HUNDREDS of people have been duped by fraudsters running “vehicle matching” scams in Barnet.

Five car matching companies operating in the area have scammed unwitting motorists out of as much as £99 each.

The firms cold-call people who advertise their cars for sale in magazines, on websites or in newspapers and tell them they have found a buyer.

They then demand an upfront fee of between £80 and £99 to organise the sale, but once the money is handed over it transpires there is no buyer.

Last year more than 1,600 private sellers complained to Consumer Direct about the scams, and hundreds related to the five Barnet firms.

However, Barnet Council's trading standards officers have now forced two of the firms into voluntary liquidation and two have stopped trading.

A legal case is being prepared against the fifth firm under trading regulations.

Councillor Matthew Offord, cabinet member for community safety and community engagement, said: "These firms were very plausible and persuasive in extracting money out of private sellers on the false promise that they had a number of buyers lined up once they'd handed over their matcher's fee.

"These businesses were professionally managed, with teams of telesales people earning a lot of commission.

“Upon investigation, however, it emerged that there was not evidence of any valid database and the consumer had nothing left to show but a dent in their wallet.”

The scams are estimated to cost second-hand car sellers nationwide nearly £3 million every year, and it is thought there are many more cases that are not reported.