Thursday 29 September 2022 08:05 PM Scammers set up fake online car dealership to con victims out of thousands of ... trends now
A fake online car dealership which defrauded victims out of thousands of pounds for second hand cars has been exposed.
Auto-Promotions used fake pictures of cars and directors to lure customers into purchasing fake cars - which did not actually exist - from their seemingly legitimate website.
They advertised hundreds of second-hand vehicles at bargain prices and took car details from other legitimate online dealerships.
The website was active from March 2022 to early September when it was shut down by police following a BBC investigation.
Auto-Promotions used fake pictures of cars and directors to lure customers into purchasing fake cars - which did not actually exist - from their seemingly legitimate website
The name Auto-Promotions was reportedly taken from a former legitimate car dealership to appear convincing, the BBC investigation revealed.
The legitimate car dealership, run by a family company, had nothing to do with the fake website under investigation, but is still listed on Companies House.
Online vehicle fraud is on the rise, with almost 3,000 reports in 2021 - a rise of 21 per cent on 2019, Action Fraud said.
Pietro Pagliuca from West Yorkshire, transferred almost £4,000 to Auto-Promotions for a second-hand Nissan Qashqai after his old one broke down, according to the BBC.
After a phone call with someone purporting to be the sales director, Mr Pagliuca made a deal to purchase the car.
Scammers would pretend to be a sales director when trying to sell cars to various customers
He remained reassured when he was sent an invoice with what he believed to be a company stamp.
'I honestly didn't have doubts about them. It all looked legit, and a lot of companies deliver stuff these days,' he told the BBC.
He planned to use the car to take out his elderly mother, who has mobility issues - the pair had pooled their entire savings. But the car never arrived.
'It's just really upsetting. I feel let down, annoyed and a bit embarrassed,' Pietro said.
He reported the online transaction to his bank and earlier this month they gave him half of the money back.
National Trading Standards described the Auto-Promotions website as
