Stadium Cars managing director Andrew Graham said the dealership in Timaru St was being used in an online car sales scam.
He became aware somebody was using his identity in the scam at the end of last month when people being targeted began to call to clarify the origin of an email.
In the email, the scammer posed as Mr Graham and offered to pay full price for a vehicle the potential victim had listed online.
He had received a ''flurry'' of calls from people seeking clarification, he said.
All the callers were ''sceptical'' and checking to see if it was a scam.
Most of those targeted were selling vehicles on ''backpacker forum'' websites.
The scam was a ''nuisance'' and he hoped nobody would fall victim to it.
He sent the scam email to the Automobile Association and its origin was traced to Jakarta, Indonesia.
Mr Graham had a message for the scammer.
''Go get a real job - leave us alone.''
Another Dunedin dealership knew of the annoyance of being involved in such a scam.
Rob McLellan Motors owner Peter McCracken said his business in Kaikorai Valley had been targeted with a similar scam.
''He only left me alone about a month ago, so he's probably been picking on those guys since.''
Each day for six weeks he received calls from about 30 people seeking clarification, he said.
''It was driving me up the wall.''
Some of the callers had been ''ripped off'' by the scam.
''I even had a couple of banks call me who had loaned money to their clients, who had sent him money. There were a few.''
The victims were not from Dunedin and most calls came from the North Island, he said.
Mr McCracken put a disclaimer on his website, which he believed had made the scammer target another dealership.
The scam asked for the seller's bank details, so a bank deposit could be made, and outlined steps including shipping the car to Dunedin.
Police applauded members of the public who had called the dealerships to clarify the email's origin.
Police wanted anyone who had received these emails, or fallen victim to the scam, to call Dunedin police on (03) 471-4800, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555-111.
