The Proton X50 is easily the national carmaker’s most anticipated models yet, and with so much hype surrounding the B-segment SUV, people tend to take advantage of it. So much so, in fact, that Proton released a statement regarding “third-party” bookings of the X50.

“It has been brought to our (Proton) attention that some irresponsible parties are seeking to profit from this situation by misrepresenting themselves,” the statement read. “Proton would like to unequivocally state that only bookings made via authorised Proton dealers and outlets are legitimate,” the carmaker added.

Of course, with over 20,000 bookings already made for the X50, there will be anxious buyers that want to “jump the queue” in a bid to be one of the first to get the SUV. This makes it easy for certain parties to target these individuals and make promises they simply cannot fulfill, such as guaranteeing early delivery of the car if bookings are made through them instead of an authorised Proton dealer or outlet.

Regardless of the situation, it’s best to perform any kind of financial transactions with official parties; the RM500 booking fee is not exactly a small amount. Don’t fall victim to third-parties that make promises which are too good to be true. This is especially true of “online bookings” – there’s no such thing for the X50.

The Proton X50 is expected to be officially launched sometime this month in October. Until then, check out our coverage of the B-segment SUV, including its possible pricing.