Car con: Eight Victorians fall victim to online car scam
Police have uncovered an online car scam that has seen eight Victorians purchase a second-hand car that does not exist.
The scam involves cars listed on well-known car sales websites for a bargain price.
When the interested buyer contacts the seller, they claim to be a member of the armed forces based in Tasmania and say they are about to be moved offshore, so need to sell the vehicle quickly.
The seller then claims the armed forces will transport the vehicle anywhere around Australia free of charge.
Police believe the funds payed for the non-existent vehicles has ended up in a bank account in Romania or Poland.
Victims in Knox, Casey, Keilor Downs, Gippsland and Maryborough have already been identified, but police believe more people may have been tricked by the scam.
“Unfortunately, we believe this issue, which has seen thousands of dollars fraudulently taken, is not restricted to Victoria,” Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Pollock said in a statement.
“The best protection against on-line scams is awareness so we are asking everyone to spread the word and warn their families and friends to avoid handing over money to these schemes.”
Operation Approbate has been established by the Boroondara Crime Investigation Unit to investigate the online scam.
Anyone with knowledge of this scam, or any other related scams, is advised to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at