I saw a car advertised on the PistonHeads website. The seller said the sale was being handled by a vehicle storage/sales company, WW Cleal, and referred me to their website, which looked professional.
Within minutes, I received an email with a photo and detailed description of the car. At £3,600 it was £1,500 cheaper than the average because the owner wanted a quick sale. I decided to buy it and was sent details of a Lloyds account so that I could transfer the money by Bacs.
For the first couple of days I received updates on the delivery, then all went quiet. I emailed the seller and got no response. My email to WW Cleal bounced back and its website vanished. PistonHeads confirmed it was a scam and advised me to contact Action Fraud.
I also contacted Lloyds Bank, which merely said it couldn’t close an account on my say-so (I hadn’t asked them to) and would wait to hear from Action Fraud. Do I have any comeback on Lloyds? I’d be surprised if I was the only person to be fooled; surely somebody must have spotted this criminal had regular deposits of £3,600 paid into his account? CW, Sheffield
Banks have a duty to investigate allegations of fraud, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which says that it has received a number of similar complaints. “But the truth is that these scams are usually very well thought out and are able to ‘pass’ the security checks performed by banks,” says a spokesman.
Lloyds tells me that it is unable to discuss third-party accounts or any investigations into them with customers until they have been contacted by the police, Action Fraud or another bank. “If suspicious activity is reported to us, we can freeze the funds, although these are usually withdrawn almost immediately,” says a spokesperson. “Although clearly in this case CW was the victim of fraud, there are instances where there is simply a dispute between the two parties which is why we must apply the approach we do.”
Because you made the transfer yourself and because, due to the fraudsters’ stalling tactics, it was some days later that you reported the scam, Lloyds’s liabilities are probably limited. However, it accepts that the attitude of its call centre staff was less than helpful and has offered you £50 by way of apology. When buying remotely, especially from private individuals, use a credit card so you’re protected under the Consumer Credit Act if things go wrong. And remember the old cliché: if a deal looks too good to be true it probably is.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
