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Criminals are using eBay to sell stolen and cloned cars, a BBC investigation has revealed.
The vehicles were being sold in Greater Manchester via at least three accounts after having their details switched with legitimate cars.
Among the victims was a retired police officer who lost £17,000 buying a Mercedes from a seller in Rochdale.
He said he reported the incident to the police, but no action was taken. Police said the decision is being reviewed.
Former police officer Graham Murray lost his money after buying a Mercedes C-class in Rochdale two months ago, leaving him "devastated".
He said he reported the case to police and has questioned why the fraudulent eBay sellers have not yet been caught.
It's safer to buy used Yugos.
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Cloned Cars Sold in Greater Manchester Ebay Scam
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< nobse> bleh... last night I had a dream... someone NMU'ed vim...
nightmare
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(Score: 4, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday May 09 2017, @10:08PM
I've tried selling my cars online several times, First 2 times, it worked great. But the last time, the "buyer" tried to pass me a fraudulent check, from some bank 2 states away, for the wrong amount. I asked for $1500, and the check was for $5100. Probably expected me to give him the difference in cash. I contacted the person whose name was on the check and he confirmed his account had been cracked.
I reported the matter to the local police. An officer came to the house, but said no crime had been committed so there was nothing they could do. I guess passing a fraudulent check isn't a crime, if it's to a private party? But try that at a retail store, and you're in Big Trouble! The officer suggested the way to get their help was to go ahead with the sale and lose my money, so that a crime would have been committed. Has to be one of the all time stupidest suggestions I've ever received, and my estimation of police intelligence has been plummeting ever since. Was there no other law enforcement organization they could recommend to me? No. And that was that. I didn't try anything more. The "buyer" tried one more time, threatened to sic the FBI on me if I refused to sell to him. I told him to bring it and hung up.