Couple lose $15,000 in cunning car scam

A Greymouth couple have lost $15,000 in a global internet scam, police say.

Detective Sergeant Jackie Adams, of the Greymouth police, said the couple were "angry and upset" after being tricked when they attempted to buy a car online.

The scam began when the couple placed an unsuccessful bid on a Wellington car listed on Trade Me.

After that legitimate auction closed, they were contacted by a person pretending to have listed the car.

"They were told the deal had fallen through and were offered the car, " Adams said.

The couple were given a false Safetrader website by the fake seller, and put $15,000 in the account.

After the transfer, the false seller gave a fake phone number of a Wellington mechanic where the car could be picked up.

"When they discovered the mechanic didn't exist, they contacted Safetrader, who they believed to be safely holding their money, and found they didn't have an account," Adams said.

The couple called their bank to stop the transfer and were told the money had gone to a Barclays bank in Britain.

They contacted Barclays and were told the money was gone, Adams said.

"This has just destroyed them. They don't have a lot of money, and every penny they had was going towards a new car they needed for work," he said.

It was unlikely the money could be retrieved because the bank accounts were created under false names, Adams said. "We're trying, but we are chasing shadows."

Greymouth police are investigating a second scam, where a false seller had taken photos of cars at Greenfield Motors and was selling them as his own on Trade Me.

Greenfield Motors salesman Ross Brown said his boss had received a call asking why a car listed on Trade Me was registered to the Greymouth dealership.

"He told the caller `Because I own it' and the caller said `No you don't, it's listed on Trade Me'," Brown said.

The car was being listed at $19,000 less than it was worth.

"That was too good to be true," Brown said. "It was lucky this guy became suspicious and checked the registration."

Adams said seven websites had been shut down through investigations by Greymouth police, and online buyers should be vigilant when transferring money.

- © Fairfax NZ News