Scam website selling country park's Highland cows

Scammers have launched a website claiming to sell Highland cows from a popular country park in Falkirk.

Falkirk Council’s Trading Standards issued the warning after a website claiming be selling Highland cows and other livestock from Muiravonside Country Park went live.

On their website, the council said that the scammers are operating under www.newparksfarms.co.uk and is using the park’s address and postcode fraudulently to appear to be credible.

The scam first became known when people arrived at the park to enquire about the cattle and other livestock for sale and alerted staff to the situation.

Trading Standards officers investigated and found that the website had also been used for scam puppy sales.

Additionally, Trading Standards officers are alerting the issue to

Nominet, the organisation responsible for managing domain names in the UK, have been alerted and the council has asked it to take down the fraudulent website.

Michael McGuiness, head of Growth, Planning, Sport & Culture issued a warning over the “deeply concerning” scam.

“It is deeply concerning to see scammers using a place like Muiravonside Country Park to deceive unsuspecting buyers.”

He added: “We urge everyone to exercise caution when making purchases online, especially from unfamiliar websites.

“Our priority is to protect consumers and ensure that fraudulent activities like these are dealt with quickly by the right authorities.”

Claire Martin, countryside Ranger at Muiravonside added it is “disappointing” to see someone using the park to con the public.

She confirmed that non of their cattle are for sale but said they have five Highland cows that the public are more than welcome to come visit at the park.

Trading standards advise the public to verify any website or online business before making financial transactions involving significant purchases like livestock or pets.