Autotrader AUDI A1 scam - seller from Spain

hi guys
I enquired about a BMW X6 on Autotrader. Very good price.

Got this response from - [email protected]

Hello there ,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2009 BMW X6 XDrive35d 5dr Step Auto Diesel Estate!I want to inform you that, after all the offers we received last days i decided to sell this car for 15,620 GBP (the price includes shipping to UK and insurance fees). Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Portimao, Portugal (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in your name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in Portugal is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Portugal.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.

Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you!

### I sent a follow up mail and got response with the car details and google wallet link -
google.com.wallet-online-inc.co.uk

Hello again,

Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Google Wallet regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us. They agreed to supervise this deal.
You will send the funds to Google Wallet and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction. They will hold and insure your money until receipt of the car in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Google Wallet is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the car at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).
If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Google Wallet to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Google Wallet to return the money to you.

If you want to check the car here are the reg details #:

Reg No: RO55 CJR
VIN: WBAFG02090LK65689
16950 miles
Engine number 23277236
V5 serial: BT4131497
V5 Name Caroline Ross

If you want to read more about Google Wallet service please visit :

http://google.com.wallet-online-inc.co. ... #how-works

If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Google Wallet and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Thank You!!

Another fake Google Wallet, but I can't find the logo or the explanation. Either the hoster deleted it, or the scammer hasn't put it up yet. What did you see when you clicked on the link?

why hasnt this man been caught he is still using the same scam now and i have to say silly gullable hubby got caught . bank dont want too no any body any ideas..

Hi,

Thanks so much for posting this! I have had the same scammer trying to sell VW Transporter Sportline, exactly the same story as below and using Google Wallet. I thought it was just too suspicious.

The link http://google.com.wallet-online-inc.co. ... continue=1 turns up the usual scam page.

I get 403 from that link. The address that matches what worked on the other sites is http://wallet-online-inc.co.uk/google/C ... index.html, but that comes up 404.

the same thing happend to me with a lady from finland trying to sell a toyota prius on auto trader here is what she said the car is worth 13,000 but she was selling it for 4,000 DO NOT CLICK SHE SENDS FAKE GOOGLE WALLET WEBSITES AND WHEN YOU PAY HER YOU DONT GET THE CAR AND GOOGLE CANT DO ANY THING ABOUT IT BECAUSE SHE IS OUTSIDE THE UK THESE THING ARE TO GOOD TO BE TRUE

I am the seller of the 2010 Toyota Prius 1.8 VVTi 10th Anniversary 5dr CVT Auto Hatchback listed on autotrader.
The car is still for sale, HPI clear, both interior and exterior in excellent condition, runs great, never been involved in any accidents.
I am from Finland, city of Lieksa. I had a 3 year contract in the UK as an engineer. Now that the contract is over i moved back to Finland. I took the car with me because i love it and i wanted to keep it.
But i realized that is very difficult to drive a right hand drive here and also to register it here is quite expensive. I also have a company car here so i decided to sell the Prius back to the UK. I tried the local market here but i had no interest in it as it is RHD and due to the fees needed to register it.
The total price would be 4000 GBP (price includes shipping and all transaction related fees).
Due to the fact that my work takes almost all of my time and i don`t spend to much time at home, i asked an international company to take care of the sale and act as a third party for this transaction (i ship the car to you, you send the funds to the third party and as soon as you receive the car, test and agree to keep it you authorize them to release the funds to me).
Or you can come here and take it. Lieksa (where i am) is at 340km from Jyväskylä airport.
Please tell me if you wish to proceed and how.

i`ve also attached some pics. Please see them below. In case you can`t see them please click on show images in your email.

Kind Regards

Heinonen Mattila
Chief Engineer
Energy Recovery Solutions
Atlas Copco ABT
Tuupakankuja 1, 01740
Vantaa, Finland

Admin edit: fixed coding for clarification - Jillian

I got a reply to themail i sentGoogle Wallet asking if they offer a service like this ? The reply follows :


Hello Michael,
Thanks for your email.
We have researched your report and are very sorry to inform you that the email invoice you received is not associated with any legitimate use of any Google product or service. The use of Google text, images, and trademarks is unauthorized, and appears to be fraudulently attempting to “spoof” a legitimate invoice.

For more information, please read the official Google blog post:
http://googlecheckout.blogspot.com/2010 ... rself.html

For future reference, be aware that Google Wallet does NOT accept transfers or payments via Western Union/Money Gram, wire transfers/bank transfers, nor do we use escrow payment types. For a list of Google Wallet payment methods see https://www.google.com/support/wallet/b ... topic=8954"

If you have sent money as a result of a spoof invoice, it is recommended that you contact the financial institution or business where you sent the funds to report the fraud.

You may also wish to file a report with the appropriate authorities and/or your regional fraud reporting center — such as the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov).

If you have additional information to assist in investigating this matter, please reply to this email and provide:

-full message headers from the email you received containing the spoofed invoice
-copy of the spoofed invoice
-the website or posting where the fraudulent transaction originated
-police report number
-or any other useful information

Please be aware that this information will be used to further investigate this matter and may be shared with the appropriate authorities. We will not be able to respond to all inquiries for further information, you may direct any inquiries to the authority where you have reported the fraudulent activity.

If you have any additional questions, please reply to this email and I'll be happy to help

Thank you for posting that reply from Google Wallet, benelli12.

This part should be helpful for anyone reading this topic:

For future reference, be aware that Google Wallet does NOT accept transfers or payments via Western Union/Money Gram, wire transfers/bank transfers, nor do we use escrow payment types.

Well ladies and gents it looks like this scammer is still on the prowl... Spotted an 06 Aston Martin V8 Vantage on Autotrader for a very competitive £10000 to be shipped across from Portugal... This guy was operating under the name of Rob Hamilton in this instance and again rather scarily had access to details including the VIN number which correlated with the car in question. I couldn't resist finding out more about the car but as soon as the Google Wallet was mentioned (and thankfully by coming across this thread on this website) I was able to see through this scheme. Action Fraud have been made aware of this incident. Below is the correspondence (with my name de-identified), red text is the scammer. Towards the end of my communications with this fraudster I was trying to glean as much information out of him as possible in order to file a report (hence my rather upbeat tone considering who we're dealing with). Moral of the story as has already been mentioned, IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

Hope this helps people out there and has made me even more conscious of some of the scams out there if you're caught off guard on t'interweb. Happy surfing!

From: Me 12/04/2013
To: [email protected]

Hi there,

I'm responding to an advert on Autotrader for your '06 V8 Vantage. Just after a bit more information on the car re service history (how recent) and parts replacement such as clutches etc as it seems an absolute bargain for £10000.



On 13 Apr 2013, at 13:54, Mr Robert Hamilton <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello there,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2006 ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE 2dr Coupe with only 22,000 miles FSH. Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Portimao, Portugal (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition, never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised. The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in you name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and for all Inspection Period that you will have ( 15 days ), will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days.Final price is GBP 10,400 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in the Portugal is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Portugal.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.

I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a very well company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you!


From: Me
To: Mr Robert Hamilton <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, 13 April 2013, 14:59
Subject: Re: Autotrader V8 Vantage listing MX06FGZ

Hi there,

Many thanks for the response. Hadn't realised it was over in Portugal. Are you able to provide the VIN Number for the Aston along with pictures of the service schedule as I'm sure you'll understand, Portugal is a fair distance to come to view a car having not got these details.

Please can you advise me of the management company that is overseeing the potential transaction?



On 13 Apr 2013, at 15:20, Mr Robert Hamilton <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello XXX,

I understand your point of view that you can not send the funds sight unseen but you have to understand mine also that i can not just send a vehicle in the UK and hope and pray to receive my money.
I want to inform you the the car is in Portugal and it will be shipped from here to UK.The shipper I will use will deliver the vehicle to your door, you don't have to pick it from the port. Shipping will take 10 days maximum.Due to the fact that i am located outside UK and we can not deal in person,i`ve contacted Google Wallet regarding this issue and they told me that they could offer to me a program that is created especially for international transactions that protects both of us.
Regarding the transaction, you will send the funds to Google Wallet and they will keep the money until you receive the vehicle and test it.In this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.Google Wallet will hold and insure your money until receipt of the car in good condition. That is how their service is working. As far as the seller concerns, i will be glad to know that Google Wallet is in possession of the funds during the delivery period.
You will be given a 15 days inspection period from the day you receive the car at home( i will ship it to your address insured for full value to you ).
If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Google Wallet to release the funds to me, and the transaction is complete.If the vehicle is not as described ( perfect interior,exterior,mechanical condition ), you will be able to send the vehicle back through the same shipping company ( return postage at my expense ), and ask Google Wallet to return the money to you. Though i am sure you will love the car and will not want to return it, it is good to know that you do have this second option available.

If you want to read more about Google Wallet service please visit :

http://google.com.wallet-online-inc.co. ... #how-works

If you want to get more info about their terms and condition please contact Google Wallet using the blue button from the web site.

I bought this car from UK and it is still registered there so you don't have to pay any import taxes or any other fees.The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance.
You will get from me the keys, V5 document, manuals and all documents to register the car in your name.You don't have to worry about anything.

If you want to check the car here are the reg details:

Registration # is : MX06FGZ
VIN (chassis number) SCFBA03B86GC00938

If you wish to purchase it and agree to these terms i will need you to provide your full name and address. I will then notify Google Wallet and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.

I will be waiting for your reply as soon as possible

Thank you in advance!


From: Me
To: Mr Robert Hamilton <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, 13 April 2013, 18:15
Subject: Re: Autotrader V8 Vantage listing MX06FGZ

Hi there Rob,

Many thanks for your response. The VIN number checks out so if you possibly send me some more recent pictures of the car and it's service logbook then that'd be great so that I can verify that everything checks out before I come to see the car prior to any potential transaction… I travel a lot with my job and visit Portugal very frequently so I'm sure there'd be no problem in coming to view the car… Indeed I'd probably enjoy the drive back to the UK with my new pride and joy should it be in the condition as described and subject to all of the information being correct in the logbook (V5 and Service Schedule).


On 13 Apr 2013, at 18:22, Mr Robert Hamilton <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello XXX,

I am an honest person and I didn't mean to offend you but as regards to sending you copies of the registration documents this is a definite no, no because i am afraid this is how cars get cloned and ringed by criminals obtaining photo copies of documents sorry.
Coming here would be a good idea but i can not promise you that i will still have it available until then.
Please understand me but i have another 2 interested buyers.I must tell you that I will sell this car to the first interested buyer who will agree with the buy it now price set and payment confirmed with Google.
Please e-mail me back as soon as possible and let me know what is going on
Regards,



Hi Rob,

Absolutely no offence taken it was just questions that needed to be asked to verify the identity of the car. The service schedule shouldn't actually cause any breach of data as it only shows the mileage and work done on the car. Pictures of the car on your driveway would also not infringe on any data protection as you've already sent me the VIN number, car registration number etc…

Just thought I'd include a weblink for you to read in the hope that it might help you reconsider the way you are going about your business

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47114

Without wishing to be rude please can I advise you to do your homework a bit more before attempting to scam people out of their hard earned money. Please be advised that both Google and the UK authorities have been advised along with Autotrader who will be pursuing this further.

Have a nice weekend.

Heads up, Aston advert was removed after my first email to them, it's now been reinstated on Autotrader. Have reported the advert as a scam, suggest other posters on here do the same to close this guy down.

Advert is for a £10000 AM V8 Vantage, 22000 miles on the clock with 7 months tax and MOT (basically the cheapest on there). Car reg used in this particular scam is MX06FGZ.

Hi All,

Today is 15th April 2013, i have currently spotted 3 cars all advertised on the auto traider. each car is advertised at a different email address. all of them have been advertised in the same way. e.g. the display picture all show the picture of the car and a band under saying comtact me via email then there email adresses. i have spoke to both sellers via different email accounts of my own and they both have the same story. the cars i have seen are

2009 320d BMW in grey
2009 320d BMW in white
Audi A3 White

All low ,milage and all super cheap. Here are the emails below, you can see that one of them is identical to another member on this site, ass if they are using templates to the frequently asked questions hahahha.


From: [email protected]
Date: 15 April 2013 11:02:00 AM BST
To: ME
Subject: Re: Car
Hi
The car is in Barcelona, Spain.
Let me explain how the transaction would work out ;
The transaction will be fully under eBay surveillance, giving us both security and insurance that nothing will go wrong. They will be the 3rd, objective party involved in the transaction. They will hold the money until you receive and inspect it. Once your payment is confirmed, the shipping will be started in 24 hours, and will last 5-7 days until it gets to your address. You will have 5 days for inspection from the moment the vehicle arrives at your address. If it is not like I have described it eBay will refund your payment in maximum 3 working days and the vehicle will be returned at my expense.
This way I know that you have the money and you have time to inspect it before committing to buy, knowing that I don't have access to the money. We are both covered.
If you are still interested just send me your full name and full shipping address. I will forward your info to eBay and they will notify you about our deal. Like this you'll be able to talk directly with them and ask all you want to know.
Waiting your answer today if it's possible !
Thank you
Emma

________________________________________
From: ME
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2013 8:27:24 AM
Subject: Re: Car
Is it possible to see some more pictures please. I would be reluctant to buy before I could see it. Is there any chance I could see it and test drive it first?

Sent from my iPhone

On 12 Apr 2013, at 03:30 PM, [email protected] wrote:
Hello,
I've just read your message regarding my 2009 BMW 3 SERIES 320d M Sport. The car looks and works just perfect..., the interior and exterior look great, no smoker, no mechanical problems, accident free, Hpi clear, full service history, 5 months MOT, 6 months Tax, 25,000 miles.
The price is £8,000 includes delivery to your location. I am letting it go because I've moved to Spain and I cannot use it here, I need a left hand drive car. The vehicle is currently in custody of a shipping company with all the papers necessary to sell, ready to be delivered to its new owner. I will only sell it through eBay Motors because they will handle the payment in a way in which both of us are secure. If you are interested contact me back.
Thank you!
Emma Hermse





THEN ANOTHER email from seperate address . . .





From: "J. Henderson Gant" <[email protected]>
Date: 15 April 2013 12:09:09 PM BST
To: ME
Subject: Re: White 320d
Reply-To: "J. Henderson Gant" <[email protected]>
Hello there,

I am glad to hear that you are interested to buy my 2009 BMW 3 SERIES 320d M-Sport.
Although I am registered in the UK,i recently moved to Cadiz, Spain (where my family is from) and the car is being shipped from here. I want to sell it in UK due to the fact that it's an UK version (right handed),it meets all UK standards.I bought this car from UK and It still has UK registration, so you won't have to pay any import and insurance fees.The car meets all United Kingdom guidelines so there will be no problem regarding UK Customs policy on receiving the car.The car is in perfect condition, the bodywork is immaculate,no scratches, dents or hidden defects as well as the interior in excellent non-smoking condition , never been implied in any accident and it is as advertised .The car comes with log book, HPI cleared, No finance. You will get from me the keys and all documents to register the car in your name.If the car is not how i described it, i will offer a full refund. It will be insured during transportation and will be delivered at your address in maximum 10 days. Final price is GBP 5,200 (the price includes shipping and insurance fees).The price is low because the car is right hand drive in a country where all cars are left hand drive so in Spain is very difficult to drive this type of vehicle and nobody wants to buy it here in Spain.Instead of keeping it in garage (during this economical crisis), I decided to sell it to someone back in the UK for a really attractive price.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% legitimate,the deal will be manage by a well known company,in this way both buyer and seller are 100% covered during the steps of this transaction.
Let me know if you need any further details or if you would like to buy my car.

Thank you


________________________________________
From: ME
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 15 April 2013, 8:33
Subject: White 320d

Hello.

In regards to your advert on auto traider can I have a few details on the car. Is it a recorded cat d or c. Etc. a few more pictures would be appriciated. I'm located roughly 50 miles from you would it be possible to view the car. If so when would be a good time.

Sent from my iPhone


Im glad i have seen all this on here as maybe i could have been ripped off.

I just cannot believe this is still happening. It makes me feel sick.

My husband was duped by this scam a week ago and we're still in shock as we've now seen the extent of it AFTER the event. We alerted action fraud who by all accounts just take the details!

Police don't want to know, the bank says its not fraud as husband willingly sent the funds so by all accounts these people are getting away with it everyday! Another user on here was duped and found most of these accounts used for transfers are linked to barclays accounts, some all opened in Enfield or surrounding areas, a fax number in the fake "google wallet details" we received is still live as I called it today 0208 711 2466 and by all accounts nothing is being done as far as I can see?

Anyone managed to get their money back via banks? Or know or any investigations into this? It literally seems if you get caught out, more fool you rather than police actually trying to catch the bastards!

You paid the money to a bank account 'Ivebeenhad' ?

Yes it was paid to a Spanish bank account from the bank ibercaja which at the time my husband thought sounded realistic as the seller was in Spain! How sick does he feel now.
Receipt posted from husbands bank Natwest a few days ago shows a BARCGB22 swift code though which points to Barclays London so we need to check that in a Barclays branch.

At this point we are left wondering why we are the ones chasing the actual bank account source? Why does our own bank simply not care and hand over to action fraud? Can they not contact the receiving bank as they say its not actual fraud?

I can't understand why you have a Barclays SWIFT code on a payment to ibercaja (which is a genuine bank in Spain) from Nat West. Something isn't right. In the old days small banks often didn't have the facility to clear SWIFT payments but that shouldn't apply nowadays and didn't before I retired, unless Spanish banks are in a worse mess than they are letting on.

Main swift code for IBERCAJA BANCO S A U is CAZRES2Z

The payment should show a BIC code which incorporates the account number, bank and branch identifier and will include the 'CAZRES2Z' code.

The thing you need to isolate is where the beneficiary's account is located. It sounds as if it's Spain but the Barclays SWIFT code has introduced some doubt.