Car-date scam warning

The car dating or "car matching" companies contact people who are already advertising their goods and say that they can help sell the car or mobility scooter and have potential buyers at the ready.

"It sounds like the ideal service but many consumers have been left out of pocket," warns

East Sussex County Council's trading standards service.

The service says that hundreds of complaints have been received by Consumer Direct, the national consumer advice service about some of the companies offering this service.

In one recent case reported to the county trading standards service, a disabled woman who was trying to sell her mobility scooter was contacted by one of these companies and told that she would get calls from interested buyers.

The company even said she should wait by the phone that afternoon for all the calls she would get and that she could sell the item at a higher price than the one being advertised.

The woman received no calls, and then found that the company had taken 79 from her credit card - 30 more than she had agreed to pay them.

When Trading Standards checked the company website, officers found that the scooter was there, but that the phone number for the potential buyers to call the company wasn't working, making it impossible for her to be put in touch with any buyers.

Councillor Bob Tidy, lead county cabinet member for community services, said: "This story of misleading sales calls, failure to deliver the promised services, failure to provide appropriate cancellation rights and taking more than the sum agreed, is one repeated time and time again.

"Our Trading Standards Service contacted the company involved and obtained a refund for this particular consumer, but the complaint levels show that there is a real problem here and people should certainly be wary of giving out their credit card details in these circumstances.

"The specific targeting of people selling mobility scooters is a particular concern but anyone trying to sell any vehicles could be conned into paying out for these worthless services".

For general consumer advice information visit East Sussex County Council's website at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/consumeradvice.