7:09 am, March 9, 2026
A Car Dealer investigation has caught a sophisticated motor trade scammer in the act of attempting to dupe used car buyers out of cash.
Representatives from fake car dealership ‘Doval Cars’ and connected sham haulage business ‘Balinliss Transport’, attempted to con us out of £1,000 during an undercover investigation into their operation.
The whole process – caught on camera in the video you can watch above – demonstrates how these fake used car dealers are attempting to catch out unwary consumers.
Car Dealer has been uncovering these fake motor trade businesses for more than three years as the authorities struggle to keep up with their tricks.
Now, using AI, the criminals are rapidly building a network of fake websites to give their cons legitimacy and give unsuspecting car buyers more confidence to wire them cash.
Fake reviews and forum websites are being created to point to the legitimate car dealer websites and their connected fake businesses to produce a digital paper trail for those suspicious customers who may dig deeper.
Doval Cars has stolen legitimate used car listings from car dealers across the country and set up duplicate listings for the vehicles on its website.
It reduces the prices of these cars by thousands of pounds under normal retail prices and claims this is because they have been ‘repossessed’.
Posing as a buyer, we contacted Doval Cars to enquire about a Volvo XC60, which was being advertised on the site for just over £9,000. Autotrader pricing suggested it should have been up for more than £20,000.
Using a look-up function on the used car data website Brego, we checked the advert and found the real car had been posted on innocent dealer East Markham Motor Company’s website a few days prior.
Doval Cars’ sales representative made no mention of this when we contacted them via their website. They soon replied via email and told us the car was ‘still available’ – but from Northern Ireland – and that we needed to arrange transport via a second bogus company called ‘Ballinliss Transport’.
This fake website also looks legitimate and requires car buyers to sign up with their details. We did that and were soon contacted on the telephone by an individual claiming to be from the transport firm.
They told us how the delivery would work and sounded legitimate. They claimed to be the real sellers of the car and that Doval Cars were simply one of their ‘agents’.
They then issued us with an invoice via email for a car that they don’t own, in the hope we would bank transfer them £1,000. You can hear our conversations with the criminals in full in the video at the top of this page.
When challenged and offered the right of reply by Car Dealer Magazine, the conman from fake company Balinliss Transport threatened Car Dealer with legal action if we exposed their actions.
All of our evidence has been handed to Report Fraud, the national crime reporting agency for cybercrime. At the time of writing and publishing the video, both websites were still operational.
Richard Sargeant, a Trading Standards officer, said: ‘Scams are now international. With fake car dealer scams, people can easily set up a website and put a fake UK address on it – claiming to be in Scotland or Manchester or wherever. Their sole aim is to get as many people as possible to pay by bank transfer.’
The scammers appear to have cloned a legitimate haulage firm which has little online footprint and is also based in Northern Ireland. They are unconnected to the scam and are likely to be unaware their details are being used by the fraudsters. Car Dealer has attempted to contact the legitimate firm.
How to protect yourself from scam car dealers
If you’re reading this as a worried consumer, there are some golden rules you can follow when buying a used car online to avoid similar scams.
Never send bank transfers for a car you haven’t seen in person. If you have to buy online, use a credit card as you’ll get more protection.
If a car is advertised far cheaper than others, ask yourself why. Unless it has crash damage, a fault or is an insurance write off, all used cars of similar age and mileage cost around the same – if it’s thousands of pounds cheaper it’s likely to be a scam.
If you’re suspicious of a car dealer’s website, run it through the Brego website tool. It will dig around for you and helped us prove the Volvo in this scam was a fake.
If you’re suspicious of the website there are some ‘tells’ that can give away you’re looking at a fake. Visit our guide on sam car dealerships to read about some of the clues.
Check out reviews of the car dealer you’re thinking of buying from on Autotrader, Google and other bonafide reviews sites. Legitimate dealers will usually have built up a bank of reviews on these websites.
And always go and see the car you’re thinking of buying and meet the dealer. It’s one way to confirm it’s real, they’re real and you can get a feel for the dealer. If it doesn’t feel right, walk away. There are plenty more cars out there to be bought from other dealerships.
If you’ve spotted a fake car dealership, report it to Car Dealer Magazine using the mail button below in the author profile section. We’ll continue to make people aware of their existence.
A Report Fraud spokesperson told Car Dealer: ‘Report Fraud urges anyone buying a vehicle to take extra precautions before making a purchase, whether online or in-person.
‘Always be alert to suspicious websites selling vehicles: check listed prices to see if it’s at around market value as criminals will often use bargain prices on high value items to entice potential buyers. Protect yourself by sticking to well-known car marketplace websites when researching online.
‘Always use a credit card where possible and before making a purchase, always attempt to view the prospective vehicle in person if you can.
Report Fraud said if you’ve become a victim of fraud and lost money, tell your bank immediately and report it to reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call 101.
