A car leasing business that advertised top-of-the-range vehicles took large deposits from customers – but disappeared without delivering the cars.
Prestige vehicles such as Audis and Range Rovers were advertised for hire on a company website called Synergy Manchester.
The company persuaded victims from across the country to hand over large deposits through bank transfers.
A representative from the company who organised the majority of the deals would tell customers that the cars were awaiting delivery. But they never arrived, and when victims tried to call the firm’s phone numbers, the lines were dead.
When customers tried to visit the company website for more information they were greeted with a message that said they had gone into liquidation – even though the term does not apply to the business as it was not a limited company.
CCTV image released
Greater Manchester Police have released a CCTV image of the man they believe is responsible for the whole operation.
A 42-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation after investigations into the company.The man was arrested at an address in Bolton by officers from GMP’s Volume Fraud unit. He was taken into custody for questioning and then released on bail until September.
If you have been a victim of this scam, report it to Action Fraud.
Read more about the car leasing scam on the Greater Manchester Police website.
Please note: Action Fraud is not responsible for the content on external websites.
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
