WEST Yorkshire Police has warned fraudsters are setting up high specification websites advertising various electrical goods and domestic appliances.

The goods are offered for sale below the market value and do not exist. The website will say people can pay via card, but when the purchaser goes to pay, this option is not available and they must make a bank transfer.

"The fraudster entices the purchaser and reassures them it is a legitimate purchase by using the widely recognised Trusted Shop Trustmark. They then use the Trustmark fraudulently and provide a link to another bogus website, which purports to be Trusted Shops," a police spokesman said.

The second website provides thousands of fraudulent reviews for the bogus electrical website.

Police recommend people check the authenticity of a website before making any purchases.

"Conduct a 'Whois' search on the website which will identify when the website has been created.Be wary of newly formed domains. You can conduct this search using who.is," the spokesman added.

If you are in doubt about the legitimacy of a Trustmark, contact Trusted Shops on 0203 364 5906 or by e-mail: service@trustedshops.co.uk.

"Payments made via bank transfer are not protected should you not receive the item. Always try to make the payment via PayPal or a credit card where you might be covered.

"Anyone affected by this fraud or any other scam, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk," the police spokesman said.