9:20 am, September 29, 2022
An investigation by the BBC has found used car buyers have been conned by a scam dealership website almost identical to the one exposed by Car Dealer last week.
The fake car dealership website, called Auto-Promotions, used the same techniques as the AD Car Sales con that Car Dealer investigated.
Despite reports, the AD Car Sales site is still live today and actively advertising fake used cars for sale.
Using fake pictures of cars and directors, the Auto-Promotions website looked legitimate, but also advertised fake used cars to consumers.
The BBC investigation into the site, which was active from March to September this year, found many used car buyers had been conned out of cash by sending the criminals money for cars they never saw.
The Auto-Promotions website was shut down after a police investigation. It was also based in Scotland, where the AD Car Sales site has been set up.
Police Scotland told Car Dealer that ‘enquiries are ongoing’ into the AD Car Sales site.
Unlike with AD Car Sales, where the car dealership was dormant and did not have a physical site, Auto-Promotions was a legitimate business that was trading in Fife.
Harry Cairney, who runs the legal business, told the BBC hundreds of people had called and visited his site enquiring about the fake used cars for sale by the conmen.
The BBC spoke to eight people across the country who had been scammed out of money by the fake car dealership.
Pietro Pagliuca from West Yorkshire sent the business £4,000 for a Nissan Qashqai which he never got. His bank paid him back half after he reported it as a scam.
He told the BBC: ‘It’s just really upsetting. I feel let down, annoyed and a bit embarrassed.’
Trading Standards described the website as ‘sophisticated’. The conmen had cloned a legitimate business using details from Companies House.
Car Dealer found that criminals had carried out exactly the same scam with the AD Car Sales site.
Last week we even caught the conmen on video when we called the number on the fake website. When we told them we had struggled to find their location, they hung up.
The fact the current scam is so similar to the Auto-Promotions one the BBC investigated, could mean they are linked.
Mike Andrews from National Trading Standards said: ‘The criminals will often quickly have another website up and running in a matter of days. It’s a constant game of cat and mouse.’
Car Dealer reported the current scam to the AD Car Sales website provider NameCheap.com, who investigated, but did not take the site down.
Jim Holder, editorial director of What Car?, warned that deals that look too good to be true online usually are.
He said reputable dealers are unlikely to be selling their cars just through social media sites and would not ask for a deposit or car payment in full before consumers had seen the vehicle.
‘If they refuse to let you even see the car before you send a deposit then, then walk away,’ he said.
The BBC’s ‘The Big Car Con’ can be found on BBC iPlayer.
