RE: PistonHeads Classified Advert Scam

[sverre]

robac001 said:

Interesting that our 'Aleysa' has the same address in Milan - what are the chances it's a real one?

The email I dealt with also used these details:

Address: Via Martiri Trieste 18
City: Milano
PostalCode: 21029
Country: Italy

The name however was the same as the person to whom the email was sent so I've removed it.

[Linda Harper]

Oh my life I've just had a close one. Just so that you know the name they are using mow is Louise Gold,the delivery company, CBT-Exress, the car was a 2003 VW Beetle, everything else like the story of moving to Italy is all the same. Someone has to stop these horrible people : (
Unfortunatley I gave them my full name and address but nothing to do with money.....thank goodness.
As my dad has just said if it looks too good to be true then it will be!!!

[Linda Harper]

You know what I checked the shipping number that they gave me and it showed another car being waited for by someone else....I hope that they have realised!!! The think they are buying a Mitsubishi. His name is Mark in Grimsby.

Edited by Linda Harper on Wednesday 12th August 19:11

[chrisg3110]

Scam still running ------ Emails as follows:

Hi Chris,


I have arranged the delivery through www.pgp-express.t35.com ,the tracking number is.2PD******* I have paid 500 euros for the shipment and insurance so everything is paid and in good order.
I am absolutely sure it will be a very smooth sale,they`ve acted very professionally,the car was also inspected by their tehnical stuff to make sure it is exactly as described.
I beleive the company will contact us soon with the details.thanks in advance for keeping me posted.
Regards
Danielle



--- On Sun, 8/23/09,


From: Chris
Subject: RE: 'Ford Fiesta 150/White' at PistonHeads.com
To: [e-mail]
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 5:49 PM



Danielle,

Thats all fine, i am happy to proceed with the purchase. Just to confirm it's £3,300. I am borrowing the funds from my parents and therefore will be a cash payment - what proof can we provide to the shipping company?

My details:

Chris ******

• **********,
• ****,
• ****,
• *****,
• ****
• ****

I am confident there will be no problems and look forward to taking the car off your hands.

If you need any further details please dont hesitate to contact me either by phone or email. I will give you my dads number as he will sort with shipping company (0******** or 07********).

Best Regards

Chris

---

Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:51:43 -0700
From: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'Ford Fiesta 150/White' at PistonHeads.com
To: @hotmail.co.uk

Hi Chris,

I can use a specialized car shipping company that will provide you a tracking number( to verify the shipment status online) and also a 24hrs inspection period and the right to decline the car is it doesn`t 100% satisfy your needs.
The delivery will take max 5 days
I bought my new BMW X5 from Germany using this company and I was very satisfied with their services.They acted very professionaly and at very affordable costs
The company works like a COD company,they will only require a proof from you that you have the cash available and you have a valid address before they will start the delivery..
The car will be delivered at your home address by truck,it will come with all documents signed by me so you can easily transfer it on to your name.
All service records,V5 doc log book will be present and carefully verified.
If you agree with these terms and you are sure about the purchase please let me know your full name and address for the delivery and I will inform you with all the details as soon as I have arranged the shipment.
I am sure you will simply love the car and there won`t be any problems with the sale.
I look forward to your reply
Regards
Danielle

--- On Sun, 8/23/09, Chris


From: Chris >
Subject: RE: 'Ford Fiesta 150/White' at PistonHeads.com
To: [e-mail]
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 12:57 PM

---

Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:06:30 -0700
From: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'Ford Fiesta 150/White' at PistonHeads.com
To:

Hi,

The car is still available for sale,it is in perfect condition in and out,100% HPI clear with a certificate to confim,full service history.
I just got married and moved with my Italian husband in Milan,Italy.I took the car with me so the car is currently here.
I can`t use it in Italy because it has the wheel on the right side and it would also cost me too much to register it here.
It is still registered in the UK and since I have absolutely no use for it I am looking for a fast sale( this is why the low asking price)
I can ship the car from here directly to your home address and I am also willing to cover all delivery expenses.
I look forward to your reply
Regards
Danielle



Danielle,

definatly interested.only thing is as you can understand is little bit of gamble for me, would you be able to ship it to a relative and then me and my dad can come and pay on collection.that would be good if could do that as you can understand i need to cover myself.

I am genuinely 100% interested and have no doubt that the car is in good condition and will take it off your hands.

if you are able to call me my number is 07********.

If you could save it for me i have the money waiting for you.

Chris

Edited by chrisg3110 on Monday 24th August 18:09

Edited by chrisg3110 on Monday 24th August 18:24

[lacieh]

Hi All,

This scam is still going, please see below;


RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.comþ
From: irene lazaro ([e-mail])
Sent: 10 October 2009 20:05:50
To: [e-mail]

Hi again,


The company name is:EIT-Express and this is our web site: http://eit-express.t35.com/

Irene

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:30:53 +0000

Hi Irene,

Could you let me know the name of the shipping company you are using?

Thanks

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:19:40 +0100

Hi Lacie,


I told you how the transaction will go,I`ll ship the car first ,i`ll pay all the shipping taxes and insurances and then i`ll email you the tracking number from the shipping company,also the shipping company will send you an invoice with the payment instructions. During the 24 hrs inspection period you can take the car to a garage or have it RAC inspected,I absolutely welcome any checks you want to perform on the car.You also have the right to decline the car if,for some reason,you won`t be absolutely satisfied with it.In this case the delivery team will collect the car from you and return it to me,absolutely no extra charges for you.
I am sure you will love the car and it will be a smooth sale.
So, if you want to go ahead with the transactions please reply me your details in order to start the delivery
-your full name and address( the address where the car will be shipped)
-your phone #( home and mobile)


Have a great day


Irene Lazaro

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:13:03 +0000

Thanks Irene.

So, just to make this clear, i will pay cash to the delivery company when the car arrives in the uk? I am not clear how this works sorry.

Many Thanks

Lacie

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:10:10 +0100

Hi again,

I can use a specialized car shipping company who will provide you a tracking number( to verify online the shipment status) and also a 24hrs inspection period and the right to decline the car is it doesn`t satisfy your needs 100%.The delivery will take max 3 days.I`ve used this company when I have purchased my 2006 BMW X5 from Germany and I was very satisfied with their services.They acted very proffesional and at very affordable costs. The company works like a COD company,they will only require a proof from you that you have the cash available and you have a valid address before they will start the delivery.The car will be delivered at your home address by truck,it will come with all documents signed by me so you can easily transfer on to your name.all service records,V5 doc and log book will be present and carefully verified.
If you agree on the terms and you are sure about the purchase please let me know your full name and address also your phone# for the delivery and I will inform you with all the details as soon as I have arranged the shipment.
I am sure you will simply love the car and there won`t be any problems with the sale.
I look forward to your reply.

Regards and have a great weekend


Irene Lazaro

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:52:28 +0000

Thanks Irene, sorry for all of the questions. As you and the car are both in italy, how would we arrange payment etc?

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:46:41 +0100

Hi again,


The last service -Jun-2009.I have more pics available.

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:39:30 +0000

Thanks Irene, just need to know when the last service was, if its in italy now and if you have any more pics?

Thanks

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:34:10 +0100

Hi again Lacie,


The car has full service in Ford Dealer Service.
The MOT until 07/2010 and the road tax until 10/2010.


If you have any more questions please reply me asap.


Irene

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:08:27 +0000

Hi Irene,

very very interested. Please can you confirm when the last service was and when the tax/mot is up?

I would like to do an aa check if poss?

Thanks

Lacie

---

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: 'FORD FOCUS' at PistonHeads.com
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:59:59 +0100

Hi,
The car is still available for sale,it is in perfect condition in and out,100% HPI clear with a certificate to confirm,full service history.I just got married and moved with my Italian husband in Milan,Italy.I took the car with me so the car is currently here.I can`t use it in Italy because it has the wheel on the wright side and it would also cost me too much to register it here.It is still registered in the UK and since I have absolutely no use for it I am looking for a fast sale( this is why the low asking price)I can ship the car from here directly to your home address and I am also willing to cover all delivery expenses.
I have more pics available if you want to see.
I look forward to your reply.

Regards.

• *******************************************************************************************************************

The thing is, i've now given them my address and phone numbers, can they do anything with this? i've reported it to pistonheads!!!

[markm10]

Hi,
We nearly fell for the same thing, it was only until we typed in the shipment company name (express t35) and this website popped up on google and got our attention when we seen 'SCAM'
We thought we were buying s 53 plate subaru WRX for £3000......This is her reply
Hi,
The car is still available for sale,it is in perfect condition in and out,100% HPI clear with a certificate to confirm,full service history.I just got married and moved with my Italian husband in Milan,Italy.I took the car with me so the car is currently here.I can`t use it in Italy because it has the wheel on the wright side and it would also cost me too much to register it here.It is still registered in the UK and since I have absolutely no use for it I am looking for a fast sale( this is why the low asking price)I can ship the car from here directly to your home address and I am also willing to cover all delivery expenses.
I have more pics available in you want to see.

The same as all you lot got. We got as far as arrange what day we were going to the post office to pay into money gram. It's a good job we did type in the shipping company in google. We did try and search for the car on Pistonheads, when she said she will mark it sold...... It was nowhere to be seen. However we also seen this vehicle on Ebay!!! So they are trying their look there aswell. We even got a phone call from the italian transporter, saying they had sent us an email. The scam is very well done, we thought is was a bargain as it was Cash On Delivery, we thought there was noway they will be able to get our money, even if it was a scam, but we were wrong. Dont fall for this. Her name and email is irene galopa ([e-mail]) We had the same story..... Moved to Italy and wanted a quick sale.

BECAREFUL!

[cheeky_chops]

markm10 said:

We got as far as arrange what day we were going to the post office to pay into money gram.
...
....
It was Cash On Delivery, we thought there was noway they will be able to get our money,

If it was COD - why were you off to do a money gram?

[sjn2004]

Just to add those www.t35.com sites are some sort of blog site that anybody can use and set up for free.

[windybro]

i have just been close to being scammed on a L200 advertised on pistonheads, £3500 seller in italy etc send moneygram thank god i realised beware any info plz ask

[Craigyp79]

Hey guys,

Been looking for a Mini Cooper S recently and this advert caught my eye; http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1512036.htm

Sent a quick email asking why it's so cheap for the year/milage and the answer was;

[b] Hi Jock

Thanks for your interest. I am the owner of the 2006 MINI COOPER S 1.6 3DR and I still have the car. why so cheap? My job put me on the way to ENGLAND and I purchased this car there. Now I have to sell it as I've got back home in GERMANY. The car is here as well. I was trying to sell the car for a bigger price but nobody has interested to buy it, so I decide to lower it caus I need to sell it really quickly.
I asked some dealers to help me to sell my car but even I was asking for a cheaper price they listed the car at price they want to take, so they are just looking to make much money not help me to sell my car quicly, so I decide to try myself to sell it.

That is all ...

If you are agree with the price please answer me soon.

Best regards . Paul McAllen[/b]

Smells like a scam to me, however thought I'd get an opinion before dismissing it.

He also seems to be selling this;

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1513390.htm

Cheers,

Craig.

[bomberharris]

if you have to ask.......

[Craigyp79]

Yeah, yeah I know; If it's quacks like a duck!

[peterbann]

just an update to this scam! just found out this page after trying for the last week to get hold of someone selling a bmw and apparently shipping it over. however unfortuantly for these skanking bds i covered up the reference number on the money gram.

Address is Linda Stern
Address: Via Martiri Trieste 18
City: Milan
County: Milan
Country: Italy
Zip Number: 21029

Anyone heard of this name? my last sending was a photo of the money gram, no wonder they havent returned my emails because they cant get hold of my money so at least i can get that back. Beware , am so pissed off, this scam needs to be sorted.

[peterbann]

oh and the shipping company they were using is cti. cant believe they nearly had me.

[anonymous-user]

People fall for this? Sorry I don't mean to troll, but seriously, isn't it obvious?

[redstu]

MSTRBKR said:

People fall for this? Sorry I don't mean to troll, but seriously, isn't it obvious?

looks obvious to me , if you buy a second hand car you view it, agree a price and pay the money. Surely no other way makes sense.

[peterbann]

no mate it isnt obvious. if everyone was like you i'm sure it'd be a great world. everything down to the emails, the correspondence, the tracking webpage has been well thought out, proper did reel me in but not as far as to get the money!

[sylva]

This Fabia VRS ad which went up yesterday is the same scammer too using the following details:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1528701.htm

[e-mail]

Jade Donato

Similar e-mails too, they obviously lack imagination or are just plain lazy.

I suggested I would be using my own transport firm (a friend of mine runs one) so he could have the opportunity to check the vehicle beforehand. Their response was "We use a COD transport firm that just needs your bank details to confirm the cash is available beforehand"

Glad Google collects these threads and posts so well.

[Kinky]

If you see a dodgy/scammy ad, then report it. This will then in turn get it removed. The clue is in the 'Report to Administrator' link on the top right of the ad

[marleybarly]

Hi i also nearly lost £3,500 on a imaginary seat leon......which has originated from the same italian address and same story that she has moved to milan with her italian husband and has taken the car with her,but has no use for it as it would cost to much to register and is right hand drive..... here is an email of the scam this time,each email sent either goes to inbox or the spam folder....... The name she is using now is CHARLIZE SMITH (EMAIL:[e-mail]) They are also claiming to use an escrow to transfer the money by wire transfer......
below are 3 mails i recieved of this person


::::Hi,

The car is still available for sale,it is in perfect condition in and out,100% HPI clear with a certificate to confirm,full service history.
I just got married and moved with my Italian husband in Milan,Italy.I took the car with me so the car is currently here.
I can`t use it in Italy because it has the wheel on the right side and it would also cost me too much to register it here.
It is still registered in the UK and since I have absolutely no use for it I am looking for a fast sale( this is why the low asking price)
I can ship the car from here directly to your home address and I am also willing to cover all delivery expenses.
I look forward to your reply
Regards
Charlize




Did you received the notification from Pistonheads? I have received their confirmation,it arrived in my junk/spam folder.I`ve used my husband`s bank account in the UK in order to speed up the sale and make things easier for you,I hope you don`t mind...
Thanks in advance for keeping me posted
I look forward to your reply and to a smooth sale
Charlize




Because of the distance we need to complete the sale 100% safe and secure for both of us this is why it would be best use Pistonheads to ensure our transaction.
This is how its going to work:
I will contact Pistonheads and ensure our transaction from my account.When they have verified and approved our transaction they will send you an invoice regarding how to complete our sale in a safe way.
I used to work in the car sales business when I lived in the UK and I`ve used PH to complete distance sales all the time,it is very very easy to use and absolutely safe both for the buyer and the seller.
If you will accept the transaction than I can arrange the delivery to your home address.The delivery will take max 4 days.
The car will be delivered at your home address by truck,it will come with the V5 log book signed by me so you can easily transfer it on to your name,2 spare keys and service records.You will also have a 24hrs inspection of the car and the right to refuse the car if will find ANYTHING wrong with the car and documents.
If you agree with these terms and please let me know your full name,address and contact number(s) for the delivery so I can start the PH transaction and arrange the shipment.
I am sure you will simply love the car and there won`t be any problems with the sale.
I look forward to your reply
Regards
Charlize

I CONTACTED PISTONHEADS TODAY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY SORT OF INSURANCE COVERING THE MONEY AS CLAIMED BY THIS PERSON SELLING THE CAR...LUCKILY I THOUGHT TO LOOK IT UP AND GET MORE INFO ON IT 1ST BEFORE ANY MONEY WAS LOST............