An internet shopper lost thousands of pounds after falling victim to international fraud.

Mick Salsbury, of Highlands Road, Portslade, is £2,225 out of pocket after his first attempt to buy a bargain online.

The painter and decorator sent money to Italy after spotting a motorbike on the eBay auction web site.

He never received the bike and, despite demanding official paperwork from the web site, a packaging company and a bank, cannot get his money back.

Mr Salsbury fears the Italian fraudster is offering the same bike for sale across Europe.

He said: "I've been the victim of a scam and this is a professional set-up. I'm not the sort to send money off on a whim."

Mr Salsbury, 53, said the internet trading site emailed him saying the man offering the bike was a "power seller".

It said: "We would like to confirm to you our seller is an eBay Power Seller registered with us.

"We would also like to say dealing with this seller will be one of your smartest choices ever.

"We guarantee whatever shipping or payment method, you will have your products delivered on time and without any hassle."

He was also given an official shipping notice saying the motorbike had been packed and would be shipped as soon as the cash was wired to Italy.

A week after the bike was due to arrive Mr Salsbury reported the matter to Sussex Police, which said it did not have the resources to try to catch the fraudster.

The "power seller" is still refusing to answer emails. Mr Salsbury has an address but no phone number.

He said the seller was now using the same Suzuki 600cc bike to try to trick a friend who was posing as an interested customer.

Mr Salsbury said: "I don't expect to get my money back but I would like to see this person caught."

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "Investigating the crime does not fall within our remit. We have spoken to Interpol and they said they would not look into anything like this. People need to be careful when purchasing over the internet.

"Mr Salsbury needs to speak to the police in Italy. We are sorry we cannot do anything more."

The Home Office has begun consultation on legislation for a single offence of fraud to simplify the law and increase convictions for similar crimes.

Announcing the move, Home Office minister Baroness Scotland said:

"Modern criminals are increasingly sophisticated. For example, people buying services over the internet could be subject to fraud because of a deficiency in the current law.

"Our proposals would overhaul the law to simplify it and make it easier to secure just convictions."

A number of requests were made to speak to eBay but no one was available for comment.