Unlicensed motor car trader Mustapha Ali Ali has been fined $1500 for buying and selling 12 cars online while unregistered.
The Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria brought a criminal prosecution against Mr Ali Ali in Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court.
At a hearing on 25 August 2014, Mr Ali Ali was convicted of breaching the Motor Car Traders Act 1986 by carrying on a business of trading in motor cars while not being the holder of a motor car trader's licence.
Mr Ali Ali had admitted to Consumer Affairs Victoria investigators that he had traded in 12 cars via carsales.com.au. The offences, which were committed between February 2013 to March 2014 at Meadow Heights, were detected by VicRoads.
The court fined Mr Ali Ali $1500 plus costs of $400.
Consumers who buy from unlicensed traders are left without a warranty, cooling-off and other protections a buyer gets when dealing with a licensed motor car trader.
You can check a licencee's current status via our Search public registers page.