Woman loses £3,000 in Mini scam

Kelly Wickham raised a £3,000 loan to buy a car in a scam

A 23-year-old woman has been tricked into parting with £3,000 for a bogus yellow Mini car after replying to an advertisement in a motoring newspaper.

Kelly Wickham, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, said she raised a loan to buy the car online.

No seller's phone number was given, just the name Leona Bromley with an e-mail address. The deal was completed through a stolen identity bank account.

Police and the Auto Trader magazine are now investigating the case.

Ms Wickham sent off an e-mail to say she was interested in buying the car and received pictures of the car.

"I got an e-mail to say the car was in storage in this country and the seller now in Germany wanted a quick sale because she didn't want it back home with her," said Ms Wickham.

Soon afterwards she received an official looking e-mail headed eBay Motors, containing details of a purchase protection agreement.

Girlie-looking car

She was told to make the payment at a Western Union office where the money should be transferred to a named agent in Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire.

The money was taken on 19 April. The car was due to be with her days later and she set up insurance, but nothing happened.

A yellow Mini car is the subject of a scam

She tracked down the agent in Yorkshire who turned out to be a retired gardener whose identity had been stolen.

She has also spoken to police who said they recognised the Mini scam and the name Leona Bromley with the e-mail address.

"It seems that by using a yellow Mini, the conmen are actually targeting young women. It's a girlie-looking car that would appeal to that age group."

A spokesman for Auto Trader said it provided advice in its magazine and on its website on buying and selling safely.

A police spokesman said: "We have launched an investigation and are following several lines of enquiry."