Highland Council’s Trading Standards (TS) department has been working to stop a spate of ‘hoax location’ scams.
TS boss David Mackenzie said the north of Scotland has been used in a disproportionate amount of location selling scams, where scammers based anywhere in the world use real locations and enough convincing details to persuade people to part with significant amounts of cash for big ticket items such as cars and construction equipment.
Mr Mackenzie said: “Fraudsters seem to think that the north is far enough away yet still has the credibility of a UK address.
“It’s fraud, not really a trading standards issue, but our approach is that while no offence has been committed in our area, we take the view that this is disproportionate reputational damage done to the Highlands.”
To combat the situation, TS now has a hoax location scam section on its page at highland.gov.uk which has already been successful in warning potential purchasers making checks before they buy.
The page reveals a raft of fake names, addresses and websites in various locations in Thurso, Dingwall, Inverness and Wick, with fake goods websites purporting to be based in Inverness and Drumbeg, and even a fake ski accommodation booking site falsely claiming to be in Aultbea.
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Mr Mackenzie said: “Local people have been scammed, but often it’s someone in England. They have sent of £10,000 off by banker’s draft, and they’re phoning us because they think there’s someone at it in Inverness or Wick, and we have to break to the news to them that there’s nothing doing, the scammers have just chosen this address and there is no connection at all.
“The cars are often cheap, with some cover story to explain why.
“Scammers often target businesses, we know of one man who lost tens of thousands buying a digger that didn’t exist.”
TS also works to track down the web hosts or intermediaries to ask them to take the fake sites down.
Mr Mackenzie said: “The scammers will often put in fake reviews, and one lot even created their own fake review site, raving about their own fake businesses.”
Mr Mackenzie advised people to be far less trusting.
He said: “Younger people are so instinctive using the internet, and it’s all so quick to make a purchase.
“People should be making checks, a quick Google of the names might just save them from becoming victims.”