The US Consulate General here flagged "false" online advertisements that claimed sales of vehicles belonging to diplomats Wednesday, saying it does not sell vehicles online.
In the last four months, the Consulate said, it has learnt of five such cases in which buyers have made payments upto Rs 30,000.
"The U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, would like to inform the public of a fraud involving online advertisements falsely claiming to offer for sale vehicles belonging to U.S. diplomats," a statement said.
The Consulate does not sell vehicles online, the statement said, urging buyers to contact the consulate to confirm such advertisements with it before making payments.
"We have learned of five cases in the past four months in which victims have made payments of up to Rs 30,000 to view an advertised vehicle, only later to learn that the vehicle did not exist," it said.