A man was attacked after responding to a bogus ad on Gumtree Gumtree

AN UNSUSPECTING car buyer was stabbed in the heart and left for dead after replying to a bogus advertisement on listings website Gumtree.

The 42-year-old Londoner took £5,000 in cash with him to a rendezvous in a street in Barking, but was attacked by two men who had advertised the sale of a VW Golf.

Detectives say it is a miracle he survived after being stabbed six times and that it was extraordinary he did not die.

The victim survived thanks only to the intervention of a passer-by, who scared off the men, and the skills of air ambulance doctors who carried out open-heart surgery at the scene.

DCI Ellie O’Connor, of Barking CID, said: “This was a brutal attack on an innocent man who was responding to an online advertisement in good faith.”

She appealed for witnesses to come forward - and warned people to use caution when going to meetings arranged on classified sites such as Gumtree.com.

"Do not go to the meeting point alone, do not carry large amounts of cash on your person, make sure that you meet in a busy area and never allow yourself to be lured away from a safe meeting place"

O’Connor said: “Millions of successful transactions take place on the internet every day.

“There are occasions when transactions go wrong. However, most of these incidents involve some form of dispute rather than criminal activity”.

She added: “Events that result in personal injury are fortunately very rare. Nevertheless, if you are confident that the seller is genuine, you should still take steps to ensure your safety.

“Do not go to the meeting point alone, do not carry large amounts of cash on your person, make sure that you meet in a busy area and never allow yourself to be lured away from a safe meeting place.”

The man was attacked at 3.50pm on 30 July in North Street, Barking, and is recovering at home.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or Barking CID on 020 8217 5535.