WOULD-BE caravan owners have been warned about a possible scam which has already cost one man $18,000.

It comes after the buyer said he lost the money while attempting to buy a caravan online.

The Caravan Industry Association of Australia said it had been made aware of a WA business called Seven Stars Caravans which is offering second-hand caravans and RVs for sale on the internet at temptingly low prices.

"We believe that Seven Stars Caravans is a scam and we have reported this business to the ACCC," it said.

The association gave the following reasons:

* They claim to be a General Member of the Caravan Industry Association WA, but they are not. We have written to them asking that they remove this statement.
* They use the Caravan Industry Association WA logo on their website despite not being a member of our association. We have written to them asking that they remove our logo.
* The photos of the caravans and RVs they are selling appear to have been sourced off the internet from various caravan dealers in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.
* They claim to have a showroom in Karratha but they do not.
* Their website does not state where the vehicles they are selling are located.
* They do not hold a dealers licence in WA.

The association ‒ the peak body for Australia's caravan industry ‒ said it believed the business encouraged people to pay a deposit for a RV which, it alleges, they will never receive.

"We encourage consumers to be buyer aware," it said.

"If you have had any dealings with this business please report this to Consumer Affairs in your state and to Scam Watch at ACCC."

Seven Stars Caravans shows an uncanny resemblance to a scam operated last year by a "family-owned" company calling itself EM Caravans.

Photographs of low-priced RVs on Seven Stars Caravans and EM's websites seem to have been sourced from other sites around the world.

Efforts by Caravanning News to contact Seven Stars were met with a recorded message saying the number had been disconnected.