Warning of Vehicle Thefts via the Internet
Submitted: Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 22:26
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donc
To all members and users of this website and
forum,
I am posting this to warn you all of a scam going around with for sale ads beinbg placed on the internet on wesites such as this. I have been caught in it, thankfully with only the loss of va few hundrerd dollars, but several others haven't been so lucky and have lost their vehicles.
I advertised my Nissan Patrol on this website a few weeks agho and was contacted by a Julia Williams a vehicle broker fromn London wishing to purchase it on behalf of her client. After sending her some photos and negotiating a final sale price I was promised a cheque was on its way to me.
Approximately 3 weeks later a $35,000 euro cheque arrived by registered mail from the Netherlands. The cheque was a bankers draft from a Irish Bank. The euro figure converted to approximately $60,000 Australian. I was to send the balance of the money after deducting my sale price and fees for western union money transfers and other associated costs bank to a person in Amstredam.
My bank told me when I bankecd the cheque it would take approximetely 4 weeks to clear as it was an international cheque. I informed "Julia Willams" of this and she was frustrated but said go ahead and send the balance bank once the cheque cleared.
Today my bank contacted me saying if i hadn't already had the vehicle picked up don not let it go as the cheque I had banked was a forgery. This has cost me $160 euro or approximate $320 Australian in dishonour fees, but at least I've still got my car.
I'm hoping by posting this it will stop other people getting caught in this scam. So far it has caught 28 people in Australia and netted the thieves approximately $1.5 million Australian. So as you can see its
well organised and quite
well set up. Please everyone out there be extremely cautious if an overseas buyer contacts you to purchase your 4WD.
Regards
Don Campbell
Reply By: Leroy - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 22:33
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 22:33
Unfortunately if you do a search on this site you will find numerous occurances of this scam. You do have to ask yourself why someone would buy your vehicle from abroad!
Leroy
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Follow Up By: donc - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 22:39
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 22:39
Leroy,
From what I've heard its not uncommon for overseas buyers to purchase Australian 4WD's, genuine buyers this is.
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Reply By: Member - Geoff & Karen - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:05
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:05
So I might be dumb, but what do these idiots from overseas get out of doing this. Or are they hoping you will send the goods before the cheque is cleared. It would be costing them money for the phonecall and postage of the cheque over here. Is there no way the bank can contact the idiot overseas, and they pay the dishonour fee? I thought the person who wrote the cheque out paid the fee if it bounced. I dont know I have never had one bounce.
Lucky you still have your car though. Send the wanker a Xmas card with a fist in it that comes out hard and fast when they open the card......................LOL
Karen
AnswerID:
88991
Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:15
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:15
Karen,
It works like this. I advertise my Toyota (cause I just dont need it anymore). *Julia* says yes I'll have that for $20000, sends me a cheque (in euro) that amounts to $35000, asks me to ship the car and send the balance ($15000) to her. Even if the car doesnt get out of the country the $15000 does, neat scam eh?
Its an old one, Willem got a nibble when he sold Rosie, toldem to go take a short jump off a high
hill.
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff & Karen - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:20
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:20
Thanks Bonz, it makes you wonder how much money they do make out of doing it. I wonder why someone cant track them down though and chase them for the money, you would have to have some address to send the goods to, even if the cheque is false.
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:26
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:26
Its all smoke and mirrors, they don't even want the vehicle all they want is the $15000. And the only "real" thing is the bank account you have to deposit it into, of course once its in the accts gone and so's your dollars
take a look at this site for lots of info.
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Follow Up By: cwebb - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:27
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 23:27
You'll find that with this scam, they are NOT interested in your vehicle. All they are wanting is the difference in their over-inflated cheque, once you have supposedly taken your cut. So, they are getting legitimate money from a forgery, whilst you are out of pocket, particularly if you have paid them the difference.
Many of these scams involve them spinning a story to the effect that they owe someone money in our country, so take your cut (as in what your vehicle is worth) and forward the 'change' to someone else, (such as the scammers partner etc). Many, many reports of people getting stung that sell through the Trading Post, Ebay etc. If you do sell to someone overseas, wait until the cheque categorically clears! If the buyer is a scammer, they will push and push for you to send them their 'change' before you realise it is a forgery.
Damn dirty scammers .... I would gladly wring any of their necks! (and no, I haven't been stung, just very aware!)
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Reply By: Member - Smocky (NSW) - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 00:04
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 00:04
First things first, never accept international cheques for anything.
It is extremely unusual for anyone to send a cheque overseas. Any normal transaction would be done using a TT (Telegraphic Transfer) or a money transfer. You just can't send cheques internationally, they're not reckognised and not honoured. Some Bank Cheque's are, but as I said, this is extremely unusual.
Always insist in money transfers into an account that has no credit and a very small balance.
The problem with finding them is jurisdiction. No law enforcement agency here really can do much about it. The transaction will jump 3 national borders, end up in the Cayman's and that's the end of that.
There's stacks of these sort's of things going round.
Remember the old adage, if it seems to good to be true, it is.
Cheers,
Smocky.
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Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 07:52
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 07:52
You have manure for brains. Why would someone in UK/anywhere overseas want to buy your car? Dont you think the squillion $ export fees would have made it a little expensive exercise?
This warning has been done on nearly every
forum over the last 12 months.
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Reply By: locallaw - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 07:57
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 07:57
Another one bites the dust!!!!!!!!!
Locallaw
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Reply By: tour boy - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:26
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:26
Had the same thing for the business name I'm selling in the trader. Sent too many alarm bells ringing so I told them I wasn't interested. So they may come after your spares and accessories as
well.
Regards and merry Christmas to all.
Tour boy
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Reply By: 3.0turbob - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:49
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:49
Speaking of scams, I received a letter from Spain!! last week (correct name and address), telling me I'd won US$615,000:00 in their lottery, but because of a "mix up" with their numbers they don't have any bank account details to deposit the winnings, and could I fax them my bank details so they could pay me "without delay". YEAH RIGHT.
But as has been mentioned before lots of people get "stung" by these things.
I'm trying to find a Government body to pass this letter on to, maybe they can track them down.
Rob
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89033
Reply By: Brian B (QLD) - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:55
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:55
Hi,
My son currently has his cruiser for sale on this site and we received a similar offer a few months ago.
I knew it was sus and did not have any contact with these ratbags and alerted David and Michelle to the offer. They in turn blocked access to the site for these people.
You have to stay on your game all the time.
Cheers
Brian
AnswerID:
89035
Reply By: Gossy - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:56
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 09:56
Sorry to be so blunt, but didn't you get suspicious when you got a call from outside Aust. Even interstate I would have told them "NO". What, there's no Nissan Patrols to buy in England!
If no-one can give you a bank cheque within 8 hrs of them saying they want your car, then tell them to buy else where.
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Reply By: Austravel - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 10:30
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 10:30
Scammers are everywhere. I was in a small restaurant a couple of years ago out west and noticed a foreign note framed and sitting on the counter. Turns out a group of elderly tourists came in late one night, his only customers for the night, explained they had only been in the country a couple of days, hadn't exchanged enough of their money etc, etc, etc. They seemed very nice and trust worthy he told me. They told him that the 1,000,000 ?? note they had with the exchange rate was equal to $100. So he feeds them, he said they eat the best on the menu, drink
well and in total costs just under $1,000 for the group. He said they paid in these 1,000,000 notes and tipped him another. You guess it these trustworthy elderly tourists had passed over real money but worth only a few aussie dollars. Can't remember the country but the money almost looked like toy money, brightly coloured. Reckons he can laugh about it now but at the time could have wrung their necks and his for being so gullible.
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Reply By: Squire - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 11:03
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 11:03
Why don't you try to get the scammers back with their own game.
How many people actually take any notice of the account number at the bottom of cheques???
Send them a fake cheque back for the "change" that they requested but use their original account number on the bottom of your cheque so they are trying the get money from their own account. Let them get stung themselves with bank fees for the dishonoured cheque.
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Reply By: ExplorOz Team - Juliana - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 12:00
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 12:00
We are aware of these Scammers (see Scam Alert warning from the Trader Section below) and we now
check every email that comes through the trader section and if it looks like it is a scammer, they get banned. We feel we are getting on top of this.
If you are concerned about an email that you received, we have asked that you forward it to us and we will look at it.
In general, I suggest that you ignore all international enquiries especially the ones that mention Western Union and sending money to their shipping agent.
Regards,
Juliana
Warning from Trader Section:
Scam Alert
It has come to our attention that there are a number of scammers trying to use the trader system. Please be aware that we are doing all we can to stop this however be very careful in your dealings with people using free email accounts (such as hotmail and yahoo). You will also be able to identify these scammers as when you come to closing the sale they will advise that they want your personal details and/or will want to send payments via cheque for more than the sale amount, they will request that you write a cheque for the difference and give to them or a shiping company. DO NOT TAKE THESE DEALS instead please forward the email to info@exploroz.com and we will ban the account.
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Reply By: Willem - Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 12:58
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 at 12:58
Aaaahhhhh Don
This scam is approximately three years old and has surfaced on many occasions on this site and others. I too was targeted..fortunately I was aware of the scam through reading this
forum some years ago. I had four different scammers target my vehicle for sale and some of them were quite believable but the minute they mentioned a foreign bank then I smelt a rat.
Normally an overseas draft takes a week to clear as our banking industry is regulated to that. But the actual clearance of the draft takes about a month and it is then that you find out the truth! Your bank has done you a favour by not
clearing the draft sooner as you would have been severely out of pocket. It is a different form of money laundering.
You have been had! A valuable lesson no doubt.
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