Beware online car sales scam
A BBC investigation revealed that Auto-Promotions used the images under the “staff members” page of a platform which stole its name from a legitimate business and advertised dozens of bargain cars for sale.
Pietro Pagliuca, from West Yorkshire, was one of eight known victims, transferring almost £4,000 for a second-hand Nissan Qashqai that never arrived.
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Hide AdPolice later closed down the site, but the perpetrators remain at large.
Action Fraud suggests there were over 3,000 reports of online vehicle fraud in 2021 — a rise of 21 per cent on 2019 — costing consumers almost £9.5m last year.
A spokesperson for Trading Standards said: “We would urge car buyers to be very careful how they purchase vehicles online.”