Beware online car sales scam

A BBC investigation revealed that Auto-Promotions used the images under the “staff members” page of a platform which stole its name from a legitimate business and advertised dozens of bargain cars for sale.

Pietro Pagliuca, from West Yorkshire, was one of eight known victims, transferring almost £4,000 for a second-hand Nissan Qashqai that never arrived.

Police later closed down the site, but the perpetrators remain at large.

Action Fraud suggests there were over 3,000 reports of online vehicle fraud in 2021 — a rise of 21 per cent on 2019 — costing consumers almost £9.5m last year.

A spokesperson for Trading Standards said: “We would urge car buyers to be very careful how they purchase vehicles online.”