7:30 am, June 29, 2023
Suspected fake used car dealer Peter Scott Auction claims to offer cars seized by the police at a bargain price for eager bidders.
The website drew attention from consumers because of some suspicious elements to its website and Car Dealer was asked to investigate.
The particularly tempting offer on its homepage peterscott.auction include a Lamborghini Huracan worth more than £120,000 that’s offered with a guide price of £5,000.
Peter Scott Auction has shared the original tweet from Greater Manchester Police and the subsequent Sky News story to show that this car was really seized by officers. The image above is a screen shot from its website.
However, when contacted by Car Dealer, the police force was able to confirm that ‘the owner reclaimed this vehicle so we didn’t sell it’.
Car Dealer has attempted to contact the people behind the auction website but they have not responded.
The biggest red flag for car buyers on the site are the bargain prices, but Peter Scott Auction claims that because these cars are seized, the owners are looking to get rid of them fast ‘at any price’.
The website posts tempting offers for consumers looking to get a great deal, saying: ‘Beat the cost of living crisis. Buy and sell seized cars!
‘All vehicles listed in the auction have been seized and impounded by local authorities, leasing companies, banks, bailiffs, and police.
‘Uninsured vehicles are seized by the police and taken to the car pound. The owners have 14 days to show proof of ownership and insurance. Failure to comply means the vehicle will be sold at auction or crushed.
‘You can buy a seized vehicle for [a] few hundred pounds and re-sell it for thousands of pounds!’
Car Dealer has been reporting on fake online car dealerships since September 2022 but in recent months a number of fake car auction websites have also appeared online in different forms.
Peter Scott Auction is the first to claim it’s selling seized vehicles, but many still offer consumers a way to get a car at a fraction of the normal price.
In this case, there’s little to go on as the seller has removed all of the registration plates from pictures and each vehicle is only sold with one image.
However, we were able to verify that some of the cars for sale, including a 2017 Porsche Cayenne with a guide price of £5,000, is actually listed for £40,999 elsewhere.
The phone number goes directly to a mailbox and car buyers can contact the website via an email too, but there’s no company number, social media or further internet footprint for this business. We therefore strongly advise consumers and the motor trade to treat the website with extreme suspicion and act accordingly.
If you find a car dealer website you think is fake, you can use a special website set up by data firm Brego and Car Dealer, or contact us using the details below and we will investigate.
