Marketplace warning as woman left $10K out of pocket after car purchase
A consumer group says Facebook Marketplace should be included in new federal anti-scam laws, after a Tasmanian woman lost $10,000 inadvertently buying a stolen vehicle.
A woman from northern Tasmania, Leanne Roney, purchased a stolen Fiat Ducato van off Facebook Marketplace for $10,000. The van was registered in the name of Michael John Bowerman, who had previously stolen it under a rent-to-buy program. Roney had a test drive and everything appeared legitimate, but after a few days, the car began malfunctioning.
She contacted authorities and police apologized and lodged a restitution order, but it took months and multiple attempts before the van was recovered. The repossession company tried to take the van, which Roney prevented by parking another car in front of it. She also had to deal with Asset Rental Group, who registered the van in Bowerman's name, making it difficult for Roney to retrieve her vehicle.
Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin called for more tools to protect buyers of second-hand vehicles, especially those purchased on platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
