Police warn of farm machinery scams targeting buyers

Hampshire and Isle of Wight police are alerting farmers of a machinery scam after recent reports revealed that victims have been tricked into purchasing non-existent equipment.

The scam typically begins with fake advertisements for farm machinery posted on social media platforms such as Facebook, or in legitimate publications.

Victims, believing the ads are genuine, contact the sellers and agree to pay substantial sums for the machinery.

The sellers then provide real farm addresses on the Isle of Wight for the victims to collect their goods.

However, upon arrival, victims discover that the machinery does not exist, and that they have been scammed.

See also: Tips for avoiding scams when buying used farm machinery online

The addresses given often belong to real farmers on the Isle of Wight who are unaware of the fraudulent activity.

These farmers are left in a difficult position, confronted by upset and confused victims seeking the equipment they were promised.

NFU vice president Rachel Hallos said: “Unfortunately, these types of scams are growing in number and can leave farmers out of pocket by hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.

“The NFU is advising its members to look out for anything that doesn’t feel quite right and remain vigilant.”

Recent incidents

The most recent incident, reported to the police on 21 January, saw victims travel from Devon and as far as Scotland to collect the machinery.

In some cases, victims were told the equipment would be delivered to them, but it never arrived, and the seller ceased all communication.

Police are urging farmers and buyers to remain vigilant when purchasing farm equipment and to be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.

They are also advising the public to carefully check the legitimacy of sellers and to avoid making payments without verifying the transaction first.

The police have issued the following advice to farmers:

• Trust your instincts – if something appears too good to be true, it probably is
• View the machinery in person first and ask for the registration and/or V5 document before handing over any money
• Find out as much as possible about the seller; ask them about the history of the machinery and their business
• Request scans of the registration document and do some research on the item – consider phoning the previous owner or the DVLA
• Check that the engine number still correlates with the logbook
• Do an online HPI check to ensure there is no outstanding finance.