Online buyers duped by unscrupulous sellers 4/10/14
Trading Standards are advising people to exercise caution when buying cars and vehicles from the mainland using internet sites such as Gumtree.
The department have received several complaints over the last couple of months where consumers have lost money to unscrupulous sellers.
A spokesperson said: “Very often the vehicles are sold at cheap prices, and due to the distances involved the seller may offer to transport the vehicles to Inverness or Ullapool for collection.
“Payment is usually made by bank transfer and the sellers contact details may only be a mobile phone number. The result is that the buyer does not get the opportunity to examine the vehicle or the paperwork until it’s too late, and they have little chance of redress if they don’t have a name or address for the seller.”