People are Buying Cloned Cars on eBay and Being Conned out of Thousands
By Gary Cutlack on at
Cloned cars are a thing, they say, and they're being offered for sale on auction site eBay, where buyers might end up purchasing something that's been stolen and therefore lose all their money when the police and original owners turn up to get it back.
The cloning of cars is quite a clever scam where thieves or their agents take the details of a similar legitimate car then stick the plates and chassis numbers on a stolen one -- creating a copy of the legit car that checks out and can be sold on.
A BBC team in Manchester found several buyers who have been stung by this cloning scam, including one man who spent £18k on a BMW, only to be told be had no chance of getting the money back as he'd paid for it in cash. The investigators found that one of the dodgy accounts is still active, as they went through the process of buying a car from them just last week.
eBay told the team that it's not its fault there are bad people in the world and said that you should always use a cashless payment processor when buying expensive things so there's the chance of money recovery in the event you accidentally buy into a nightmare. [BBC]
More Crime Posts:
Have You Seen 24,000 Bees?
By Gary Cutlack on 05 May 2017 at 2:00PM
Rogue beekeeper blamed for their disappearance.
Uber Faces Criminal Probe For "Greyball" Program
By Libby Watson on 05 May 2017 at 7:00AM
Reuters is reporting that Uber faces a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice for using software to avoid scrutiny by government regulators.
Postman Banned From Street Over Water Pistol Standoff
By Gary Cutlack on 28 Apr 2017 at 12:00PM
Bringer of internet shopping brought misery to a five-year-old child.
The Queen's Hiding Her Ivory Stash
By Gary Cutlack on 25 Apr 2017 at 2:00PM
"Philip, hold the ladder, these tusks have to go in the loft."
Gary Cutlack