains unclear how many people have been affected by the scam, with Malta Today reporting that at least 300 such cases have been identified. Dozens more came to the fore after Times of Malta published a guide for car buyers to check their car's mileage. 

Questions sent to the MCCAA, the Transport ministry and Transport Malta have remained unanswered.