11:11 am, May 1, 2025
Police are investigating allegations of serious fraud by an Essex used car dealer which has been accused of conning customers out of an eye-watering £740,000.
Happier Cars in Harlow is said to have taken cars to sell on behalf of consumers in exchange for a commission, but customers say they never received the fees owed to them.
ITV reports that at least 50 people have been left with no cars or money by the alleged scam, with the total lost coming to almost three quarters of a million pounds.
The broadcaster also uncovered evidence of illegal trading after contracts showed that Happier Cars was continuing to agree to sales after filing to be dissolved last August.
The firm’s boss, Charles Dean Cavendish, has not commented on the claims but victims have now come forward to speak about their own experiences.
Among those to have lost out was Salvador Marval, a mechanical engineer from London. He allowed his Tesla Model S to be sold by the company and a buyer later paid £22,000 for the EV.
However, he never received a penny from the sale and has had no contact from the dealer since.
Another customer, Shameer Ahmed, allowed Happier Cars to sell his BMW but he is yet to see any of the £16,000 it sold for.
Ahmed eventually reported the car as stolen and it was tracked down by police, who are now holding it as evidence.
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In a statement to ITV News, the Metropolitan Police said: ‘We are investigating an alleged theft of a car which was reported to us on Wednesday, March 19.
‘The victim claims their car had been sold without their permission and they did not receive any payment. Our investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage.’
Police in Essex are also looking into potential wrongdoing at Happier Cars, with a spokesman saying: ‘We are investigating a number of allegations of fraud in relation to a car dealership in Harlow.
‘Our inquiries are ongoing and we remain in close contact with an appointed insolvency practitioner.’
Happier Cars has now been dissolved and its website is no longer live.
