Gumtree: Check IDs

CLASSIFIEDS website Gumtree is urging people to check identification and make transactions face to face after a man pretended to be a doctor and faked receipts to steal cars advertised on the website.

Gumtree released a statement after Bradley Thomas Anthony Strauch was sentenced to prison on Monday after pleading guilty in the Southport District Court to multiple counts of fraud.

He had bogus scrubs made and pretended to be a doctor when responding to Gumtree ads to buy cars.

Strauch, 25, would use a fake transaction receipt to get people to hand over keys.

A Gumtree spokeswoman yesterday urged users to remain vigilant.

“For added peace of mind when selling any item, it can be beneficial to ask a buyer to show their personal identification before you hand over any goods for inspection,” she said, adding, to use the “report ad” function if they saw anything they thought suspicious.