A man was left with horror injuries after he and his fiancée were targeted by a gun and machete-wielding robbery gang.
Jamie Hallam, 48, and his partner Georgina were caught up in a terrifying Ebay scam, which saw them conned out of £9,000.
Police have since issued a warning after a string of identical robberies were carried out across Greater Manchester in the last few months.
The couple had travelled from Norfolk to Manchester to pick up a car they had won an auction for on the bidding website.
They had no idea that the deal was a trap, and that an armed gang were ready to pounce on their arrival.
The couple were forced to hand over £9,000 cash intended to pay for the car, after they were threatened at gunpoint.
Mr Hallam was left with a fractured nose, fractured eye socket and a broken cheekbone, after he was attacked by two masked men.
His fiancée Georgina is said to be suffering frequent panic attacks after claims a gun was pointed in her face.
Mr Hallam has since taken to social media to warn others about his horrific ordeal on January 17.
In a post on Facebook, Mr Hallam wrote: "On Friday evening myself and my fiancée went to pick up a car which we had won the auction on eBay for.
"I had done all the necessary checks I possibly could to make sure that what we had purchased was legit.
"I even paid a deposit via PayPal.
"I spoke to the seller several times and was in contact with them on WhatsApp."
Mr Hallam said he and his partner arrived at the address listed on the V5 document - which was in Manchester.
But before he had a chance to ring the doorbell of the address, the 'seller' rang him to ask if they had arrived.
"At that point a small white van came screeching round the corner and parked in front of us," Mr Hallam said.
"Two masked men jumped out running towards our car where I confronted one and began fighting with him.
"He was shouting at me to give him the money which we had brought for the car.
"Whilst this was going on the other guy was shouting at my fiancée to give him the money he was at that point, holding a gun.
"My fiancée panicked as they arrived and locked the doors so he ran round to where I was and pointed the gun in my face.
"I stopped struggling with the other guy when I realised I had a gun pointing at me but at that point they just laid into me kicking me in the head."
Mr Hallam said his fiancé was forced to hand over the money after one of the men got into the car and pointed a gun at her head.
Both attackers are claimed to have fled the scene leaving Jamie and Georgina visibly shaken.
They called the police and were taken to hospital for treatment.
A gofundme page has been set up by a relative to help raise funds for the couple, who are said to taking time to recover from their ordeal.
Detectives from GMP say they have received ten similar reports of armed robberies across Manchester and Oldham since November 2019.
On most occasions, the gang have falsely advertised a car for sale on Ebay and organised to meet the buyer at a specific location, police said.
But when the victim arrived they have been threatened with weapons including a gun, a hammer and machetes and fled with large quantities of cash.
No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.
In the meantime, police are advising the public to remain vigilant.
