Farmer recovers £22k after elaborate tractor buying scam

A farmer has recovered more than £22,000 after falling victim to an elaborate online tractor buying scam that cost him nearly £30,000 and left his business reeling.

Richard Bennett, 61, an arable farmer based near Brentwood, Essex, paid for a John Deere 6430 tractor advertised on farm machinery website Tracteurpool, only to discover that the French dealership he believed he was buying from had been cloned by scammers.

“It was a big hit to my business, at a time when we are really struggling,” said Mr Bennett. “You can’t just make up £30,000.”

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The fraud, which dates back to January 2020, involved a fake website mimicking a legitimate French dealership based in northern France – complete with branding and stock listings.

Mr Bennett only discovered the con when a friend travelled to France to collect the tractor and was met with confusion by the real dealership.

Richard Bennett © Richardson Hartley Law

 “The lady there ended up in tears over it. They had other copies of these fake invoices where other people had had the same problem,” he said.

To make matters worse, Mr Bennett had recently had a Case tractor stolen from his farm and he urgently needed a replacement.

After his bank, HSBC, initially refused a refund, he contacted National Fraud Helpline solicitors. Last week, they secured a £22,289.90 settlement.

“It’s brilliant to get the money back,” said Mr Bennett. “I had written that money off… it will help the bank balance and give us some peace of mind to keep us going.”

No prosecutions

Skye Stockings, a lawyer with the National Fraud Helpline, said: “This was a sophisticated scam that we are sure more farmers will have fallen foul of.

“Many businesses, including farms, are unaware that there is an ability to claim back money lost to fraud via their banks.”

The scam website was traced to Panama. French authorities have investigated, but no prosecutions have been reported.

Mr Bennett, who has since bought a replacement tractor from a UK dealer, says the recovered funds will help complete a secure storage unit to prevent future thefts.

For fraud advice and recovery support, visit www.nationalfraudhelpline.co.uk