A Meadow Heights man has been fined for buying and selling 12 cars online without a licence.
Earlier this year, Consumer Affairs Victoria began investigating claims Mustapha Ali Ali had bought and sold 12 cars within a 13-month period without holding a licence to trade in motor cars.
The investigation found Ali Ali had traded in 12 cars and later sold them on the ‘Carsales’ website. The offences were picked up by VicRoads, and were committed between February 2013 and March 2014.
Ali Ali admitted to selling cars on carsales.com.au in a case heard at Broadmeadows Magistrates Court in late August.
He was convicted of breaching the Motor Car Traders Act 1986 for trading cars without holding the appropriate business
licence and fined $1500 with additional costs of $400.
Consumer Affairs Victoria’s acting director, Elizabeth Lanyon, said that under the Motor Car Traders Act 1986, “anyone who buys, sells or exchanges or offers to buy, sell or exchange, four or more motor cars in any 12-month period is deemed to be a motor car trader”.
“Motor car traders are required to be licensed in Victoria,” Ms Lanyon said.
A Consumer Affairs spokesman said people who buy cars from unlicensed traders are left without a warranty, cooling-off period and other protections afforded by a licensed motor car trader.
