Hazzard car $10m offer is 'hoax'

The 1969 Dodge Charger was used in a Dukes of Hazzard film

A Dukes of Hazzard car owned by one of the US TV show's stars is going back on sale after an eBay bid of more than $9.9m (£5m) was revealed as a hoax.

John Schneider, who played Bo Duke, now plans to sell his 1969 Dodge Charger with another auction company that strictly screens buyers.

Allen Stockman, who runs the actor's Agoura Hills estate, said Schneider may also attempt to sue the bidder.

"He deserves to be hit in the pocketbook," Mr Stockman said.

Binding contracts

The winning bidder, who was identified as William Fisher on his eBay page, could not be reached.

Officially, all eBay bids are legally binding contracts, and users agree to pay for any item they win.

There are all sorts of reasons a transaction may fall through, and we have a claims process for both buyer and seller Catherine England eBay

But there are no background checks and members who fail to pay for items are not fined. If they continue to violate the system, they could be banned from the site.

EBay spokeswoman Catherine England told the Associated Press: "There are all sorts of reasons a transaction may fall through, and we have a claims process for both buyer and seller."

Once the bidding escalated, the company said it contacted Schneider and recommended he only accept bids from pre-qualified eBay customers who could confirm financing and provide other details.

Stockman said he did not have the time for credit or background checks by the time he was alerted to this.

The car was not used in the original series but is signed by the cast and did appear in a Hazzard film.

The previous eBay record was $4.9m (£2.5m) for a private jet several years ago.