Criminals are using eBay to offer stolen and cloned automobiles, a BBC investigation shows.
The vehicles were being offered in Greater Manchester by means of at least 3 accounts after having their information switched with legitimate vehicles.
Amongst the victims was a retired police officer who lost ₤ 17,000 purchasing a Mercedes from a seller in Rochdale.
He stated he reported the incident to the authorities, however no action was taken. Police stated the decision is being examined.
Former police officer Graham Murray lost his money after buying a Mercedes C-class in Rochdale two months earlier, leaving him ravaged.
He stated he reported the case to cops and has questioned why the fraudulent eBay sellers have not yet been caught.
“The cops have known about this gang since January,” he stated.
“As a former police officer I’m definitely disgusted. How can you have any trust in the cops?”
Car cloning is frequently used as a method to offer stolen cars.
The automobile is given the identity of another, similar legitimate car, consisting of licence plates, chassis numbers and accompanying paperwork.
It means even if the purchaser runs an online background check, the details will appear appropriate.
Mr Murray, from Dumfries, stated the seller had requested for money on collection, rather than the more usual approach of receiving a secure payment via eBay.
The 57-year-old later found the automobile’s information had been altered, before authorities confirmed he had purchased a stolen automobile.
He said: “It was ₤ 17,000 just gone, and I understood there was little or no chance of getting this money back, ever.”
Another victim, Gordon Alexander, from Forfar in Angus, purchased a cloned BMW for ₤ 18,300 in January.
Mr Alexander, a garage owner, won the auction and gathered it from an address in Rochdale.
He understood he had been fooled after the car was taken to a BMW garage for a service the next day.
An eBay spokesperson stated the company was yet to be gotten in touch with Greater Manchester Police.
He confirmed the concerning accounts had been shut down and added: “Money on collection is extremely uncommon and we would ask purchasers to constantly pay via the platform when buying.”
A reporter from BBC Radio Manchester had won an auction for a cloned Vauxhall Mokka for ₤ 9,600 from one of the suspicious accounts recently.
A vehicle of the same make and model with the very same registration plate was then discovered up for sale at a Vauxhall garage in Wales.
The BBC has likewise notified authorities of its findings.
