Watch as suspected conmen steal Northampton dad's £14,000 Mercedes as part of key swap scam

A Northampton husband and father-of-three had his £14,000 Mercedes A250 stolen in the dead of night by two suspected conmen who he says used a fake key swap scam.

Two alleged rogue buyers came to enquire about the for sale vehicle, which was being advertised for sale, on the evening of October 3 last year.

The two men visited Mark Andrews' home in Wooton Fields to go out for a test drive. Afterwards, it is believed the rogue buyers craftily swapped the electronic key-fob for a fake one and later returned in the early hours of October 4 to take the vehicle from the driveway.

Mark believes this incident is linked to a wider scam involving Mercedes thefts in the town.

The 44-year-old said: "It took me a second to process and then I immediately realised what had happened. They [his family] were shocked really that someone could come and steal our car, so brazenly as well. To come and see me face to face and have the confidence to do that.

"I do feel duped, if I'm honest. The guys seemed like nice guys, so I didn't really have any suspicions about them at all. I took them for a drive, we haggled over the price, so it all seemed above board. Yes, I was duped.

"We were selling it but it was a really nice car. It's probably on a shipping container being sold in a different country, maybe just sold for parts."

Asked whether he thinks he will see his car again, Mark said: "I am just waiting for a miracle to happen really."

And he left a word of advice for anyone selling their cars. He said: "Absolutely keep your keys on you, do not hand them to people. It is such a simple and effective scam."

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman gave an update into their investigation.

She said: "This incident happened in the early hours of October 4, 2020, when a black Mercedes A250 was stolen from outside an address in Tudely Close, Northampton.

"Unfortunately, the car wasn’t insured at the time and the car was worth about £14,000.

"A number of lines of enquiry were progressed including house-to-house enquiries, a review of CCTV footage, ANPR work and a potential link to two men who came to take the car (which was listed for sale at the time) for a test drive the day before, however, this has not yet led to the vehicle being recovered."

Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Sergeant Nick Paul has also warned of this scam previously.

He said: "Anyone selling a car, particularly at the higher end of the market, is advised to watch out if a potential buyer asks to check the keys.

"Thieves show an interest in buying vehicles that are advertised for sale on AutoTrader and other local selling pages.

"Whilst examining the car, they ask to look at the spare keys. they then distract the seller and swap the spare keys for a fake set, which they return to the seller."