Caravan buyers in East Riding have been warned by police to approach online sales with caution following news that a local resident was conned out of £4,000 when trying to buy a caravan on eBay.
After seeing the caravan for sale on the internet auction site, the 63-year-old woman from Beverley made an enquiry and was then contacted with a view to purchasing the caravan.
After transferring £4,000 to their eBay account, the woman had her money returned by eBay who said that the transaction was not possible.
She was then contacted again by the company who requested she transfer it to a different account, which she did.
Following an email informing her that the money had been received, the lady has received no further contact and no caravan has been delivered.
Detective Sergeant Mark Ormiston of Beverley CID said: “This woman appears to have been the victim of a fairly sophisticated and professional scam.
“We believe the money has been transferred to an account in Europe, possibly Spain.”
