Fake caravan dealer scam warning
'Scam business' website tries to con buyers with super-cheap adsNorthern Territory Consumer Affairs is warning people about a ‘scam business’ website, EM-Caravans.com.au which it said purports to be a business selling second-hand caravans and motorhomes at temptingly low prices.
“This is a scam,” the consumer watchdog said. “Our investigation reveals the business is not registered and the website has so far used two different ABNs which are registered by legitimate businesses that have no association with the site.
The scam site displays photos of a number of locally-built and imported RVs, advertised at prices as low as $8000-$9000 for a 10-year-old caravan or motorhome.
“The photographs on the website of the vehicles on offer and the persons allegedly running the purported business have been sourced from other websites around the world,” NT Consumer Affairs said.
“The address used as the location of the main showroom is a vacant block of land at East Arm and the address given as the cargo collection address is an unrelated local self-storage facility.
“Interested buyers are told the vehicle is already at the shipping company and the buyer must pay the full amount by wire to the shipping company’s escrow account and pay extra to deliver the vehicle for the buyer to view – then if there is something they don’t like they will get a full refund.
“Of course, the caravan or mobile home will never arrive...”
Consumers are warned that scam websites can be difficult to identify, and some may seem professionally developed.
“Be wary of online retailers who accept bank transfers as their only method of payment,” the NT watchdog said.
NT Consumer Affairs said buyers should always do their own research before transferring any money by looking for online reviews from other consumers who have used the same site, comments on Facebook, and any warning issued by consumer protection agencies such as NT Consumer Affairs or Scamwatch.
“Don’t get sucked in by prices that seem to be too good to be true. Remember, if something appears to be too good to be true, it usually is.”
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