How scammers are exploiting ULEZ chaos to swindle drivers out of their cash with fake ads for luxury motors
SCAMMERS are exploiting the ULEZ chaos to swindle drivers out of their cash with fake ads for luxury motors.
Fake ULEZ-compliant motors including Audi, BMW and Mercedes cars are listed at knock-down prices on Facebook Marketplace.
The ads use snaps of real cars to dupe desperate Londoners into handing over around £5,000 as they hunt for eco-friendly motors.
Many drivers in the capital are trying to dodge the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge by swapping their polluting cars for compliant ones.
Fraudsters copy the photos and details of the cars from real ads on Auto Trader, Gumtree and eBay.
When drivers hand transfer the listed sum, the scammers disappear and leave them empty-handed.
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The reports that the fraudsters demand that people email them for more information - in a shameless bid to dodge Facebook's scam-busting software.
One scammer told the newspaper: "We acquired this vehicle from an auction, this is why the lower price.";
The ads include details like mileage and MOT expiry dates - but drivers who ask to see the listed cars are fobbed off.
It is thought that the Facebook accounts behind the scams belong to real people who have had their passwords stolen.
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The snaps of the motors come from ads for real cars which have just been sold - and which have been taken down by the time the scam appears.
Cyber expert Jake Moore said: "These con artists are professionals who will do everything they can to pressure prospective buyers into sending deposits in very manipulative ways."
It comes after it emerged Sadiq Khan's hated ULEZ expansion will add just 13 minutes to the average life expectancy.
Research by the Mayor's own team in collaboration with Transport for London has found the scheme's impact will be “minor” and “negligible”.
It's predicted to only cause a 1.3 per cent reduction in the average Londoner's exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
And it would add just 13 minutes to the life expectancy of a Londoner in 2023, according to the Channel Four News Fact Check service.
Mr Khan is facing a furious backlash after extending the £12.50 daily levy to every inch of the capital for those driving older, more polluting vehicles.
His scheme has triggered a crime wave, as masked crusaders — dubbed Blade Runners — have taken to stealing or defacing the spy cameras which are central to the charging scheme.
At least 450 of the network’s 1,762 cameras — around one in four — have so far been disabled, while the Met Police has recorded 500 Ulez camera crimes in the past five months.
Senior Tories have urged PM Rishi Sunak to “seize the moment” and lead the fight against Ulez and other crippling net zero environmental charges.
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Voters oppose the anti-car measure coming to their area by almost two to one, while one in three say they would be less likely to back politicians who brought in the charge.