Fake escrow service
A fraudulent website posing as a marketplace's payment-holding service, used to steal payment for vehicles that do not exist.
Common pattern: the listing is for a desirable vehicle at a slightly below-market price. The seller refuses an in-person viewing and directs the buyer to an unfamiliar URL that mimics AutoTrader, eBay Motors or Gumtree. The buyer transfers funds; the vehicle never arrives.
AutoTrader, eBay and Gumtree do not operate escrow for private vehicle sales. Any seller insisting on payment via a third-party site is committing fraud. Pay only after collecting the vehicle in person, and only by a method that allows traceability — direct bank transfer to a named UK account in the seller's name, never cash for a high-value vehicle.