# Online Car Scam



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Hi All!

Recently I was a near victim of a well organised online car scam. I saw an ad on www.carzone.ie for a 2002 black Mini One and the asking price was 5,000 euro. I sent an e-mail to the seller and this is their reply:

Mini One 1.6 Petrol 2002
The price is 5000Euros
Petrol, 3 doors, manual transmision, black, 75000miles,new timing belt fitted.
NCT 08/2010, Tax 09/2008, Black Mini with Chrome Silver Mirrors. C/W adjustable steering wheel, alloys, CD Player, airbags, rear headrests etc. Spotless inside and out. Lady owner. 
Excellent Condition, the car was kept in a garage , it has Bmw service book,the tires have been changed recently, and doesn't need repairings.It has no engine problem, no scratches.
Registered in Ireland .The car is at the moment in Liverpool, UK.
I live in the USA, I bought the car for my sister who lived in Ireland and then moved to UK. Unfortunately she died recently and I cannot take the car with me.
You do not have to pay any taxes for this car. It is very easy to register it to your name .
I have all the documents ready for sale. The car documents are on my name, so it is very simple.
As payment I only accept cash and we will have to meet in Liverpool for the sale.

Thank you and I hope you will decide to buy my car.
Here are some photos.
Many thanks,
Amanda

There were photos of the car attached also showing the registration plate 02-D-80521.

I replied:

Thank you very much for your quick response. I am definately interested in buying the car. I live in Limerick, Ireland so I will have to make the arrangements to go to Liverpool. I was thinking of possibly flying over on Saturday 11th October and getting the ferry to Dublin that night. Would that date suit you?

Kind Regards,

Louise.

They replied:

Hi Louise, 
As I allready explained, I live in USA and I will go to Liverpool only for this affaire. 
I could meet you in Liverpool on Saturday 11th, if that's ok for you too, but I have to be sure that you are serious, because I have a long way ...from USA to UK .
So here are my conditions:
I will not ask for money in advance, but you must reserve the car and I will come only if you are decided to buy it .And as a warranty that you really want to buy the car and that you have the money (in cash) for the car, I require that you arrange a payed deposit on your name , for the price of the car ( 5000 euros). Regarding the deposit, there is a service very fast and easy to use, named Western Union. It is used for sending cash money . All that you have to do is to ask a friend or family to go to Western Union with the cash and to send it to Liverpool, to your name as receiver.
(I ask you to do this because I want to be 100 % sure that you will be there and you will be ready to buy it because last week I went to Liverpool for nothing. A man from Dublin told me that he wants to meet me and buy it , so I went to Liverpool, but he never came and never answered to my emails .)
After you make the transfer, I want you to send me an email with the scan of the receipt , so I can check with Western Union and if the transfer is ok, I will come to Liverpool to close the deal.
You will verify the documents and test the car and we will make the sale documents. Then we will go to a Western Union office, you will take the money and pay me.
PS: I told you that someone else must be the sender, not you, because some Western Union offices do not give you the money if the receiver is also sender.
Regarding the transfer fees, you will deduce them from the total amount,So that you won't pay nothing more ,just the price that we agreed ( for example 4800 euros+ fees 200 euros= 5000).
This transfer is also good for you because you avoid the risk of a traveling with the money in pocket.
Let me know if this is OK with you as soon as possible , let me know if I should reserve the car for you.

Thank you,
Amanda Finnegan

I replied:

Thats no problem Amanda. I can definately understand why you'd want to use the Western Union after travelling that distance for nothing. Will you please reserve the car for me and as soon as we have transferred the money I will let you know and show you a copy of the receipt. It may not be until tomorrow evening that we do it.

Would it be possible for you to meet us at the airport also?

Kind Regards,

Louise.

They replied:

Hi Louise, 
Ok, The car is not far from the airport, but if you don't know Liverpool at all, I can wait for you at the airport.
You must go to a Western Union agent (you can find one in each postal office or Western Union Agency). As I allready explained you in a previous email ( where I told you about the transfer), you will make a deposit on your name for the price of the car ( 4800euros + aprox. 200 transfer fees)..=5000 euros, so you won't pay more then we agreed. 
As I told you , you will be the receiver for the money In Liverpool.
Ok, you knew about the fees, I told you about that. I told you that you will only transfer 4800 if the fees are 200 , so that you don't pay more then we agreed.So if fees are 150, you transfer 4850+ 150 fees= 5000euro
I will wait for the copy of the transfer Western Union tomorrow.
Thank you
Amanda Finnegan

I replied:

Just one more question to ask, where is the car located because my father wants to book an AA 33 point check on the car. Its only a quick test to ensure the car is in a good condition. Do you know if there is an AA centre near the location of the car? They can come out to meet us at the time we book the check for and test the car, once that is done we will go to the Western Union. Sorry about this, my dad just wants to make sure the car is ok. We can't do the money transfer until Monday also, I hope thats ok!

Thank you,

Louise.

They replied:

Hi Louise,
The car is locked in a garage that I have rented in Liverpool. It has been off road for only 2 weeks when it has been serviced . So it is ok, you don't need to do any repair , you don't need to change anything, I changed the tires too, they are new.You can get the car to a mechanic to inspect it.
Ok I will be waiting for the western union receipt!
Thank you 
Amanda Finnegan

I replied:

Ok not to worry about that so. Is there a specific Western Union branch that it has to be transferred to? And will that definately be open on a Saturday afternoon since our flight doesn't get in until 2.55pm?

Thanks,

Louise.

They replied:

Hi Louise, 
Yes, the western union offices it's opens during the weekend!
There is no problem regarding the address in Liverpool. You can give the address of any Western Union in Liverpool. So I will give you a few addresses form Western union offices in Liverpool and you can use one of them.
UNIT 9A
Liverpool, MERSEYSIDE L2499B, UK
or
35 BELLE VALE CENTRE
Liverpool, L25 3RQ, UK
or
373 SMITHDOWN ROAD
Liverpool, UK LI5 3JJ, UK
or
92 ST.JOHNS SQUARE
Liverpool, MERSEYSIDE L1 1NU, UK
or
58A HOUGHTON STREET
Liverpool, MERSEYSIDE L1 1LP, UK
.....
You can just pick one of them
I will be waiting for the copy of the transfer , ok?
Thank you ,
Amanda Finnegan

I replied:

Hi Amanda,

My dad is too busy with work today to go to the post office but he has the money sorted out and will go on Monday and he will scan the receipt in work, e-mail it to me and I will forward it to you. Sorry about the delay. 

We also booked our flights last night. It will be myself, my mum and dad coming to Liverpool so I'd say it shouldn't be hard to spot us.

With regards to the change of ownership, I read this on www.citizensinformation.ie:

Buying a vehicle registered after 1 January 1993
If you privately buy a vehicle that was first registered after this date, the seller must fill in your details on part B of the Vehicle Licensing Certificate (Vehicle Registration Certificate for post-April 2004 vehicles) and return it to the Vehicle Registration Unit of the Department of Transport. The new details will be registered and the amended certificate will be sent to you. The seller will give the Vehicle Registration Certificate for a pre-April 2004 vehicle to you when you buy the vehicle. 
Do you have the relevant information to do this?
Kind Regards,
Louise.

They replied: 

Hi Louise,
Here are some photos with the registration document with my name on it and the chassis number.
Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures, I don't have a scanner.. I hope this is a good proof.
Ok, I will be waiting for the copy of the transfer!!
Thank you
Amanda Finnegan

Attached she had copies of the official Irish "Certificate of Registration and Licensing" showing her name, the registration plate, the chassis number etc.

I went to www.motorcheck.ie and paid 35 euro to have a description, history and finance check on the car. It all matched up.

I replied:

Hi Amanda,

My father has transferred the money but before we give you details of the transaction we request that you scan your passport and send it to us as proof of identity. 

Thank you,

Louise.

I asked for I.D. as I just got a bad feeling about the whole transaction. I also went back to www.carzone.ie and saw 2 ads for the same car. This car is advertised on most Irish used car websites.

They replied:

Hi Louise, 
But I sent the car documents. why you want the copy of my id? 
So, I will be waiting for the copy of the western union receipt!
Thank you
Ann Hand

As you can see they then used another name proving it was a scam, I also did some more research and found variations of this scam on car scam forums. 

I believe they use the receipt you give them and forge an I.D. to take out money from a Western Union branch in Liverpool.

I was lucky to realise this was a scam but I don't want anyone to be a victim of this crime.

Louise.


----------



## rmelly (7 Oct 2008)

There's been a few posts on this already...


----------



## Rois (7 Oct 2008)

Well done on your thoroughness Louise!


----------



## gebbel (7 Oct 2008)

You should have copped it after the 2nd email they sent you, the rubbish about living in the USA.


----------



## rmelly (7 Oct 2008)

gebbel said:


> You should have copped it after the 2nd email they sent you, the rubbish about living in the USA.


 
Exactly - it's not the different name that gives it away - it's everything before that, in particular the 3 countries mentioned in 2 lines.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

I think I knew all along it was a scam but didn't want to believe it because I really wanted that car  I'd usually be quite skeptical about internet deals also.. can't believe I nearly fell for it.. how embarrassing!


----------



## ClubMan (7 Oct 2008)

How much did you lose here - €35 plus _WU _charges to make and then cancel the transaction?


----------



## RS2K (7 Oct 2008)

At least you had the cop on not to proceed. These scams are commonplace now.

Never, ever pay money on a car without seeing and driving it.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Ya exactly.. €35 motor check charge and €177 Western Union charge. I just can't believe they can get away with taking out a large sum of money from a Western Union branch using a receipt and a fake ID! I was never going to give them any personal information anyways and anything personal on the receipt I would have blanked out before sending it on. At least I have learned my lesson and still have my €5000. I also believed the low price because of the situation they explained and also the recession. I will never ever use Western Union! Its an absolute disgrace!


----------



## ClubMan (7 Oct 2008)

Louise-eve said:


> Ya exactly.. €35 motor check charge and €177 Western Union charge.
> 
> ...
> 
> At least I have learned my lesson and still have my €5000.


Well, €4,788 anyway?


> I also believed the low price because of the situation they explained and also the recession. I will never ever use Western Union! Its an absolute disgrace!


Surely it's the original fraudsters who are to blame and not necessarily _WU_?


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Well I guess its a combination of both, more so the fraudsters of course but security should be a lot tighter in those WU branches so they wouldn't be able to plan a scam like that in the first place.


----------



## Frank (7 Oct 2008)

Got 2 of these emails about dead relative on response to really cheap cars.

Both prices were way too low to be true. 

Both emails were from different people with the exact same story.


----------



## rmelly (7 Oct 2008)

Louise-eve said:


> Well I guess its a combination of both, more so the fraudsters of course but security should be a lot tighter in those WU branches so they wouldn't be able to plan a scam like that in the first place.


 
Most people run a mile when they see a reference to Western Union.


----------



## mathepac (7 Oct 2008)

Same old same old.

I can't believe you got caught for 212 squids with all the information there is on here (and elsewhere) about this scam, all of it detailed word for word.



Louise-eve said:


> Well I guess its a combination of both, more so the fraudsters of course but security should be a lot tighter in those WU branches so they wouldn't be able to plan a scam like that in the first place.



In all fairness, that's a bit like suggesting if we had no roads there would be no road-traffic accidents.

For a scam to work you only need two people, a scammer and a scamee who jumps at a "once-in-a-life-time" , "too-good-to-be-true" bargain.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

I did research car scams, not well enough obviously, but hadn't actually read about one this detailed, showing documentation and the fact the Western Union transfer was between a relative and yourself, nothing to do with them.

Anyways I only joined this forum to inform people about it in case they find themselves in the same situation.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Louise-eve said:


> In all fairness, that's a bit like suggesting if we had no roads there would be no road-traffic accidents.


 
And no its actually like saying you should make roads safer to prevent accidents from happening!

No need for the attack on me.. I do realise I made a mistake! I'm only 20 for god sake!


----------



## starlite68 (7 Oct 2008)

mathepac said:


> For a scam to work you only need two people, a scammer and a scamee who jumps at a "once-in-a-life-time" , "too-good-to-be-true" bargain.


give the girl a break for god sake........she only posted here to prevent anyone else from getting caught out.


----------



## ClubMan (7 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> give the girl a break for god sake........she only posted here to prevent anyone else from getting caught out.


Neither _mathepac _nor anybody else here is "giving her a hard time" in my opinion.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> give the girl a break for god sake........she only posted here to prevent anyone else from getting caught out.


 
Thank you


----------



## starlite68 (7 Oct 2008)

ClubMan said:


> Neither _mathepac _not anybody else here is "giving her a hard time" in my opinion.


mathepac is trying to make out this girl is a "dimwit" just because she nearly got caught out by this scam.....plenty of people are taken in..or nearly taken in by these scams, at least she was big enough to admit it and post it up here to stop anyone else getting caught out.
ok clubman..rant over!


----------



## ClubMan (7 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> mathepac is trying to make out this girl is a "dimwit" just because she nearly got caught out by this scam.....plenty of people are taken in..or nearly taken in by these scams, at least she was big enough to admit it and post it up here to stop anyone else getting caught out.
> ok clubman..rant over!


_mathepac _never used the term "dimwit" or any other offensive term like it. You could at least read people's posts carefully and quote them accurately if you're going to rant about them.


----------



## starlite68 (7 Oct 2008)

ClubMan said:


> _mathepac _never used the term "dimwit" or any other offensive term like it. You could at least read people's posts carefully and quote them accurately if you're going to rant about them.


 he may not have used the word "dimwit" but thats what he was employing.


----------



## ClubMan (7 Oct 2008)

starlite68 said:


> he may not have used the word "dimwit" but thats what he was employing.


In your opinion. Others (including myself) would beg to differ.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

mathepac said:


> For a scam to work you only need two people, a scammer and a scamee who jumps at a "once-in-a-life-time" , "too-good-to-be-true" bargain.


 
I wouldn't call it a once in a life time or too good to be ture bargain! You do realise its a buyers market with a recession bearing down on Ireland and the U.K.

Anyways like I said I posted to help people, not to be criticised by someone who gets satisfaction out of belittling people.


----------



## ClubMan (7 Oct 2008)

Louise-eve said:


> Anyways like I said I posted to help people, not to be criticised by someone who gets satisfaction out of belittling people.


I can't see how _mathepac _belittled you. If you are so sensitive to feedback that you don't like then perhaps you should not have posted your experience on a public discussion forum?


----------



## SRB (7 Oct 2008)

Louise-eve, WELL DONE for realising the scam. And thank you for posting the emails, I think it will be very useful for people who read this thread.

I am currently trying to sell my car and being inundated with scammers - to the point where I scared off a potential buyer with my agressive questioning, because I thought they may have been trying to scam me!  

It is very difficult to realise who is genuine sometimes.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

mathepac said:


> Same old same old.
> 
> I can't believe you got caught for 212 squids with all the information there is on here (and elsewhere) about this scam, all of it detailed word for word.
> 
> ...


 
Well after reading that anyone would feel a bit belittled no? Well maybe not in your opinion but I did and I wouldn't call myself that sensitive for feeling like that and like I said I posted on a public forum so the public would be aware of this particular scam.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

SRB said:


> Louise-eve, WELL DONE for realising the scam. And thank you for posting the emails, I think it will be very useful for people who read this thread.
> 
> I am currently trying to sell my car and being inundated with scammers - to the point where I scared off a potential buyer with my agressive questioning, because I thought they may have been trying to scam me!
> 
> It is very difficult to realise who is genuine sometimes.


 
Thank you  And I agree it can be difficult to realise who is genuine. Good luck with selling your car! If its a Mini One let me know haha...


----------



## ClubMan (7 Oct 2008)

Louise-eve said:


> Well after reading that anyone would feel a bit belittled no?


No.


----------



## 900TS (7 Oct 2008)

Do any of the car websites actually try to do anything about this?  

I spotted this one [broken link removed]
last week, emailed about the car in the knowledge it was bound to be a scam (I like to mess with these people's heads a bit) got a replica of the reply given in this post and reported it to carzone but it's still there a week later.
You'd imagine it would be in their interest to stamp this kind of thing out? Or at least make it obvious to users what the latest scam involves?


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

900TS said:


> Do any of the car websites actually try to do anything about this?
> 
> I spotted this one [broken link removed]
> last week, emailed about the car in the knowledge it was bound to be a scam (I like to mess with these people's heads a bit) got a replica of the reply given in this post and reported it to carzone but it's still there a week later.
> You'd imagine it would be in their interest to stamp this kind of thing out? Or at least make it obvious to users what the latest scam involves?


 
I also reported the ads to carzone and autotraders and they are still there! I forwarded the e-mails to the crime prevention department of the Gardai too because I do believe it is possible to catch these scammers.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

ClubMan said:


> No.


 
Ok I get it!!

How nice is it to join a forum where even the administrator likes attacking who uses it!

All I wanted to do was help thats all!!


----------



## Ceist Beag (7 Oct 2008)

Fair play Louise-eve on posting your experience, ignore Clubman, he's like that with everyone. When did you report the ads to carzone and autotrader? Be interesting to see how long it takes for them to take down the ads or get back to you as, like 900TS said, you would expect it to be in their best interests to prevent this type of activity on their own sites.


----------



## starlite68 (7 Oct 2008)

mathepac said:


> Same old same old.
> 
> I can't believe you got caught for 212 squids with all the information there is on here (and elsewhere) about this scam, all of it detailed word for word.
> 
> ...


 i just had a tought..if everyone in the world was as clever and well informed as ""mathepac" nobody would ever fall for these scams,
the upside would a world free from scams! the downside would be a world full of I TOLD YOU SO, Know it alls.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Ceist Beag said:


> Fair play Louise-eve on posting your experience, ignore Clubman, he's like that with everyone. When did you report the ads to carzone and autotrader? Be interesting to see how long it takes for them to take down the ads or get back to you as, like 900TS said, you would expect it to be in their best interests to prevent this type of activity on their own sites.


 
Thanks Ceist Beag  I contacted them yesterday morning, I am very curious to know how long it will take them to remove the ads! And exactly, It should be in their best interest to prevent this because if it keeps happening then less and less people will avail of their service!


----------



## sam h (7 Oct 2008)

Louise - I say fair play to you for taking the time to post....I've heard about these scam, but I didn't realise how personalised they would make the responses.

You coped on in time and didn't get caught too badly, whereas, the fact they advertise so heavily must mean plenty of people do get caught.

For whats it's worth, I saw mathepacs answer and figured he was implying your werte stupid to have gone so far down the road with it.

Can't believe the car website let this go on so much as it would put me off advertising with them....I got scammers mailing me when I advertised my car almost 3 years ago.


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Thank you Sam  Ya there must be people being caught out since they have to pay for the advertising and they must pay to get the information about the cars from those motorcheck sites too. I'm really curious to know how many people have been caught out and have actually travelled to Liverpool or wherever. 

If anyone has been a victim of this scam or any other scam for that matter you should post a comment or thread to spread the awareness!


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

CreditKrunch said:


> I think that you will find that a common occurrnce on this website Louise
> 
> Some of the Moderators behave like Jack Palance in the movie "Shane"


 
What a brilliant simile


----------



## FredBloggs (7 Oct 2008)

CreditKrunch said:


> I think that you will find that a common occurrnce on this website Louise
> 
> Some of the Moderators behave like Jack Palance in the movie "Shane"


 
Or Dopey in the Seven Dwarfs?


----------



## rmelly (7 Oct 2008)

FredBloggs said:


> Or Dopey in the Seven Dwarfs?


 
Or indeed Gordon the Gopher?


----------



## lamb (7 Oct 2008)

Hi Louise

I also do think "mathepac" was trying to belittle you on this post..users like clubman and mathepac should realise posts like yours are what makes this forum!

best regards
L


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

lamb said:


> Hi Louise
> 
> I also do think "mathepac" was trying to belittle you on this post..users like clubman and mathepac should realise posts like yours are what makes this forum!
> 
> ...


 
Thank you so much lamb! I'm glad you agree


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

CreditKrunch, FredBloggs and rmelly I couldn't agree with you more


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Hi All! 

You will be glad to know that a member of An Garda Siochana have responded to me and have forwarded my correspondence to the Garda National Fraud Office for their investigation.

He also checked out the car and it does actually belong to a girl by the name of Amanda!

Regards,

Louise-eve.


----------



## FredBloggs (7 Oct 2008)

I would imagine thats part of the scam - that they use the real owners name - so that if you check up who owns it you'll be reassured that you are dealing with the real "Amanda Finegan".


----------



## Louise-eve (7 Oct 2008)

Ya I know! I think the Gardai are worried that they are obtaining some very personal information.. Lets hope some of these guys will get caught


----------



## MandaC (7 Oct 2008)

CreditKrunch said:


> Some of the Moderators behave like Jack Palance in the movie "Shane"



Hilarious!

Shame on Carzone for not taking down those ads!  Though there seems to be so many of them that they would probably be down a lot of Revenue.  What the scammers seem to be actually doing is copying another ad with the exact same details, only difference being, the real ad has a contact number, where the false one has an email address.  I would also be rightly cheesed off with carzone if I were the genuine seller - how could you sell your car, when someone else is selling it for less.

Louise, did you or the Gardai contact the real seller of the car to advise them their ad was cloned. Or has it been ascertained that is exactly what happenend in this case.

Even though it might seem obvious to some people (this scam is really old hat now), there are still some people out there who will fall for it.  I don't see anything wrong with Louise posting her experience.  If by posting her experience, she alerts one more person to it and saves them from losing their hard earned cash, I think that's a success for the forum.  What will happen next, is that the scam will change slightly, then a load of other people will fall for it, before it becomes public knowledge and is tweaked again.

The internet is a double edged sword, it has definitely been responsible for scams such as this becoming widespread allowing these people access to your front room from where ever they are in the world trying to rip you off, I believe people "hit" by the scammers should post warnings too, it is the only way of possibly alerting someone who may fall for it.


----------



## lovelylovely (7 Oct 2008)

The majority of victims of scams don't usually admit they have been conned..they are too embarrassed....and so the con artists continue on their merry way laughing all the way to the bank...you took a while to spot it but for a 20 year old Louise you have just proved to yourself and many older and 'wiser' people that experience keeps a dear school! Thanks for being so detailed in your story


----------



## lisaoc (8 Oct 2008)

Louise im so glad i seen this i was just done out of 35 euro by the very same scam i did a history check 2!! My god i would have considered myself an intelligent woman up untill now, Cant believe i nearly fell for it!! was going to book flights to Liverpool tomorrow!!! thankgod i didnt!!


----------



## Louise-eve (8 Oct 2008)

lisaoc said:


> Louise im so glad i seen this i was just done out of 35 euro by the very same scam i did a history check 2!! My god i would have considered myself an intelligent woman up untill now, Cant believe i nearly fell for it!! was going to book flights to Liverpool tomorrow!!! thankgod i didnt!!


 
Lisaoc I am so glad you saw this and didn't proceed with the sale! I was shocked I nearly fell for it also considering I would be skeptical about online purchases! I was told by the Gardai that many people have actually fallen for this scam. Spread the word and warn people to stay away from those online advertising sites and Western Union transfers! Good luck finding a new car


----------



## Louise-eve (8 Oct 2008)

MandaC said:


> Louise, did you or the Gardai contact the real seller of the car to advise them their ad was cloned. Or has it been ascertained that is exactly what happenend in this case.


 
MandaC, I believe the Gardai have contacted the real seller. I couldn't  find the real sellers ad so I don't have her number to advise her. If you have seen the real ad with a mobile number then send me a link and I will contact them in case the Gardai haven't. Thank you!


----------



## PaddyH (8 Oct 2008)

It's unfair to blame Western Union for their part in all this - It's a scam. And the scam only works because the scammer cons you to give them all the details of the WU Transaction. The scammer would not be able to get money from WU if they didn't have the MTCN and other details of the transaction. 

It's a bit like giving someone your credit card details and then blaming the bank.......


----------



## steph1 (8 Oct 2008)

This is another one I've discovered on carzone.  I have reported the post as I received a similar email to the OP.  Carzone would really want to do something about these adverts.  They are becoming a bit too much now.  But it is easy to see how someone can be very easily taken in by them.


----------



## Emmiou (8 Oct 2008)

[broken link removed]

looks like the same scammer as the Audi...


----------



## rodgeen (13 Oct 2008)

Thanks for the info Louise eve. I was was wondering how this scam worked. i also emailed the seller and received the exact same email.
Pitty though...it was a nice car


----------



## Beee... (13 Oct 2008)

Hey Louise,

Ur lucky with that - I totally fell for it but actually misunderstood 'Amanda' and only transferred 200 eur thinking thats all she wanted as a deposit She totally had a freaker and asked me to transfer the rest straight away and thats when I definitely knew it was a scam...well that and the fact that i enquired about an 05 Beetle and got an email 4m a guy who's brother had died and the car was his!! 

It's pretty serious as some poor unfortunate is probably gonna get caught!! 
Hope they see this 1st !
Thx 4 de post !


----------



## Beee... (13 Oct 2008)

Just wondering if anyone heard or purchased a car from norsurtrading.com? ..or is that a bloody scam too?


----------



## television (13 Oct 2008)

rodgeen said:


> Thanks for the info Louise eve. I was was wondering how this scam worked. i also emailed the seller and received the exact same email.
> Pitty though...it was a nice car


 
There was no car for sale.


----------



## Car Mad (14 Oct 2008)

I have just received this email into my inbox. Can someone in the know here please forward this onto the guards so theses fraudsters can  be caught.


TOYOTA ONLINE PROMOTIONS UK.

This is to inform you that have been selected for a Cash Prize of  600,000.00.GBP, 
and a brand  new (TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2008 MODEL) with Ref No: TOL459024 and 
Batch No:7983523 in the International programs held this OCTOBER, 2008 in London, 
United Kingdom. 

To begin the processing of your Prize, you are to contact our Claims Officer through 
our accredited Prize Transfer Department as stated below:

Contact Details
Mr. Terry David
Email: terrydavid52@hotmail.co.uk
Tel.: +44 704 57 26 372

CLAIMS VERIFICATION FORM.
FULLNAME: ..............
AGE/SEX:...........................
ADDRESS:....................
COUNTRY:....................
PHONE NUMBER:...........
E-MAIL ADDRESS:...............
REF NUMBER:...................
BATCH NUMBER:................

Our winners are assured of the utmost standards of confidentiality and 
press anonymity until the end of proceedings and beyond where they so desire.

Congratulation on behalf of Toyota Group UK.

Carl Perkins,
Online Co-ordinator.


----------



## cash_cow (15 Oct 2008)

Yes, there is another car on carzone with the same scam at the moment. The car is an audi a3 quoted as 4500 & 5000 euro and licence plate is 04KY3766 and the contact point is Sonya Cudden. There is also a phone number 087 2606015. beware


----------



## steph1 (15 Oct 2008)

There are quite a few scams on carzone at the moment.  I have replied to a few of them and am getting the same or almost similar email to the OP.  The best thing is to report as many of them to carzone and see will they do something about it.


----------



## Robbie_C (17 Oct 2008)

After reding through the whole topic, I must say thank you to Louise for posting her experience as, im sure not everybody is aware of the scam.  I had a look myself at carzone just to see the extent of the issue and after doing a search for all used cars priced at €5000 from a private seller, it brough up quite a few cars that should be nowhere near the €5000 selling price.  

This is just a theory but maybe the real people behind the scam are the motor check crowd? Anybody agree with me cause I think most people would not go through with the full transcation but dont mind paying €35 for a check to be done, all those €35 can add up, especially with the current recession.  BTW thats just my theory


----------



## cudden (18 Oct 2008)

Thanks Cash_Cow for spoting that scam! My wife Sonya owned that Audi A3 and we sold it for its proper value a number of weeks ago.

I had placed it on cbg.ie in July. I received a few emails from a prospective buyer who requested proof of ownership. I didn't see anything particularly wrong with this so I emailed a scan of the vehicle reg cert. Since then, this person has used the photos and details of the car, along with the reg cert in order to propagate this scam. This, by the way is the same person that Louise (the original post) was dealing with, as the emails sent by them were the exact same. 

The Gardai are currently investigating this, but unfortunately a number of people have already lost money. I can't understand why anyone would believe that a car worth 14-15k could be on sale for 4-5K! Please warn people that they should see a car and check it out before transferring any money!


----------



## extopia (18 Oct 2008)

Beware also of sellers with Irish names who communicated by email in broken English.


----------



## MFK (18 Oct 2008)

Hi All
I think this is another scam on car buyers guide for a Merc E 200. Below is his response to some of my queries.

_Sorry for the delay. The price is € 10,500 and the car is in perfect condition, has no mechanical problems, no scratches or dents, no accidents.. All services have been made at a Mercedes-Benz Service in time.  The car was mostly garage kept.  Now I will try to answer all frequently asked questions: _
_ 1. Genuine reason for sale, brought a house in London and need the money to go towards renovations. Right now, I have the car in a shipping company 's custody.  
2. The car is held on a clear title with no money owing.
 3. The front tires is new, the rear is probably 90%
 4. More photos are available 
 5. Regarding the payment I am aware of the buyer's protection and specially I will use an CarsBuyerGuide.ie and SafeTrader Third Party which will hold the payment until the buyer will receive the product.
    I will wait for your email to let me know if you are interested in knowing more details about the purchase and please reply asap and let me know your full name and where are you located  (your full shipping address)  to calculate shipping cost. 

Thanks. Nelson_

The piece below is also part of another mail he sent me.

I_ am a SafeTrader and CBG.ie member and I want to make the deal thru them cause I have a € 15,000 insurance policy with them. They will act like a THIRD PARTY and we will be both 100% protected. The money will be HOLD by them into their escrow account and I will give you a few days to test the car and to see that nothing is wrong with it. I made few deals in this way and it worked very well.

This is how it works : 
1.The Seller will open the transaction; 2.The buyer has to make the payment to Financial Department and they will deposit the money into their escrow account;
3.The Seller will receive the confirmation that the payment is done; 4.The seller will ship the item to the buyer and he has 3 days to test check it; 
5.The buyer will contact SafeTrader to tell them if he is satisfied or not; 6. SafeTrader will release the money to the seller (in case the buyer is satisfied) and to the buyer (in case that he is not satisfied). 

If you are realy interested and have the money available for this purchase reply me your full name and ur full shipping address for i can forward all our info to SafeTrader. I'm a serious man and I prefer to deal only with a serious buyer. If you consider yourself one please e-mail me and let me know if u want to move forward this deal. I hope you agree with me, because I think this it is the best way to protect both (seller and buyer). _


Does this sound like a scam to you guys?

Thanks MFK


----------



## MFK (18 Oct 2008)

Sorry meant to say I sent an e mail to cbg.ie about this correspondence and they have not replied which is very disappointing.

The car value sounds too good to be true.


----------



## MandaC (19 Oct 2008)

cudden said:


> Thanks Cash_Cow for spoting that scam! My wife Sonya owned that Audi A3 and we sold it for its proper value a number of weeks ago.
> 
> I had placed it on cbg.ie in July. I received a few emails from a prospective buyer who requested proof of ownership. I didn't see anything particularly wrong with this so I emailed a scan of the vehicle reg cert. Since then, this person has used the photos and details of the car, along with the reg cert in order to propagate this scam. This, by the way is the same person that Louise (the original post) was dealing with, as the emails sent by them were the exact same.
> 
> The Gardai are currently investigating this, but unfortunately a number of people have already lost money. I can't understand why anyone would believe that a car worth 14-15k could be on sale for 4-5K! Please warn people that they should see a car and check it out before transferring any money!




Very interesting and thanks for posting.  So, that's how they are getting the registration certificates.  I really dont think car buyers guide is doing enough


----------



## TheBlock (19 Oct 2008)

MFK said:


> Does this sound like a scam to you guys?
> 
> Thanks MFK


 

I think you know the answer to this already... but yes it is a scam.


----------



## extopia (19 Oct 2008)

Sounds like an [broken link removed].


----------



## MFK (19 Oct 2008)

Thanks for replies, it is always nice to have your suspicions confirmed


----------



## DavyJones (19 Oct 2008)

MFK said:


> The car value sounds too good to be true.



Ever watch the real hustle? they say golden rule 1 is: if it sounds too good to be true, you can bet it's a scam.


----------



## jpbreen (5 Nov 2008)

Hi ,
Just found same scam still going on carzone and autotrader cars in Question Audi A3 5k and get this one an Audi tt 1.8i blue 5.5k this one is from a guy called alexander.
Same speel as before.
New member john


----------



## starlite68 (5 Nov 2008)

i think carzone is fast going downhill.


----------



## G123 (5 Nov 2008)

I don't think you can blame Carzone because they are being targetted by scammers. Any Person-to-Person service runs this risk and people just need to be careful when transacting.

I've bought and sold cars a few times over the last few years and have saved money by cutting out the Dealers.


----------



## Car Mad (5 Nov 2008)

starlite68 said:


> i think carzone is fast going downhill.


 

Yes and they are darn rite expensive too for advertising since autotrader bought them over. Used to be able to advetise your car for €30 and it stayed there until the car was sold. Now since Autotrader bought it costs €40 and an extra €40 every 4 weeks until the car is sold!!


----------



## G123 (5 Nov 2008)

Car Mad said:


> Yes and they are darn rite expensive too for advertising since autotrader bought them over. Used to be able to advetise your car for €30 and it stayed there until the car was sold. Now since Autotrader bought it costs €40 and an extra €40 every 4 weeks until the car is sold!!



Yes, have to agree with that. There must be an opening for a competitor to step in here.


----------



## Ceist Beag (5 Nov 2008)

G123 said:


> I don't think you can blame Carzone because they are being targetted by scammers. Any Person-to-Person service runs this risk and people just need to be careful when transacting.


Can't agree with this. Of course you can blame them, it's the same as Ebay or any other reputable website where people can advertise goods for sale. Carzone should have better checks in place to ensure this type of scam cannot take place on their website.


----------



## G123 (5 Nov 2008)

Ceist Beag said:


> Can't agree with this. Of course you can blame them, it's the same as Ebay or any other reputable website where people can advertise goods for sale. Carzone should have better checks in place to ensure this type of scam cannot take place on their website.



But logically, how? They certainly have a duty to remove any scams that they are made aware of and ban the person who placed the ad.

Nothing stopping them coming back the next day with a new identity.


----------



## Ceist Beag (5 Nov 2008)

I'm sure there are plenty of checks they could put in place. They don't even have a simple warning on the website even though there appear to be numerous scams (that they were made aware of) already. As I said other sites can protect themselves against this type of thing so surely they can as well?


----------



## starlite68 (5 Nov 2008)

G123 said:


> They certainly have a duty to remove any scams that they are made aware of and ban the person who placed the ad.


 i dont think they have even bothered to do that in most cases...seem to be just interested in getting money!


----------



## Louise-eve (14 Nov 2008)

Hi All,

Haven't been on this forum in ages! 

I'm glad this thread is still going and making people aware of these scams. From reading back on the posts, it seems like many people were helped by this thread. 

Thanks to everyone that has posted! 

Keep spreading the word!


----------



## G123 (26 Nov 2008)

I'm looking for a car at the moment and Carzone has become a real pain to use - it seems to be plagued with scammers and UK cars advertised with 'VRT extra' prices.

If I was a cynic I'd say the dealers were behind it.


----------



## Chrismcn (26 Nov 2008)

yea, the exact same thing happened me. i wanted to buy an audi a3 and despite the recession they're still dear, so i saw an 05 one in dublin for €6000 euros, and contacted him, his storey: car not in ireland, as he was in Germany and he'd had a bad marriage and nasty divorce and wanted to move back there to his mother etc etc. he told me he was using a company for shipping and they handle the money as a mediator and ill get to test drive the car before this company transfers the money to him. i was seriously considering going ahead with it, until i checked out the company that he was using. theyre called Iloxx. theyre legit, but their website is in German,so i asked a friend to translate it, they ship cars and everything allright, but only between GERMANY and AUSTRIA, i confronted him, and he had another storey,so i just left it. but i checked around online and there were more audis going really cheap,so i contacted them to see what they said, same storey"not in Ireland" "nasty divorce" "new job" so i guess the best thing to do is buy from an authorised dealer, pay more money for peace of mind!!


----------



## gal123 (2 Mar 2009)

Hey Louise yeah I saw the ad on CBG.ie as well, emailed her and found out the situation. The car is posted on the site at the moment exactly as it was a few months back. I wanted to believe her as I was desperate for a mini in my price range so I don't blame you for trying to grab a deal. Its unfortunate that there are people like her doing this, I actually was going to get the report on motor checks too but the fact that I couldn't speak to her directly bothered me. Hopefully a real bargain for a mini comes soon!


----------



## Sunster (2 Mar 2009)

I saw a Audi A6 which the seller stated the car was in Liverpool but requested payment prior to seeing it!! 
Alarm bells


----------



## janabiyah (18 Mar 2009)

Louise,

Your post has been extremely helpful. We were following up an ad which we now recognise is a scam. I would like to thank you for a most informative post and I was a little sad that you had to put up with some really stupid comments along the way.

Kind Regards


----------



## Brendan Burgess (21 Jun 2009)

admin bump


----------



## dontaskme (1 Jul 2009)

I saw an article on German tv where a couple paid for a car to be shipped from Ireland. They were given a tracking number to enter to a website where they could see the location of the ship that was shipping their car.  After a week or so, when their money had cleared through the bank transfer, the website came back with "The page cannot be displayed" and that was the end of the story.


----------



## GerardG21 (12 Jul 2009)

I saw this only a few weeks ago also and thought the peice was 2 good 2 be true, that's obviously how it turned out... 1/3 the price really as a 04 A3 is around 14k unfortunately haaha. Got e- mail 2 go 2 liverpool and dat she lives in USA so i knew straight away.


----------



## Amy2009 (14 Jul 2009)

Hi, 

Just came across this thread !! The Audi A3 registered to Sonya Cudden is still on CBG!! Ive been aware of these scams with a few weeks but was shocked to find that this particular scam was even happening in 2008!! Is there anyway the gardai or CBG can stop it?? I got the email with the log book etc and there was even an address on it.


----------



## Jolly Man (24 Jul 2009)

I had this exprience two weeks ago also e mails below. Mycontact is in Red his e-mails in blue,

*Audi A4 S-Line 1.9TDI 2004*

The price is 4500 euros
Alloys, Sunroof, Metallic Paint, Electric Windows, Central Locking, Remote Central Locking, Alarm, Immobiliser, Driver's Air Bag, Passenger Air Bag, Multiple Air Bags, Air Conditioning, Climate Control, CD Player, Adjustable Steering Wheel, Heated Seats, DVD !
Sport Line Model Full S Line Body Kit 17 RS Alloys Center Arm Rest 7 inch Touch Screen DVD player/CD Sat Nav Ready Wind Deflectors. Spare Wheel Alloy Absolutely Immaculate inside and out Reasonable Offers Considered. A real head turner and great fun to drive.
Diesel 4 doors, manual transmission, Silver.
Mileage : 42,500, NCT 08/2010, Airbags, Alloys, CD / Radio, Colour Coded Bumpers, Electric Mirrors, Electric Windows, Full Service History, Metallic Paint, Power Steering, Remote Central Locking, Traction Control, 1 owner.
Excellent Condition, the car was kept in a garage , it has Audi service book,the tires have been changed recently, and doesn't need repairings.It has no engine problem, no scratches.
*Registered in Ireland* .The car is at the moment in Liverpool, UK. 
I live in the USA, I bought the car for my brother who lived in Ireland and then moved to UK. Unfortunately he died recently and I cannot take the car with me.
You do not have to pay any taxes for this car. It is very easy to register it to your name .
I have all the documents ready for sale. The car documents are on my name, so it is very simple.
As payment I only accept cash and we will have to meet in Liverpool for the sale.

Thank you and I hope you will decide to buy my car.
Here are some photos.

Many thanks, Pat. 

*E mail 2*
Pat,

Just to confirm there is no VRT to be paid on this car? It has been registered in Ireland? Di you buy it from new from your brother? Will you have to come from the USA to meet me, if i decide to purchase?

Regards,
Henry

Hello Henry,
Thanks for your e-mail! Here are my car docs. NO VRT TO BE PAID!
As I allready explained , I live in USA and I will go to Liverpool only for this deal.
I could meet you there this weekend, if that is ok for you too, but I have to be sure that you are serious, because I have a long way ...from USA to UK .
So here are my conditions:
I won't ask for any money in advance, but you must reserve the car and I will come only if you are decided to buy it .And as a warranty that you really want to buy the car and that you have the money (in cash) for the car, I require that you arrange a payed deposit on your name , for the price of the car ( *4500 euro*). Regarding the deposit, there is a service very fast and easy to use, named Western Union. It is used for sending cash money . All that you have to do is to ask a friend or family to go to Western Union with the cash and to send it to Liverpool, *to your name as receiver*.
Your friend will be the sender and you will be the receiver in Liverpool. 
(I ask you to do this because I want to be 100 % sure that you will be there and you will be ready to buy it because last week I went to Liverpool for nothing. A man from Dublin told me that he wants to meet me and buy it , so I went to Liverpool, but he never came and never answered to my emails .)
After you make the transfer, I want you to send me an email with the scan of the receipt , so I can check with Western Union and if the transfer is ok, I will come to Liverpool to close the deal.
You will verify the documents and test the car and we will make the sale documents. Then we will go to a Western Union office, you will take the money and pay me.
PS: I told you that someone else must be the sender, not you, because some Western Union offices do not give you the money if the receiver is also sender.
Regarding the transfer fees, you will deduce them from the total amount,So that you won't pay nothing more ,just the price that we agreed *( for example 4400 euro+ fees 100 euro= 4500).*
This transfer is also good for you because you avoid the risk of a traveling with the money in pocket.

Let me know if this is OK with you as soon as possible , let me know if I should reserve the car for you.

Thank you,
_*Harte Pat*_

*E Mail 3*

Pat,

Is the car still for sale. I will purchase it if it is.Have you any family in Clare?

Regards,
Henry

Hello Henry,
Please read again my last e-mail, yes, my car is still for sale!


Thanks
Pat

*E Mail 4*

Pat,

Sorry if i am coming across a bit suspicious, but the car seems to be underpriced is there a reason behind this? Can it be seen in Liverpool at the moment?

Regards,
Henry

Hello Henry,
Here are my car docs.
Ok, I will book my car for you.OK, the car is fully paid, I own the car, no speeding and parking tickets, there is no problem, I can assure you about that!
Ok, the car is locked in a garage that I have rented in Liverpool, as I don't have anyone there to take care of it. It has been off road for only 2 weeks when it has been serviced . So it is ok, you don't need to do any repair , you don't need to change anything, I changed the tires too, they are new. 

The car is not far from the airport, but if you don't know Liverpool at all, I can wait for you at the airport. 
I have a lot of people asking me about the car. Now if you want to reserve it, I am waiting for the copy of the western union transfer. And then we will discuss the details of our meeting in Liverpool.
You must go to a *Western Union agent* , (you can find one in each postal office or* Western Union Agency*). As I allready explained you in a previous email ( where I told you about the transfer), you will make a deposit on your name for the price of the car *( 4400euro + aprox. 100 transfer fees)..=4500 euro, so you won't pay more then we agreed. *
As I told you , you will be the receiver for the money In Liverpool.
Ok, you knew about the fees, I told you about that. I told you that you will only transfer* 4400 if the fees are 100 *, so that you don't pay more then we agreed.
Ok, I will be waiting for the copy of the transfer Western Union!

Kind Regards, 
Harte Pat 

*E Mail 5*
Pat,

Can you confirm its 47k mileage, have seen two adds on the net! One says 102k on the clock.

Regards,
Henry

Henry,
What is the site with 102k? maybe my son put wrong in the ad!


*E Mail 6*

Pat,

Is this a genuine car and price? Be honest! Its in the free ads section, for sale since janurary. I have the receipt from western union i need an honest answer.

Henry,
Why you lie me?

*E Mail 7*

Sorry, Pat. What do you mean?

about your transfer, about all , about transaction. 
I cannot waste my time

*My final Reply, have heard nothing since*
I have not lied, i had transfer ready to go, how can you possibly know i dont! I was very keen in the car, but it all seemed to good to be true, this is an obvious scam on your behalf and i will be contacting autotrader and the guards, to report this.

Thanks for wasting my time!
Its sad that you have to try and con people to make money; it really is.

We all chase a deal if we see one, its not getting caught is the important part, i had never organised money with wetern union, so he obviously had a conact and would have been able to get the money out somehow, even though this shold have been secure.

www.selfbuildardmore.blogspot.com


----------



## Elsie (10 Sep 2009)

Hi there
This is still ongoing. Was sucked in enough to receive second email on the car - the 02 mini! The mail was the exact same as those above. Luckily I googled Amanda's name and found this thread. Well done Louise on highlighting this! Seems amazing that this is ongoing over a year later! Carzone should have better checks in place.


----------



## galway. (10 Sep 2009)

hey all fair play to ye on being carefull one can never carry out enough checks, never experienced this though personally thankfully


----------



## Erika (17 Sep 2009)

Unfortunately I am a victim of this car scam. But I'd like to help others not to make the same mistake. So here is the story:

I have seen an advert on the carzone.ie. It was a BMW, reg. No.02-D-81300
*BMW 318Ci Coupe 2002

* The price is 3800 euros
         Petrol, 2 doors, manual transmission, silver.
        ABS, Air Con., Airbags, Alarm, Alloys, CD, Cruise Control, Fogs, Immobiliser, Leather, Metallic Paint, Side Airbags
         Excellent Condition, the car was kept  in a garage , it has BMW service book,the tires have been changed recently, and doesn't need repairings.It has no engine problem, no scratches.
*Registered in Ireland* .The car is at the moment in Liverpool, UK.  I live in the USA, I bought the car for my brother who lived in Ireland and then moved to UK. Unfortunately he died recently and I cannot take the car with me.
You do not have to pay any taxes for this car. It is very easy to register it to your name .
 I have all the documents ready for sale. The car documents are on my name, so it is very simple.
As payment I  only accept cash and we will have to meet in Liverpool for the sale.

         Thank you  and I hope you will decide to buy my car.
Here are some photos.

         Many thanks,Ann. 
1. email

Hello Erika,
Thank you for your reply. As I allready explained , I live in USA and I will go to Liverpool only for this deal.          
The car is not far from the airport, but if you don't know Liverpool at all, I can wait for you at the airport.
                                I could meet you there this weekend, if that is ok for you too, but I have to be sure that you are serious, because I have a long way ...from USA to UK .
        So here are my conditions:
        I won't ask for  any money in advance, but you must reserve the car and I will come only if you are decided to buy it .And as a warranty that you really want to buy the car and that you have the money (in cash) for the car, I require that you arrange a payed deposit  on your name , for the price of the car ( *3800 euro*). Regarding the deposit, there is a service very fast and easy to use, named Western Union. It is used for  sending  cash money . All that you have to do is to ask a friend or family to go to Western Union with the cash and to send it to Liverpool, *to your name as receiver*.
                                                                                                                             Your friend will be the sender and you will be the receiver in Liverpool.  (I ask you to do this because I want to be 100 % sure that you will be there and you will be ready to buy it because last week I went to Liverpool for nothing. A man from Dublin told  me that he wants to meet me and  buy it , so I went to Liverpool, but he never came and never answered to my emails .)
          After you make the transfer, I want you to send me an email with the scan of  the receipt  , so I can check with  Western Union and if the transfer is ok, I will come to Liverpool to close the deal.
You will verify the documents and test the car and we will make the sale documents. Then we will go  to a Western Union office, you will take the money and pay me.
                                                                                                                     PS: I told you  that someone else  must be the sender, not you, because some Western Union offices  do not give you the money if the receiver is  also sender.
         Regarding  the transfer fees, you will deduce them from the total amount,So that you won't pay nothing more ,just the  price that we agreed *( for example 3700 euro+ fees 100 euro= 3800).
*This transfer is also good for you because you avoid the risk of a traveling with the money in pocket.

         Let  me know if this is OK with you as soon as possible , let me know if I should reserve the car for you.

Thank you,
*Ann Hand*

2.email

Hi Ann,

Thanks for your reply again. I know it is a very risky business for you ,but it is risky for me as well. I also have to be sure, that you are coming, and the car is in a good condition , because I also have to buy a flight ticket, and a ferry ticket for the return way. 
So , here is my idea. 
I book my flights, and I send you the booking reference. So you can be sure, that I'm going. And I'd like to ask you to send your booking reference as well, because I am looking for a car for a while, and I had bad experience.

We could go on  this Sunday, and we would be there by 11:45 a.m.

Please, let me know if it is OK for you, and then I can book my flights.

Thanks,

Erika

3.email

Hello Erika,
Ok, I will book my car for you.OK, the car is fully paid, I own the car, no speeding and parking tickets, there is no problem, I can assure you about that!
Ok, the car is locked in a garage that I have rented in Liverpool, as I don't have anyone there to take care of it. It has been off road for only 2 weeks when it has been serviced . So it is ok, you don't need to do any repair , you don't need to change anything, I changed the tires too, they are new.  
The car is not far from the airport, but if you don't know Liverpool at all, I can wait for you at the airport.




















I have a lot of people asking me about the car. Now if you want to reserve it, I am waiting for the copy of the western union transfer. And then we will discuss the details of our meeting in Liverpool.
                                                                                                        You must go to a *Western Union agent* , (you can find one in each postal office or* Western Union Agency*). As I allready explained you in a previous email ( where I told you about the transfer), you will make a deposit on your name for the price of the car *( 3700euro + aprox. 100 transfer fees)..=3800 euro, so you won't pay more then we agreed. *
                                                                                                    As I told you , you will be the receiver for the money In Liverpool.
  Ok, you knew about the fees, I told you about that. I told you that you will only transfer* 3700 if the fees are 100 *, so that you don't pay more then we  agreed. 
                                                         Ok, I will be waiting for the copy of the transfer Western Union!
PS: When you will go to make this transfer at Office Post, you will say that you want to send the money for your cousin, father, mother, or another member of your family, because if u say that you will send the money for the car, maybe is another fees, for business transaction....

Kind Regards, 
 Ann Hand               

4.email

Hi Ann,

 I haven't got an answer from you, that you could reserve the car for me. I couldn't do the money transfer in the morning, because the bank opens at 10a.m., and I am working from 10a.m. So I could do it in the afternoon, if you could reserve the car for me. 
  Could you let me know, if that is OK?

 Thanks

 Erika

5.email

Hello Erika,
Ok that's great.. I will book my car for you..and I will be waiting for your Western Union receipt!


Thanks,
Ann

6.email

Hello Erika,
I'm waiting for your receipt!


Thanks,
Ann


Unfortunately I was so eager to get this car, that I have done the money transfer. But I didn't send her the receipt, just a picture about the trasfer status, which was ready to pick up by receiver. So she didn't know any details. How could she pick up the money anyway.

I reported the case to the police and the Western Union, but I think they don't do anything at all. Western Union is sucks. I paid €126 for the transfer, and they gave the money to someone else. And there is no insurance, there is no responsibility. How could it happen????????? What else can I do???


----------



## Tarek (1 Oct 2009)

Hi

Just to let you know, the person behind the scams above. i.e. living in US with dead brother in Liverpool is BACK! I actually almost fell for it last week myself. This time that person we trying to sell an A4 grey color, 04 Irish regs 04CE5066. 'he' even sent me 'his' pictures to prove it that 'he' is real. 

Lucky my brother in law read this post and told me about. Now I'm writing to give a heads up.

By the way, I tried reporting him and couldn't find any specialized department whether in Ireland or UK for cyber crimes. If anyone knows please let tell me.

Many thanks

TK


----------



## lewka (28 Oct 2009)

Hi I found on last Sunday on donedeal service a preety BMW 2002 year for price of 3800 euro. Then I mailed this person and |I told I'm Interested to buy that car.

After 3 hours information with the car was deleted from donedeal.ie

I've got e-mail from that person that the car is located on Liverpool in UK, but she living in USA, then we can meet in Liverpool to make a deal, but I need to pay Western Union deposit of 3800 euro to Liverpool on my name.

And she said what I need to do Is just a send scan of receipt from Western Union that she can check it with western union if everything is ok with that.

Then I think. WTF ?? it will be ok, if I will send money to my own name but yestarday i saw on tat forum some1 get the same text from this person in august this year, I check all other website, from deutschland, holland, france, poland, and you wanna know what I found ??

All seller doing the same. The same good looking true story about their life and why they need to sell for cheap price a car. All what I found is a all seller talking about story that all cars is located in different towns in United Kingdom.

They sending also via e-mail their ID scan and Car Registration form scan. I was think, that was to much and easy to get this car. Now I know this is a 100% scamm.

I want to go this week to Gardai station and tell them about this. The sellers is using proxy list to stop find them in IP address, but this e-mail was send from google mail, then google located in Dublin can find his inside IP address and get provider+home address.

This is what I get:

1st mail:

BMW 318Ci Coupe 2002

 The price is 3800 euros
Petrol, 2 doors, manual transmission, silver.
 ABS, Air Con., Airbags, Alarm, Alloys, CD, Cruise Control, Fogs, Immobiliser, Leather, Metallic Paint, Side Airbags
 Excellent Condition, the car was kept  in a garage , it has BMW service book,the tires have been changed recently, and doesn't need repairings.It has no engine problem, no scratches.
Registered in Ireland .The car is at the moment in Liverpool, UK.
I live in the USA, I bought the car for my brother who lived in Ireland and then moved to UK. Unfortunately he died recently and I cannot take the car with me.
You do not have to pay any taxes for this car. It is very easy to register it to your name .
 I have all the documents ready for sale. The car documents are on my name, so it is very simple.
As payment I  only accept cash and we will have to meet in Liverpool for the sale.

Thank you  and I hope you will decide to buy my car.
Here are some photos.
Many thanks,Ann. 

[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]

2nd email:

Hi again,
Thank you for your reply. Yes, NCT available 12/2010.
As I allready explained , I live in USA and I will go to Liverpool only for this deal.
The car is not far from the airport, but if you don't know Liverpool at all, I can wait for you at the airport.
I could meet you there this weekend, if that is ok for you too, but I have to be sure that you are serious, because I have a long way ...from USA to UK .
So here are my conditions:
 I won't ask for  any money in advance, but you must reserve the car and I will come only if you are decided to buy it .And as a warranty that you really want to buy the car and that you have the money (in cash) for the car, I require that you arrange a payed deposit  on your name , for the price of the car ( 3800 euro). Regarding the deposit, there is a service very fast and easy to use, named Western Union. It is used for  sending  cash money . All that you have to do is to ask a friend or family to go to Western Union with the cash and to send it to Liverpool, to your name as receiver.
Your friend will be the sender and you will be the receiver in Liverpool.
(I ask you to do this because I want to be 100 % sure that you will be there and you will be ready to buy it because last week I went to Liverpool for nothing. A man from Dublin told  me that he wants to meet me and  buy it , so I went to Liverpool, but he never came and never answered to my emails .)
After you make the transfer, I want you to send me an email with the scan of  the receipt  , so I can check with  Western Union and if the transfer is ok, I will come to Liverpool to close the deal.
You will verify the documents and test the car and we will make the sale documents. Then we will go  to a Western Union office, you will take the money and pay me.
PS: I told you  that someone else  must be the sender, not you, because some Western Union offices  do not give you the money if the receiver is  also sender.
Regarding  the transfer fees, you will deduce them from the total amount,So that you won't pay nothing more ,just the  price that we agreed ( for example 3700 euro+ fees 100 euro= 3800).
This transfer is also good for you because you avoid the risk of a traveling with the money in pocket.
Let  me know if this is OK with you as soon as possible , let me know if I should reserve the car for you.

Thank you,
Ann Hand

[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]


3rd mail:

Hi again,
My car have a full BMW Service History! Ok, I will book my car for you.
The car is locked in a garage that I have rented in Liverpool, as I don't have anyone there to take care of it. It has been off road for only 2 weeks when it has been serviced . So it is ok, you don't need to do any repair , you don't need to change anything, I changed the tires too, they are new. 
The car is not far from the airport, but if you don't know Liverpool at all, I can wait for you at the airport.
I have a lot of people asking me about the car. Now if you want to reserve it, I am waiting for the copy of the western union transfer. And then we will discuss the details of our meeting in Liverpool.
You must go to a Western Union agent , (you can find one in each postal office or Western Union Agency). As I allready explained you in a previous email ( where I told you about the transfer), you will make a deposit on your name for the price of the car ( 3700euro + aprox. 100 transfer fees)..=3800 euro, so you won't pay more then we agreed.
As I told you , you will be the receiver for the money In Liverpool.
Ok, you knew about the fees, I told you about that. I told you that you will only transfer 3700 if the fees are 100 , so that you don't pay more then we agreed.
Ok, I will be waiting for the copy of the transfer Western Union!
PS: When you will go to make this transfer at Office Post, you will say that you want to send the money for your cousin, father, mother, or another member of your family, because if u say that you will send the money for the car, maybe is another fees, for business transaction....

Kind Regards,
Ann Hand 


What do you think about that?? I think this ID maybe was stolen or something. I want to tell about that and show all proofs to Gardai Station.

Regards, Police Man ^^


----------



## lewka (28 Oct 2009)

Look at the font at C.4.C

HAND
MS ANNE

it have more dark color, and different font on car form, It's 100% Photoshop

I checked IP address of his e-mail. And I know now he using PROXY LIST with stolen IP address to not show his real location.

His e-mail address using to scamm people: ann.hand82@googlemail.com



> Received: from mail-fx0-f207.google.com ([209.85.220.207]) by col0-mc2-f28.Col0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.3959);
> 
> Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:27:28 -0700





> Received: from mail-bw0-f166.google.com ([209.85.218.166]) by col0-mc1-f14.Col0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.3959);
> 
> Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:42:14 -0700





> Received: from mail-bw0-f221.google.com ([209.85.218.221]) by snt0-mc2-f18.Snt0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.3959);
> 
> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:39:21 -0700


There is a different location in USA bettwen that 3 e-mails. But I'm preety sure I will get his real IP address. I've got this 3 IP found inside his 3 e-mails:



> Received: by 10.239.183.22 with SMTP id s22mr1537347hbg.6.1256719160604; Wed,
> 
> 28 Oct 2009 01:39:20 -0700 (PDT)





> Received: by 10.239.161.69 with SMTP id g5mr643890hbd.161.1256564532935; Mon,
> 
> 26 Oct 2009 06:42:12 -0700 (PDT)





> Received: by 10.239.134.221 with SMTP id a29mr1241971hba.20.1256509647167;
> 
> Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:27:27 -0700 (PDT)


Few days and I will get his real location. He using google mail. Then Gardai can easy call Google company located in Dublin and get his provider and provider will get his home address. Thanks for reading my post.


----------



## bamboozle (30 Oct 2009)

its a pity, carzone & the other websites cannot put a section on their websites warning potential buyers of scams, and give examples of these scams.


----------



## Leo (30 Oct 2009)

lewka said:


> Then Gardai can easy call Google company located in Dublin and get his provider and provider will get his home address. Thanks for reading my post.


 
It's not nearly that easy!


----------



## Sylvester3 (30 Oct 2009)

bamboozle said:


> its a pity, carzone & the other websites cannot put a section on their websites warning potential buyers of scams, and give examples of these scams.



But they do.

There is a link in red with a little yellow warning sign at the top of the page entitled Car Warning Scam.


----------



## Kine (10 Nov 2009)

Comments: Hello,
My name is SILVER ,I''m really interested in your car , i came across it advert and it really set attractive to me i will like to know if you still have it for sale.What is your last price of selling and the state of condition of the car?i will like you to send the pics if also available for proper viewing , Because i need to present it to my wife for her 40years birthday i would be very glad if you can get it sold to me. hope to read from you soon.
Regards 
.Tel:
+447035950805
+447035950799 
+4470359 51983 
Thanks.



That's what my girlfriend just received on her car that is for sale. Seriously, if you're going to scam at least learn to type english properly and make it sound authentic. The UK numbers are a little bit of a give away too. 


Here's another one:

Comments: I would like to know the last price for your car?

Who the hell says I'd like to know the "last" price for a car?


----------



## bottle (28 Dec 2009)

Same scam going around on a BMW 535D, reg 05CN3343, seller supposed to be Paul O'Reilly (paul.oreilly00@gmail.com).

Just for info.

I wonder does the actual owner, Mr. Paul O'Reilly know his car is being advertised?

Possibly a stupid question.
They ask for a copy of the Western Union Transfer but are ok that the MTCN number of the Western Union transfer is hidden. How do they manage to get the money from Western Union, without having the MTCN number?


----------



## MissDior (10 Jan 2010)

Thank you so much for your post Louise. I saw this ad on Carzone.ie and thought it might be too good to be true so I did a check with Motorcheck.ie like yourself but as you said it seemed ok. I was also a victim of this exact scam regarding an Audi about a year ago, and some man gave me a story about how he bought a car for his brother but his brother died, and he would only meet in Manchester if I was definitely going to buy. Luckily I didn't take it any further but that is what made me double check and Google the registration number of this Mini and luckily I found your post. Thanks for saving me a lot of drama. The name the scammer gave me was 'Robert Host' and funnily enough also gave me two different names. When I asked him for a reg number to do a check he completely evaded my question. I told him then to forget it and it sounded like a scam, and the ad came down. A few months later it was back up only with a different name and a different email address. Buyer beware!


----------



## MissDior (10 Jan 2010)

Also, here is the ad in Carzone at the minute: [broken link removed]


----------



## ebay (16 Jan 2010)

Interestingly the phone number is still in use, I received the following e-mail for a car that I'm SELLING:
"Hello
         I am interested in your ad sales,
  e-mail me the following terms of sale corresponding.
  1, the name of the item
  2 How long have you used:
  3 How many owners :
  4, I hope, that are currently available for purchase:
  5; last asking price:
  Tel: +447035950805, +447035950799."
I am getting really suspicious since the only replies I've had to my car ad were all scams, so I now stick bits of text into Google. 
I have no idea how the scam may work, but I'm not keen to find out.
The only thing is... I still need to sell the car.


----------



## MissMoney (23 Jan 2010)

I'm trying to sell my car on Carzone for the past week or so, have received so many dodgy emails I have decided to repost them here for other users to reference so they don't get caught out. Email 5 is my favourite so far  

Email 1:
Name: john

Phone No: 447045737205

Email Address : olu_simple@yahoo.com

Ref/URL: xxx
 
Comments: I would like to enquire about the 2004 (Make and Model)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Email 2:
Name: Paul

Phone No: 7024029545

Email Address : paul_collins0000@yahoo.com

Ref/URL: xxx

Comments: Hello,

What is your Last Offer..kindly email me the current condition and the picture to view it if it ok by me.
Looking forward to read from you..

Thanks.

Paul.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Email 4:
Name: johnjames

Phone No: 447045737205

Email Address : johnjames200028@yahoo.com

Ref/URL: xxx
 
Comments: Hello,

Kindly quickly get back to me with your last price, if is still for sale...

Best regards.

Johnjames200028@yahoo.com

+447045737205
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Email 5:
Name: ramsey

Phone No: 08083309547

Email Address : ramsey_james007@yahoo.com

Ref/URL: xxxxx

Comments: Hello,

I saw your ad and are interested in buying your items, and I have red on the condition of objects .... and I'm okay with the price falls there, and my mode of payment will be by cash certified checks good problem to have clear in your bank account within 2 to 3 days of state, the shipment, my shipper will be in place for the pick up after receiving the payment and when you cancel your account. favor me with the following information so that payment can be issue and send as soon as possible.

Note, I just want you to know that if you can get all this, there will be an excess fund for you, that will not affect the original price you are willing to sell the car.

......... Your Name
Address ..........
City / Postcode .............
State ............
Your phone number and number of Land, Land ...........

so kindly remove the advertising on the net ... Thank you,

Ramsey


----------



## Ashlingoc (17 Feb 2010)

Oh my god Thank god I found this forum I too was nearly a victim of this. Was just waiting for my loan to come through to put money through to western union and something just didnt feel right. I cant believe that there are lowlife scumbags out there that would actually make up a story that the car was belonging to his dead brother to try an con people. Im so angry. Just grateful that I found this forum in time!!


----------



## MissDior (18 Feb 2010)

I've had my car on Carzone too, and have received ENDLESS amounts of these emails. I also had two Nigerians attempting to rob it from me when I met them to let them view it. Luckily I had met them in a busy shopping centre carpark instead of the countryside where they suggested. Carzone is dangerous, have your wits about you if you want to advertise through it. Real buyers will almost always ring rather than email. Beware of ones who ask for details or pictures that are already in the advert, and of those who don't attempt to haggle. Don't even bother with ones who offer to 'ship' it from you!


----------



## Frank (18 Feb 2010)

One of these on Gumtree as well.

The cheap car dead brother car in liverpool email.

Kinda Lazy at this stage thought they would at least change the story a bit.


----------



## stefg (19 Feb 2010)

MissDior said:


> Real buyers will almost always ring rather than email.



That is not necessarily true, when I have been looking for a car in the past I used email because I had a record of everything i.e. what I asked already, what they answered / didn''t answer, was this a car I had seen previously and ruled out etc.

So I guess it's a case of paying attention to what's in the email and looking for anything suspicious...


----------



## Cooloco (19 Feb 2010)

If it seems too good to be true,it normally is too good to be true!! Buyer beware!


----------



## johnnygman (10 Mar 2010)

[broken link removed]

Link for scam on carzone, here is reply i got, will make him work for my money lol going to keep him stringing along for a fair few weeks.
These people are sick, god knows how many innocent/naive people have been shafted.

*Hello,

The car's condition is as new and has no outstanding finance, no previous crashes or anything negative you need to concern yourself with.
Now I am in the UK and the car is here as well. The car is still Irish registered
I have a shipping contract already paid so the final price is 5250 eur + 150 eur shipping taxes.

Let me know if you need more info as I am looking for a fast sale.

Regards,
Paul*


----------



## seamie1976 (20 Apr 2010)

*Pat harte*

Pat harte is back on autotrader selling a 04 audi A4, high spec for 4500.
has a dead brother who the car belongs to, he is in US
looking to meet in liverpool - didnt get tot the stage where he asks for the wire trasnfer.

autotrade ie and uk is full of this.


----------



## ziltwo (20 Apr 2010)

Louise-eve said:


> I did research car scams, not well enough obviously, but hadn't actually read about one this detailed, showing documentation and the fact the Western Union transfer was between a relative and yourself, nothing to do with them.
> 
> Anyways I only joined this forum to inform people about it in case they find themselves in the same situation.



thanks Louise, I nearly got scammed myself, and its not a pleasant feeling.  Well done and thanks for the post


----------



## DubShelley (20 Apr 2010)

Hi There,

I'm just wondering has anyone got any further update on the person pretending to be "Ann Hand"? I came upon this post and recognised the name but when I saw the passport photo, turns out I know this girl!

I will notify her immediately!
DubShelley


----------



## ixodides (29 Jun 2010)

*Pat Harte*

Hi there,
I was very attracted recently by the add about AUDI S line for 4500.

I received by email the story line about the perfect car and his dead brother in Liverpool. I was very eager to go to Liverpool even in next day to buy that car, but something pushed me to google his email address pat.harte78@gmail.com

Then I was reading the article in this forum. Thank GOD there are forums and people like you because otherwise I even could go to WESTERN UNION and send 4500 which would be a very big mistake.

But there is another thing which bothers me now,
I am trying to sell my car, 
Then from nowhere a guy from Dublin saying that is moving to UK for his new home wants to buy my car.

He says that he will send me a cheque and then whenever clears on my account I should give him a call and someone will pick up the car.

I said well there is nothing wrong about that really.
The only thing I was worry about to give him my address, but I gave him the address for sending the cheque to. Then after day or two he send me e-mail saying would it be OK if the amount on the cheque will be with 1200 extra so I will give the 1200 to the guy who will collect the car because this will cover the shipment prices etc.

I said well, OK if you trust me with that then OK.

Then on Friday last week he said that the cheque was sent to me and I should let him know as soon as I get the cheque.

Yesterday I received e-mail where he asks did I receive the cheque.

Well I still didn't receive any cheque and I will not do anything more until i see in my hand and it will clears in my account.

Do you think this could be another cheat?
Maybe some of you experienced similar thing?

BTW his email is very similar to email address from Ms Anne or Pat
I wont put that e-mail for the moment in case he is real, but I will let you know about that if it was a fake buyer.


----------



## MandaC (29 Jun 2010)

Audi S Line for 4,500?  I think I paid 35k or something like that.   Must have been 1972 or something?  Sometimes if it quacks like a duck...............

Please do nothing when the cheque comes.  Save your energy for something really productive, like cutting your front lawn with a knife and fork.

Same scam only in reverse.  Do not waste your time.


----------



## ixodides (29 Jun 2010)

I have done more research about that, (It is productive  as I inform other people), this is indeed another scam, the cheque which is going to come will be probably a loan cheque which will clears in 2-3 days but that money will be deducted from your account in a month time.

Please do not wast your time like I did.

his e-mail is 

ednicholas02@googlemail.com

His e-mails are always written with bad English...

Just have a look on few e-mails he sent to me:


> Hello.I will like to know if this vehicle is still available for sale?am interested in the purchase of the vehicle,i saw the advert for sale and i will like to buy if it is still available for sale. i will like toknow the full present condition details of this vehicle and also the pictures email to me if still available for sale,am presently based in(Scotland)I will be making arrangements for the payment and pickup as soon as you agree a deal on the vehicle. I will like you to please get back a.s.a.p to me if the vehicle is still available,Thank you..email me to ednicholas02@googlemail.com





> Alright, Thanks so much for the details,i am happy with the condition of the car from what is said on the ADS and from your email,I asked for all this as am sure I will not be able to come see in person and so will just need to know everything before buying...What is the final price???I will need you to consider the fact that i will be responsible for the collection/pick up(through a shipper)and i will be covering the expenses and so i will need a fair price, Once we agree a deal on the vehicle,I will arrange for the payment to be sent to you and payment will be in euros cheque so when you acknowledge  the payment then the shipper can come for the collection of the car once cheque clears.





> Hello
> 
> I will be making arrangement for the payment to be effect asap and the cheque will be on its way by next week,. However I will be needing a little assistance from you in order to have a smooth transaction with this car and pick up..You will be receiving the cheque for the sum of €2950 from my client and once you receive this cheque,you will take €850 for yourself for the car(Once payment clears) and the balance of €2100 is for the shipper who will be picking up this car,the shipper is not only picking up this car for me,he will also be getting some merchandise/furniture (for my new home) for me from Dublin and so this funds will cover all that with the expenses of the pick up and delivery of this car and so I will just like you to help forward the balance to the shipper after you have cashed the cheque you will be receiving from my client and am hoping that this will be no problem??all shippers details will be provided to you by then.
> 
> Please confirm all is good to go and so I can speed up the payment arrangement.


Thank you. Type in google "Car Buyer Scam", there is lots of articles.


Please delete similar e-mails, this is a complete waste of time.


----------



## beano2000 (30 Jun 2010)

ixodides said:


> hi there,
> i was very attracted recently by the add about audi s line for 4500.
> 
> I received by email the story line about the perfect car and his dead brother in liverpool. I was very eager to go to liverpool even in next day to buy that car, but something pushed me to google his email address pat.harte78@gmail.com
> ...


 
scam! Scam! Scam!


----------



## Unz (7 Jul 2010)

*2009 Ford Focus*

Hi,

So glad that i have found this thread. I nearly got caught with one of these last week. A 2009 Ford Focus, the ad is on carzone.ie, its price was €15295.

I must have sent an email from the carzone site but i had emailed about alot of cars so i couldnt really remember when i got the email...

yvonne.tierney35@gmail.com



> Hello,
> The car is in perfect condition and has no outstanding finance, no previous crashes or anything negative you need to concern yourself with.
> It's still Irish registered.
> I am in Spain now and the car is here with me but very difficult to drive it here and also hard to sell it here due to opposite driving side.
> ...


I then replied to say i was interested etc. I asked if she could send me the ad as i couldnt find it. i got this reply...



> Hi,
> Pics in the attach.
> Since I have a written contract with eBay, they will handle this sale for me and they will act as a third party between us, they also helped me with the shipping contract.
> If you are interested in buying my car I will need your full name, address and phone number, after that eBay will contact you and explain you all the process.
> ...


 
I was pretty sure that Ebay don't do sales unless the car is for sale with them.

I asked what part of Spain she was in, I said I would come over and look at the car myself. 

She then replied...



> Hi,
> Due to my job I cannot make the sale in person.
> I work as a stewardess.
> Let me know if you agree to buy my car through ebay.
> ...


 
I didn't bother reply...


----------



## Lilie (6 Sep 2010)

ixodides said:


> I have done more research about that, (It is productive  as I inform other people), this is indeed another scam, the cheque which is going to come will be probably a loan cheque which will clears in 2-3 days but that money will be deducted from your account in a month time.
> 
> Please do not wast your time like I did.
> 
> ...



Hi,
Thanks so much for posting it. I got these exact same 3 emails yesterday, (I posted my ad on Car Buyer Guide.ie) and I got suspicious, so I did a search on FB with his email adress (ednicholas02@googlemail.com) and found the link to this topic.

Thanks again for saving me to loose money on this.

One always has to be carefull when dealing on the internet.

I won't get back to that guy, so he'll keep the same identity, and hopefully people will find him and get that link like I did.

Thanks!
Lilie


----------



## cheeksy (3 Jan 2011)

*still at it..*

Thank you for this post as I nearly got stung.. seems he is still at it, I though it was strange how the ad kept appearing and disappearing on Gumtree, they're obvioulsy very aware of him and his scams


Audi A4 S-Line 1.9TDI 2004
The price is € 4,500
Alloys, Sunroof, Metallic Paint, Electric Windows, Central Locking, Remote Central Locking, Alarm, Immobiliser, Driver's Air Bag, Passenger Air Bag, Multiple Air Bags, Air Conditioning, Climate Control, CD Player, Adjustable Steering Wheel, Heated Seats, DVD !
Sport Line Model Full S Line Body Kit 17 RS Alloys Center Arm Rest 7 inch Touch Screen DVD player/CD Sat Nav Ready Wind Deflectors. Spare Wheel Alloy Absolutely Immaculate inside and out.
Diesel 4 doors, manual transmission, Silver.
Mileage : 76,000, NCT 01/2012, Airbags, Alloys, CD / Radio, Colour Coded Bumpers, Electric Mirrors, Electric Windows, Full Service History, Metallic Paint, Power Steering, Remote Central Locking, Traction Control, 1 owner.
Excellent Condition, the car was kept  in a garage , it has Audi service book,the tires have been changed recently, and doesn't need repairings.It has no engine problem, no scratches.
Registered in Ireland .The car is at the moment in Liverpool, UK. 
I live in the USA, I bought the car for my brother who lived in Ireland and then moved to UK. Unfortunately he died recently and I cannot take the car with me.
You do not have to pay any taxes for this car. It is very easy to register it to your name .
 I have all the documents ready for sale. The car documents are on my name, so it is very simple.
As payment I  only accept cash and we will have to meet in Liverpool for the sale.

Thank you  and I hope you will decide to buy my car.
Here are some photos.
Many thanks, Pat


----------



## JEON50 (4 Jan 2011)

I was nearly caught last year on a 1996 Diesel Toyota Advenis, on an Irish site looked a great car, good price. However no plates Numbers, When I got them from the vendor (NI plate) I ran it throught and paid, for a UK check, the car had been written off by the insurance company. When I tackled the Vendor he played dumb. 
DO NOT PART WITH A CENT UNTIL YOU HAVE A MECHANIC CHECK THE CAR, IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES


----------



## johnnygman (4 Jan 2011)

That guy has been at it on several sites, I have gotten his add removed numurous times but the sites dont monitor these adds as theykeep coming back. Im sure they are happy to take the advert fee and wait for someone to point it out, but its not right...
Such a dirty trick to try and pull on people, I can imagine some innocent sod getting shafted on that, no conscience these people..


----------



## NOAH (8 Jan 2011)

"I live in the USA, I bought the car for my brother who lived in Ireland and then moved to UK. Unfortunately he died recently and I cannot take the car with me.
You do not have to pay any taxes for this car. It is very easy to register it to your name .
I have all the documents ready for sale. The car documents are on my name, so it is very simple.
As payment I only accept cash and we will have to meet in Liverpool for the sale."

Anyone daft enough to follow up on an ad like this deserves to get scammed . He is going to fly back from the USA for the sake of 4,500, miss out on work and may not even get a sale!!!   As an old frind of mine used to say  " pleassssssseeeeeeeeeeeeee"

Its good its flagged though.

noah


----------



## darran01 (11 Jan 2011)

I spotted the same advert for the 2004 audi a4 s line on usedcarsni.com. The phone number that was on the ad could not be recognised so i sent him an email through usedcarsni.com, i got the exact same email back about his dead brother, the car location on the advert was country antrim, but he sent in the email that it was in liverpool in a garage locked up, he then sent me pictures of the tax books for the car and today i got pictures of his licence (californian) and a picture of him on his wedding day and him holding a new born baby with a woman on a hospital bed. If anybody wants me to forward these to them a will happily do so. I would love to meet this man in person. I mite have been caught with this only i googled  the name Pat Harte and saw pat harte audi an it brought me into this. I cant thank all involved here enough or i would have lost my money, thank you


----------



## millieforbes (11 Jan 2011)

I guess they might not actually be photos of him? Weird to send someone photos of your wedding and new baby when selling them a car...


----------



## pat harte (12 Jan 2011)

same story with pat harte got the family pics an all!!I told him i couldnt get my scanner working so he gave me his fax no : 001 or +1 . 610.672.9556. not that im goin to send him anything but is there anything that could be done with the fax no? i told him i sent the fax but he says he hasn't received it... Some people with too much trust will still fall for this scam and be out of pocket..


----------



## jackurbody (28 Apr 2012)

*western union car scam*

Be Aware of someone claiming to be James oliver, email jamesoliver74@live.com, advertising a  black covertible beetle tdi via the autotrader website, under a garage called english leasing in Leicster. He claims he is a 63 year old man who has now moved to Thurnos Scotland, and would be willing to meet in Carlisle, England, on the proviso you provide a copy of a western union transfer to proove that a) you have the funds, and b) you will save him a wasted journey! he tried it on me recently, he is very convincing fortunately a saw sense before it was too late.
I am posting his details on as many forums as I can so that other people can be warned before they loose any money!


----------



## Complainer (29 Apr 2012)

jackurbody said:


> Be Aware of someone claiming to be James oliver, email jamesoliver74@live.com, advertising a  black covertible beetle tdi via the autotrader website,


I guess the oul restaurant business must be struggling these days.


----------



## AlbacoreA (30 Apr 2012)

Seriously if 

"Registered in Ireland .The car is at the moment in Liverpool, UK.
I live in the USA, "

Doesn't ring alarm bells for you. Stay off the internet.


----------



## colin (21 Aug 2012)

hi  on page 5 of this thread #94 think that might be my email account  that was used  can any help me  i getting spam & scam to inbox  every day now


----------



## Leo (22 Aug 2012)

colin said:


> hi on page 5 of this thread #94 think that might be my email account that was used can any help me i getting spam & scam to inbox every day now


 
Send me a link to the post or PM me the address. I don't see an email address listed in post #94.

There is one email address listed in a subsequent post, but this was an address a scammer was using. Also, those posts go back 4 years...


----------



## Ian123ireland (7 Mar 2015)

Ann hand owes me 5000 euro from the same scam in 2009


Erika said:


> Unfortunately I am a victim of this car scam. But I'd like to help others not to make the same mistake. So here is the story:
> 
> I have seen an advert on the carzone.ie. It was a BMW, reg. No.02-D-81300
> *BMW 318Ci Coupe 2002
> ...


I was stung by this person as well I never showed the tracking number for the transfer but they way they got it from me was in one of the mails they had a link to Western Union to check the money has been transferred but here is the catch. If you open the link in the mail it's not western union it's the philshing part of the scam, a dummy site with Western Union headline on it if you put the number for tracking it comes up blank on your side but is displayed on his site. 
I was stung for 5000 euro went to gardai and found out that Anne hand was the original owner in Dublin so they where using  her details to scam you then they use your name on false I'd to get the money. Western Union should be closed down they where no help at all as for the gardai


----------

