An elderly man from Gordon has been scammed $15,000 after attempting to purchase a motor home online.
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But he wasn’t alone, with the same scam leaving many others from across Australia thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Gordon police Leading Senior Constable David Young said the scammers were taking out advertisements in regional newspapers, advertising the sale of a motor home for about $15,000.
He said the recommended retail price for the same motor home was closer to $50,000.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.
“If you can’t touch or feel what you’re buying, then it’s probably best not to.”
Leading Senior Constable Young said the man responded to an advertisement, which listed a phone number and an email address.
The phone number did not work, so he sent an email and received a response from the alleged “seller”.
Leading Senior Constable Young said the actual owner of the motor home was not involved in the scam and that pictures of his vehicle were being used to fool buyers.
He said the man’s money was transferred to an account in the United Kingdom and the email address was traced to the United States.
“We’re just urging people to be aware that this scam is doing the rounds and be suspicious if an email address is the only way to contact the seller,”he said.