Craigslist, Ebay and other online buying/selling scams.
by vonpaso xlura Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:29 pm
We know someone who specializes in killing bank accounts used by scammers. Could you post or send one of us by PM (I'm not sure which is better) the email asking for money, with complete headers? Also include enough previous emails to prove that it is a scam (the email introducing the fake Google Wallet should do).

... ni los estafadores heredarán el reino de Dios. 1 Cor. 6:10
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by Ivebeenhad Tue Apr 16, 2013 1:52 am
This is the "google wallet" email my husband received!
I've removed his name and address under the buyers info.

The bit I don't understand is the bank details at the bottom, as I mentioned before, we received a receipt from Natwest a fee days later that showed a BARCG22 swift code under the payee's bank, which wouldn't be husbands Natwest account.

I would pay to know if this ibercaja acc is still active and contains our money but I doubt it!


--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Google" <[email protected]>
Date: 1 Apr 2013 16:23
Subject: Google Wallet Invoice # 61300955
To: <[email protected]>
Cc:

Congratulations ! You are approved to buy on Google Wallet and Autotrader. Please pay now!

Congratulations! You are approved to buy on Google Wallet and Autotrader from Mrs. Debbie Smyth the following vehicle:

Ad title:
2010 Audi A3 1.6 TDI S LINE 3DR
VRM (Verified) :
GJ10 YMV
Insurance:
Included
Shipping & Handling:
GBP 0.00
Immediate payment:
GBP 4,730 [PENDING]

Details:

2010 Audi A3 1.6 TDI S LINE 3DR

Sale Date: April 01, 2013
Payment details: Please follow this Google Wallet invoice to complete the Checkout
Seller Information
Full Name Mrs. Debbie Smyth

Paseo de la Bahia 77
Cadiz, 11500

Location Spain
Status Approved

Buyer Information
Full Name

Google Wallet confirms that you are fully protected in the transaction with Mrs. Debbie Smyth.The Google Wallet covers buyers who complete a transaction on Autotrader and Google Wallet for the following types of deliberate and material misrepresentation by the seller:

Paying for a vehicle and never receiving it.
Sending a deposit for a vehicle and never receiving it.
Paying for and receiving a vehicle:
that was a stolen vehicle at the time of the transaction
with an undisclosed or unknown lien against its title
a make and/or model that is different than what was described in the seller`s listing
without receiving the title (restrictions apply)
whose title is subject to an undisclosed salvage, rebuilt, reconstructed, scrapped/destroyed, junk, lemon, or water damage title brand
that has different specifications than the ones at the moment of agreement
whose odometer reading is different than the odometer reading described by the seller
The Seller will have to start the shipping process and provide the Buyer with relevant information ( ie. tracking number ) in at most 48 hours from our payment confirmation.The shipping process should not take more than 30 days.Upon receipt of the vehicle the Buyer will have 15 days at his disposal to perform all necessary tests.After the test period is over the Buyer will have to contact Google Wallet with his agreement on purchasing or rejecting the vehicle.

Upon receipt of Buyer's funds, and clearance of same, Google Wallet will notify Seller to ship the vehicle. Seller agrees to ship the vehicle, insured for full value to Buyer. Buyer and Seller agree to choose a shipping method that utilizes online tracking information. Seller shall ship the vehicle to Buyer based upon information provided by the Buyer. The Buyer Inspection Period (15 days) shall commence upon the first to occur of either: (1) Buyer's acknowledgement of receipt of vehicle; or (2) the Google Wallet receipt of verification of delivery to the Buyer's profile information via the shipper's or registrar's tracking services. The Buyer Inspection Period shall be calculated in full calendar days, 15 days as stipulated in Instructions and Deposit of Funds into Google Wallet.In the event the Seller has not shipped the goods within 48 hours of notification by Google Wallet (through its email) of Buyer's payment of immediately available funds, Buyer may request a return of funds,and Google Wallet will do so after notifying both parties.Unless the parties agree otherwise, Seller is responsible for any duties, customs fees or other charges resulting from an international transaction, which shall be included in the purchase price.

During the Buyer Inspection Period, Buyer shall either: (1)Accept the vehicle, and follow all further instructions accordingly to complete acceptance of the vehicle.Google Wallet will pay the Seller the purchase price , less any payment for expedite fees ; or (2) Reject the vehicle and follow any further instructions to complete the rejection of the vehicle. Google Wallet will then begin the process of disbursing the funds at Close of Transaction.

During the Buyer Inspection Period, Buyer may reject for any reason and following all other instructions to properly reject the vehicle. Upon such rejection, Google Wallet will send Seller an email stating Buyer's decision to reject and return the vehicle; and Buyer agrees to promptly ship goods to Seller within ten (10) calendar days of formal rejection and insure, at Seller's expense, the item(s) to the place designated by the Seller in the Seller's profile.

Should you need a refund for this transaction, it will be sent to your bank account, or by check or money order. The way you are refunded is at your choice. You have 60 days from the above verification date to request a refund. Refund requests are processed within 3 days.

Payment Instructions:
Google Wallet guarantees the customers full safety for their transaction by collecting, holding and disputing funds according to Buyer and Seller instructions.To enjoy the purchase protection, you must submit payment by Bank Transfer (Priority Service) to the following Google Representative bank account.Sending payment by any other method of payment or directly to the seller will void this transaction and your right to refund.

Due to the high amount to be paid and in order to avoid description errors we assigned a representative from Spain to this transaction.Our Google Representative physically inspects the vehicle, insures and holds the funds until you receive,test and agree to keep it.




How to send the payment:

Send the payment by Bank Transfer (Priority Service) using the following Google Representative account details :


Google Representative Account Name : IONELA DRAGNE
Google Representative Address : Plaza Del Ejercito 21
Google Representative City : Sevilla
Google Representative Zip Code : 41004
Google Representative Country : Spain
Beneficiary Bank Name : IBERCAJA
Beneficiary Bank IBAN : ES41 20858089500330298588
Beneficiary Bank Account Number : 20858089500330298588
Beneficiary Bank Swift Code : CAZRES2Z
Beneficiary Bank Address : Calle Duque De Tamames 31
Beneficiary Bank City : Orihuela
Beneficiary Bank Zip Code : 03300
Beneficiary Bank Country : Spain


How to complete and confirm payment :

1. The payment must be sent by bank transfer to the bank account of our Google Representative.
2. After payment is complete send us the receipt from your bank by FAX or by e-mail.
3. E-mail us the serial numbers of the payment receipt document.
4.Fax the payment receipt to our fax number: (+44) 208 711 2466


*** Once the bank transfer cleares and our Google Representative confirms payment, we will instruct the seller to start the shipping process. We will hold the funds until you send us your confirmation that you are satisfied with the product you received. As soon as we receive your confirmation we will release payment to the seller.





If you need assistance with your purchase, please don't hesitate to contact us:


Regards,

Google Wallet Department

Google Inc.

Copyright 2007-2013 Google Inc.
Last edited by Bryon Williams on Tue Apr 16, 2013 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total. Reason: Added quotation for clarity and removed posters email address.
by vonpaso xlura Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:45 am
Please post full headers. Headers look like this:
Delivered-To: [email protected]
Received: by 10.204.9.195 with SMTP id m3csp801584bkm;
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:41:05 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.50.187.194 with SMTP id fu2mr24824728igc.63.1354228864997;
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:41:04 -0800 (PST)
Return-Path: <[email protected]>
Received: from smtp110.biz.mail.ne1.yahoo.com (smtp110.biz.mail.ne1.yahoo.com. [98.138.206.47])
by mx.google.com with SMTP id eg1si7493823igc.63.2012.11.29.14.41.04;
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:41:04 -0800 (PST)
Received-SPF: neutral (google.com: 98.138.206.47 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of [email protected]) client-ip=98.138.206.47;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=neutral (google.com: 98.138.206.47 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of [email protected]) [email protected]; dkim=pass [email protected]
Received: (qmail 92799 invoked from network); 29 Nov 2012 22:41:04 -0000
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=yahoo.com; s=s1024; t=1354228864; bh=HJvhb9feZApwkPpiZx/M9RSuY58a3+Yxvd9laoPMJV4=; h=X-Yahoo-Newman-Property:X-YMail-OSG:X-Yahoo-SMTP:Received:Date:From:Organization:To:Message-ID:Subject:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=aoeu
X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3

The headers may show that the sender isn't anywhere in Europe, which would further confirm that it's a scam.

... ni los estafadores heredarán el reino de Dios. 1 Cor. 6:10
by Lovatt01 Fri Apr 19, 2013 8:19 pm
Hi, nearly got scammed by the well known Salma Davidson, this is the exchanged dialogue,top is the most recent email,

I just forwarded all the info to Google Wallet, they should be able to contact you now with all the details. Make sure to check your spam junk folder also since i receive my messages there sometimes.
Let me know when they contact you if not i will contact them again.
Thank You
Salma

Subject: Re: Scirocco
From:
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:50:41 +0100
To: [email protected]

Thank you, yes interested in the vehicle,
Here are my details:


GAVE MY ADDRESS AT THIS POINT

As stated in my previous email I cannot upload the money to google wallet until the 30th April at the end of the Inspection period when I get my job wage, please make sure this is ok with you and google wallet before you ship it.
Thankyou
,Sam

On 19 Apr 2013, at 22:22, Salma Davidson <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello again,

As i stated before the car is in Portree, Highland, UK. I can only deliver the car to your front door because I have moved to Spain being a petroleum engineer on a rig offshore I'm away most of the time, not much free time I will not be able to deal in person. I had pre-arranged the deal with Google Wallet so my presence is not necessary. The car is in their possession ready to be delivered. The car will arrive at your door in 2-4 days. As soon as the vehicle will be at your home, you will have 7 days to inspect and test drive the car. If you will not like the car 100% you will ship it back at my expense. I'm sure this will not happen because the car is in excellent condition. You will receive all the original documents and keys with the car. I signed all the paperwork and the clear title is ready to be transferred to the new owner.

The only way we can do this transaction is through Google Wallet because I want a smooth and safe transaction. You will have the chance to inspect the car before I will be paid.
If you are interested to buy my car, please send me your full name, shipping address and phone number so I can register the transaction with Google Wallet and they will reply you with more details and information about this transaction.
Thank you very much for your interest.
Salma Davidson


Subject: Re: Scirocco
From:
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:33:47 +0100
To: [email protected]

Hi again,
Very interested but can't get funds onto google wallet until the 30th (but the funds will be put on google wallet on that day) as we need to transfer money from our deposit account that has 7 working days notice, how would we get the vehicle registration documentation? Providing this all sounds ok and the payment date is ok with you then we can get the car shipped anytime? If you factor in the time to ship the car and the 7 days before payment then the 30th will have come around by then.
Thankyou
,Sam

On 19 Apr 2013, at 00:49, wrote:

Hello thank you for the swift reply,
That home delivery is very generous and would be useful as I live in Derbyshire.
I don't have the money until the start of may so the google wallet feature is very useful as well.
What other features does it have? I can see it has the multifunction wheel with paddle shift, what spec is the sat nav is it the RNS510? And what spec is the air con? And what else does it have like bi xenons etc?
Very interested as of now will keep you posted.
Thankyou
,Sam

On 19 Apr 2013, at 00:32, Salma Davidson <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello,

I received your message regarding my car 2010 Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSI
The car, is in showroom condition, no accidents, no damage, scratches or dents. HPI clear,complete service records, the car is fully paid. It is registered to United Kingdom,REG:CK10NBB, has 19,692 miles, mostly garage kept and babied. Mot paid until Nov 2013 and tax until Jan. 2014.
The price is not negotiable, £4000.00 firm.

Regarding the sale, i am selling it because i had to move back in Spain with work, i was unable to register it here as the fees are too high, being a UK model and specs but the car is in Portree, Highland, UK.
Because I am not in UK, we will use Google Wallet. Using their services it allows you as the buyer to receive the car first and also give you an inspection period of 7 days in which you can decline the sale if you are not satisfied. I trust they'll make this transaction secure for both of us by keeping the payment until you have received and inspected the car.

The shipping will be home delivery and insured. The car will be shipped on my expense, no extra costs for you.
Let me know if you`re still interested

Thank you very much
Salma Davidson

> Subject: Scirocco
> From:
> Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:59:13 +0100
> To: [email protected]
>
> Hi few questions about the scirocco,
> Why are you selling it so cheap? And what's your reason for selling?
> And what spec is the sat nav?
> Does it come with panoramic roof?
> And what's the registration? I can't make it out on the photos
> Thank you
> ,Sam


Feeling pretty dumb, now is it worth reporting this to the police? And what can they do with my address and mobile number? I didn't realise it was fraud until after I gave it to them.
Last edited by Bryon Williams on Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:57 am, edited 1 time in total. Reason: Added quotation for clarifity.
by Bryon Williams Sat Apr 20, 2013 1:13 am
Hello Lovatt01 and welcome to Scamwarners.

You do not have to worry about your address.

The scammer is only interested in stealing your money. He does not want your vehicle.

He wants to send you a fake payment.

He will then ask you to send an over payment to his agent, shipper, mover etc. He will tell you to send the money by Western Union, Money Gram or Bank Transfer. If you did this, you will never see your money again.

It is best to do all transactions in person with cash in a public place.

Please visit Auctions and Online Selling. In particular viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3222

Please contacta moferatorstor if you have a question or information about this post.



Please do not tell the scammer he is posted here.


Please remember the fallen. https://www.odmp.org/
by nessa2012 Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:33 am
Hi,

I think Salma Davidson is now acting under the name Diane Hunt. I enquired about an ad on Autotrader for a too good to be true Mini Cooper, 2007 only 22,500 miles priced at £2000. Ad said to email rather than phone so I did with a few questions and received the following replies (most recent at top) -
Hello again,

As i stated before the car is in Portree, Highland, UK. I can only deliver the car to your front door because I have moved to Spain being a petroleum engineer on a rig offshore I'm away most of the time, not much free time I will not be able to deal in person. I had pre-arranged the deal with Google Wallet so my presence is not necessary. The car is in their possession ready to be delivered. The car will arrive at your door in 2-4 days. As soon as the vehicle will be at your home, you will have 7 days to inspect and test drive the car. If you will not like the car 100% you will ship it back at my expense. I'm sure this will not happen because the car is in excellent condition. You will receive all the original documents and keys with the car. I signed all the paperwork and the clear title is ready to be transferred to the new owner.

The only way we can do this transaction is through Google Wallet because I want a smooth and safe transaction. You will have the chance to inspect the car before I will be paid.
If you are interested to buy my car, please send me your full name, shipping address and phone number so I can register the transaction with Google Wallet and they will reply you with more details and information about this transaction.
Thank you very much for your interest.
Diane Hunt

Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:06:48 -0700
Subject: Re: 2007 MINI Cooper 1.6 Cooper Hatchback
To: [email protected]

Hi Diane,

thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I am a first time car buyer and as this is a bit of an unusual situation I was wondering how the transfer of ownership papers would be handled?

Thank you,



From: Diane Hunt <[email protected]>

Sent: Tuesday, 23 April 2013, 20:54
Subject: RE: 2007 MINI Cooper 1.6 Cooper Hatchback

Hello,

I received your message regarding my car 2007 MINI Cooper 1.6 Cooper Hatchback
The car, is in showroom condition, no accidents, no damage, scratches or dents. HPI clear,complete service records, the car is fully paid. It is registered to United Kingdom,REG:MW07GXH, has 22,500 miles, mostly garage kept and babied. Mot paid until Nov 2013 and tax until Jan. 2014.
The price is not negotiable, £2000.00 firm.

Regarding the sale, i am selling it because i had to move back in Spain with work, i was unable to register it here as the fees are too high, being a UK model and specs but the car is in Portree, Highland, UK.
Because I am not in UK, we will use Google Wallet. Using their services it allows you as the buyer to receive the car first and also give you an inspection period of 7 days in which you can decline the sale if you are not satisfied. I trust they'll make this transaction secure for both of us by keeping the payment until you have received and inspected the car.

The shipping will be home delivery and insured. The car will be shipped on my expense, no extra costs for you.
Let me know if you`re still interested

Thank you very much
Diane Hunt



Word for word the same as Salma's oil rig story. Luckily I found this thread before I sent her any details or money! Interestingly the email address on the ad and the one I sent my original mail to is [email protected] but the replies have come from [email protected].

I've reported the ad to Autotrader, not sure what else can do though.
by Bryon Williams Wed Apr 24, 2013 3:01 pm
Welcome to Scamwarners nessa2012,

Thank you for posting the script and both email addresses the scammer used.

Bryon

Please contacta moferatorstor if you have a question or information about this post.



Please do not tell the scammer he is posted here.


Please remember the fallen. https://www.odmp.org/
by TerranceBoyce Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:51 pm
The scammers use multiple mailboxes nessa2012, particularly ad scammers, because the risk that one disgruntled victim will get their mailbox shut down is high, and that might risk them losing other potential victims they're in contact with.

You've done well to avoid getting scammed as you probably represent their ideal target. The excitement of buying your first car and getting a bargain is often all it takes for a person to lose all caution, when a simple online Google search will expose many of these scammers.

Don't buy a car you can't view first and insist on speaking to the person on the phone so that you can verify their location and who they are. If there are problems - walk away. When you're told they're marine biologists or oil rig workers, what they are really saying is that they want to avoid contact that'll expose them as scammers.

If it's a massive bargain don't overlook the warning signs.

CAR ADVERTS - If a car seller mentions escrow - he's scamming you Never ever for any reason pay anything until you have seen and inspected the vehicle
by vince Sun May 12, 2013 11:14 am
Hi Everyone - I have recently come across this scam, from Autotrader, UK with a BMW 2009 X5 for £8k with details below.

The main red light was that this person wouldn't give me their work number and when I called the (legitimate company), they didn't have them listed.

Lehtonen Salo, Chief Engineer
Energy Recovery Solutions
Atlas Copco ABT
Tuupakankuja 1, 01740
Vantaa, Finland

Below is the full email trail.

From: Lehtonen Salo [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 09 May 2013 10:30
To:
Subject: Re: 2009 BMW X5 3.0d SE 5dr Auto Diesel Estate

The car is still for sale, I bought this car in the UK and it is still registered there, so you do not have to pay import fees or any other taxes. Before shipping I will get the bill of sale notarized and I will send it along with the car.
In case you wish to check it the registration number is EO09LCW and the VIN number is WBAFF42090L176439.
In case you wish to come down here i think i am able to wait for you 2 -3 days. I have many interested buyers and i can not wait too long.
In case you wish to use a third party i want to use the service provided by Google, Google Wallet.
It works like this :
You will send payment to Google and they will keep the funds until your receive the car and are satisfied with it ( you will have a 15 days test period). In this way both buyer and seller are covered 100%. As for me, I'll be secured knowing they are in possession of the money.
You will be given 15 days for inspections, starting from the day you receive the car (I will send it to your address, insured for full value).
If you decide to keep the car, then you will have to authorize Google to send me the funds, and the transaction is complete. If the car is not as described (perfect interior, exterior and mechanical condition), you can send the vehicle back via the same transport company and ask Google to return the funds to you.
If you want to read more about this service please visit http://www.wallet.google.web-google.co. ... 0&continue .
If you decide to use this method you will have to sign up for an account at http://www.wallet.google.web-google.co. ... 0&continue and provide me with the e-mail address you used to create the account so i can start the transaction.

Kind Regards

Lehtonen Salo
Chief Engineer
Energy Recovery Solutions
Atlas Copco ABT
Tuupakankuja 1, 01740
Vantaa, Finland

On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 3:22 PM, wrote:
Hi Lehtonen,
I can’t seem to find your car listed anymore and was wondering if it is still available. I am very interested as it’s exactly the kind of X5 I have been looking for a long time.
However, it will be difficult for me to wire the funds to a third party so as a suggestion of goodwill, I could reimburse you for part of the shipping costs if the deal doesn’t go through. But, if the car is exactly as in the pictures, then it shouldn’t be a problem.
Can you please let me know if you’re still interested?
Thanks,
From:
Sent: 08 May 2013 13:37
To: 'Lehtonen Salo'
Subject: RE: 2009 BMW X5 3.0d SE 5dr Auto Diesel Estate
Hi Lehtonen,
I am very interested in the car, but obviously feel uncomfortable about sending the money to a third party.
Could you give me your work phone number and we can potentially discuss how to move forward?
Thanks,
From: Lehtonen Salo [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 08 May 2013 12:01
To:
Subject: Re: 2009 BMW X5 3.0d SE 5dr Auto Diesel Estate
Hi

I am the seller of the 2009 BMW X5 3.0d SE 5dr Auto Diesel Estate 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 BMW 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 8000 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
Lehtonen Salo Chief Engineer
Energy Recovery Solutions
Atlas Copco ABT
Tuupakankuja 1, 01740
Vantaa, Finland



I have notified the authorities and hope that people Google using key words before getting scammed. And I'll remember for next time that when it's too good to be true, it's too good to be true! There was some great advice on this thread so thank you everyone!
by began steele Sun May 12, 2013 12:59 pm
http://www.wallet.google.web-google.co. ... 0&continue HAS BEEN REPORTED FOR SHUTTING DOWN, Google Wallet is for in shop purchases and only stores your information for use in smart phones. The scammer has gone a stage further to get the victims stored confidential information too. http://db.aa419.org/fakebanksview.php?key=76786

We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. ~~ George Orwell.
by vonpaso xlura Sun May 12, 2013 2:09 pm
From what I know about Finnish names, this scammer doesn't know more about Finnish names than typical West African scammers know about English names. web-google.co.uk is in the process of being reported for fraud.

... ni los estafadores heredarán el reino de Dios. 1 Cor. 6:10
by KMG170 Tue May 14, 2013 6:56 am
I've fallen for this scam, everything I received of a supposed "Maria Evans" is an identical duplicate to everything else I've seen here! Just I purchased a fiat 500. I was wondering if anyone has got those money back, if that's even possible. Safe to say Barclays Bank have been less than helpful, I'm onto the financial ombudsman because Barclays were stupidly negligent from start to finish.
by TerranceBoyce Tue May 14, 2013 8:11 am
Can you share the details of the bank account KMG170. In cases where the bank account has been used for multiple frauds your case is very much stronger and you can use the search mechanism to check if the one that was offered to you has cropped up before.

I'll post a link to another thread where I have quoted from the representative bodies of UK financial institutions and also the police and they all state quite categorically that those who act as 'money mules', whether as innocent dupes or willing participants, will be required to repay the money they launder as a minimum consequence of their actions.

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=64630&start=30

My post on May 10th at 7.32pm

Now - I understand that the issue isn't so simple but, it's preposterous to expound a policy, which appears to be the only defence against those setting up 'money laundering' rings, and then ignore it. I spent a lifetime in banking and have read very widely on the subject, so I do have an insight in to the issue and one problem is that frequently those performing the money laundering have no money themselves. Under those circumstances the responsibility then lies with the bank, and it is impossible not to notice that some banks have much greater problems than others.

The apparent reaction of banks is to behave like a truculent child and refuse to implement their own policy and pretend they have no obligations under money laundering regulations. Of course the consequence of their current policy is that the whole banking system could be torn apart by scammers playing bank accounts like fruit machines that only ever pay out, and they dare not own up to this. Their behaviour flies in the face of banking policy, their legal responsibility and could bring about their downfall.

If you own a car and run people over, the state will take it away from you, whether the cause is your fault or not. A bank account should be no different, and it can be used as an economic weapon against victims in particular and the economy in general. CIFAS state that there were 45,000 instances of money mule fraud last year and without action to deter it, it undermines the economy, and don't forget, it also undermines business in making the public lose faith in bank accounts. There are very serious implications if the matter isn't addressed and banks MUST act more firmly in dealing with the problem.

I would also point out that this seems a problem that affects the UK much more than other countries, but nonetheless why should it be a problem in the UK at all ?

CAR ADVERTS - If a car seller mentions escrow - he's scamming you Never ever for any reason pay anything until you have seen and inspected the vehicle
by Bangjovi Wed May 15, 2013 2:29 am
So glad I am I sceptic. Here is an email I received last night after putting a query on Autotrader.

Hi Peter

I am the seller of the 2009 NISSAN QASHQAI 1.5 DCi Acenta 5dr Diesel 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 Qashqai 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

Kinnunen Karjalainen
Chief Engineer
Energy Recovery Solutions
Atlas Copco ABT
Tuupakankuja 1, 01740
Vantaa, Finland


Obviously they have moved from Spain to Finland. The old adage "if its too good to be true" definitely true
by TerranceBoyce Wed May 15, 2013 6:51 am
Buying a car 'sight unseen' is remarkably risky, especially with such a convoluted story. The writing style doesn't scream out a West African writing style as they often do, but equally it doesn't show any trace of the writer being Finnish either. Even a fluent English speaker of foreign origin will write differently to a native English person.

If you ask for the car registration number and the number of the V5C certificate you can quickly confirm the truth of his story which you can check online.

You've avoided being scammed - nice work.

In this case the car doesn't exist in the seller's possession, but how would you avoid buying a stolen car with a cloned identity if you don't actually go and inspect it ? If it's stolen, when you try and register it the police will come and take it off you.

CAR ADVERTS - If a car seller mentions escrow - he's scamming you Never ever for any reason pay anything until you have seen and inspected the vehicle

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