Campervan Scams

Hi

We have recently found two scams on camper van sales ads:
This one was from [email protected]
Hi,
i`m the owner of the van you were interested in buying few days ago. I was away with my son and I just got to see your email.
This van has a full service history and all documentation is present and in my name. It has been stored in undercover storage from new so the exterior is perfect. Mot until december 2013 and taxed till octomber very low miles. The final price is not negotiable: £6400. My husband died 2 months ago and I was left with it but I don`t even have a drivers license. If you agree I can send you the link to my private auction on eBay so you can buy it from there since I all ready had a buyer last week who came up with some fake notes. I don`t really trust someone else to come around my house. Please note that you will be able to check directly on ebay the registration and all the information about it because they did a HPI check(it does not have any outstanding finance). As soon as you will confirm the payment to eBay, I will proceed with the delivery without any additional costs for you. You will receive the van with all the documents. As you know eBay is the best company of online transactions. If you are indeed interested in buying it and have the funds, I will list it on eBay, as I have a 100% positive feedback with them.
Please let me know your decision.
Thank you

And this one in March:

Hello,

For the moment I am in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK in a military base, getting ready for Afghanistan (I hope for the last time). I'm doing a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or give calls whenever I want. The delivery will take 2 to 3 days depending on your location and it’s not a problem because I can do it at no cost for you. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like Google Checkout because I already prearranged the whole process with them, using their Google Safe Pay Solutions (bank-to-bank wire transfer) for vehicles.
The money will be sent to Google Checkout, before you will receive the vehicle. So, you will deposit the payment directly into the Google Checkout agent's bank account in United Kingdom, either online or at most banks and they will hold and secure your money during the entire transaction. I repeat, they will hold and insure your money until receipt of the vehicle in good condition and will release the funds to us only after you decide to keep the vehicle and you register it, into your name. You will have an inspection period of 7 days. In this time you can check, test and inspect the vehicle. If by any reason (the vehicle has any hidden damages or is not like I describe it) you can reject the deal. In this case Google Checkout will refund you totally and they will deliver the vehicle back.
You can read more about Google Checkout here:
http://cars-google-checkout.co.uk/uk-su ... hicle.html

Let me know your shipping details (your full name, full address and home phone number) so I can open a transaction case with Google Checkout and declare you as buyer. They will contact you with further information regarding payment and delivery.

Regards,
Anne Jeffery ,

Watch out - and please keep posting the ads so others can find them.

I found the first by googling the email and found an exact match on this site!

I've had dealings with this scammer as a scam baiter and he's operating as a professional scammer.

He uses his own e-mail domains similar to - skytraffic.co.uk - that you mention.

First - insist he gives you his phone number to contact him - that enables you to verify his location in the UK, his nationality by accent (West African scammers are immediately recognisable and mostly incomprehensible) - 44(0)70 numbers immediately indicate a scammer.

Second - don't buy a vehicle you can't go and view.

People on the high seas and fighting abroad or stuck on oil rigs don't buy and sell cars. These are all classic scammer tactics to avoid contact that will expose them. There may be fantastic bargains beyond your range to go and view, but it's more likely it's a scammer and, if he starts handing excuses why you can't see his vehicle or contact him, it's virtually certain you're going to lose your money.

Ive got the exact same email as the second one you listed, except the name is Dave Green and the email is
[email protected]

Ive got the exact same email as the second one you listed, except the name is Dave Green and the email is
[email protected]

I too was attracted to an unusually cheap camper van offered for sale by somebody based at a military camp on the Isle of Man.
Please read below and don't get conned!


Hi David, As I've said in my previous email I am currently
located in the Isle of Man in the military base do daily trainings for 2 weeks
to get ready to be deployed on mission in Mali . I'm doing a special training
program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or give calls
whenever I want. The delivery will take 2 to 3 days depending on your location
and it's not a problem because I can do it at no cost for you. Because it is a
large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third
part like Google Wallet because I already prearranged the whole process with
them, using their Google Safe Pay Solutions (bank-to-bank wire transfer) for
vehicles.The money will be sent to Google Wallet, before you will
receive the vehicle. So, you will deposit the payment directly into the Google
Wallet agent's bank account in United Kingdom, either online or at most banks
and they will hold and secure your money during the entire transaction. I
repeat, they will hold and insure your money until receipt of the vehicle in
good condition and will release the funds to us only after you decide to keep
the vehicle and you register it, into your name. You will have an inspection
period of 10 days. In this time you can check, test and inspect the vehicle. If
by any reason (the vehicle has any hidden damages or is not like I describe it)
you can reject the deal. In this case Google Wallet will refund you totally and
they will deliver the vehicle back.You can read more about Google Wallet
Let me know your shipping details (your full name, full address and home phone
number) so I can open a transaction case with Google Wallet and declare you as
buyer. They will contact you with further information regarding payment and
delivery.

To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: 2007 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T5 CAMPER VAN 1.9 TDI 98,000 Miles.
Date: Wed, 11
Sep 2013 18:17:10

Hi Dean. Very interested in ur van would like to see and pay ur
asking price. Live nr Manchester could arrange to meet as off work from this
Sunday 15 Sept. Pls email back to arrange.

Regards. David

From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: 2007 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T5 CAMPER VAN 1.9 TDI 98,000 Miles. Date: Wed, 11
Sep 2013 12:04:40



I can confirm that the vehicle is still for sale and that never been involved in an accident. Nobody smoked in and I never carried
pets. Full history and V5 document are present, HPI is clear.My last price
is £ 4800.The only reason for selling this vehicle so cheap is because I
am involved in a military project and move to Mali on September 29 and come
back after 6 months. It is the first time I will go to Mali so I'm a little
nervous but excited.It would be a shame to keep the vehicle in the
garage 6 months without being used and I also need some cash before leaving to
Mali. Right now I am located in a small military base in the Isle of Man
because our squad do some special training here.The vehicle is here with me
inside of the base garage.In case you are still interested to buy it
please write me back since I can deliver the vehicle anywhere in UK on my
cost.Thank you for being interested in my vehicle.Dean R.[/color]

I have today found out that this scam is still going. Exactly the same emails and exactly the same text. This time they are using the name Dean Robert Dockray. The only thing that has changed is the amount this advert was asking for £2800 for a green campervan with flowers on it.
The advert was for 1976 VOLKSWAGEN CAMPER VAN DEVON 1.6 PETROL 76,000 Miles. Registration JLV 657P.
I got intouch with auto trader who were very helpful an told me why the advert had suddenly been removed.
Hope this helps.

Scammers selling vehicles that don't exist are on all ad sites.

The safest way to protect yourself is NEVER to buy a vehicle you haven't viewed first.

Hundreds of victims have trusted the seller and been burned, and once you've paid your money, it's lost and gone forever.

If the seller's located on the Orkney Islands and you're in London then don't risk it. If he's on holiday, being deployed by the army or has some other lame excuse as to why he's selling a car without thinking how he can let people view it, he's a scammer.

If it's an incredible mouth watering bargain - that's reason enough to be cautious. Scammers always offer the best deals.

I just managed to avert a family member from being scammed out of £12k for a camper van.

Here's the anatomy of the scam, and the scammer details, so that hopefully others that google his credentials will find this site.

Campervan listed on Gumtree - A 2011 Elddis Autoquest 130 - Price £12,000 - Half the market value - Sounds too good to be true?

Family member contacted the "seller", who speaks with an Eastern European accent. - He explains that he has had to move to Edinburgh, but the camper van is located in Plymouth. Because of this, he cannot facilitate any viewing or inspection of the vehicle. However, the vehicle is exactly as described, and he can arrange for it to be delivered, if payment is made. To ensure safety, he requests that payment be made through eBay, who can hold the money for 5 days after delivery, during which time the buyer can fully inspect the vehicle, and if it is not as described, eBay will return the money to the buyer. If this happens, and it won't happen he says, because the camper is exactly as described, he will arrange to have it collected at his own expense.

To prove that everything is above board, he provides, via email, a weblink to what appears to be a real eBay site, detailing their terms and conditions of transacting payments. It all looks very real, but of course, the whole site is fake. The site also includes his eBay profile, with 100% positive feedback. All fake of course, and suspiciously, all of the feedback uses very similar language.

Now convinced that they can go ahead with the sale, my family member said let's proceed. He then emailed a weblink entitled "2011 Elddis AutoQuest 130". Clicking on the link takes you to a page with the URL ending in mantei5sabin.de that is cleverly constructed to look like buy.ebay.co.uk-css.view.....etc.

The website that loads looks exactly like an eBay site, with all of the necessary logos, and requests a bank to bank transfer to eBay's holding account for the transaction.

Before proceeding any further, thank our lucky stars, my relative called me for advice, and we were able to abort the whole thing.

This guy's mobile phone number is 07907 980069 and his email address [email protected] - Added here so that google can index these and lead other marks to this site before they hand over their money.

Welcome to Scamwarners Scammer-Hammer and good on you for saving another victim from joining the queue.

Once the money's gone - there's no getting it back and this is a classic scam. Setting the websites up is not challenging and it's being done on such a scale I wouldn't go near an ad site myself. I know enough to avoid being scammed by having to wade through all the scammers currently on them would just be infuriating and a waste of time.

I've got photos of the scammers with the banknotes spread out over their beds in heaps. Certainly it's predominantly an Eastern European scam but it's so easy, I'm sure that UK criminals have become involved too. Mostly they're located in the UK to set up the bank accounts, but once that's done they can operate it from anywhere on the planet. With a big enough store of fraudulent bank accounts established they can operate large scale fraud remotely, with little chance of ever getting arrested - not that the risks of anyone getting arrested at the moment are great.

Last year there was a news report that one gang was cracked, but I think that the police have lost interest now because cracking one gang makes no difference. I hope you get a beer for your good deed - you deserve it.

Hi everyone,

Yes they have tried to do me to. here is the content of the emails received.

Hi,

I can confirm that the vehicle is still for sale and that never been involved in an accident. Nobody smoked in and I never carried pets. Full history and V5 document are present, HPI is clear.
My last price is £ 3000.

The only reason for selling this vehicle so cheap is because I am involved in a military project and move to Mali on October 10 and come back after 6 months. It is the first time I will go to Mali so I'm a little nervous but excited.

It would be a shame to keep the vehicle in the garage 6 months without being used and I also need some cash before leaving to Mali.

Right now I am located in a small military base in the Isle of Man because our squad do some special training here.
The vehicle is here with me inside of the base garage.

In case you are still interested to buy it please write me back since I can deliver the vehicle anywhere in UK on my cost.

Thank you for being interested in my vehicle.
Dean R. Dockray

Followed by:

Subject: Re: 1972 VOLKSWAGEN TYPE T2 BAY WINDOW CAMPER 5600 Miles.
From: ************@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 21:41:03 +0100
To: [email protected]

Thanks for the offer Dean, but as it is now removed from auto trader and you are not at an address in the uk I will let this one go.

Regards
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Followed by:

Hi xxxxxxxxxxxxxx,

It is still for sale on autotrader.
As I've said in my previous email I am currently located in the Isle of Man in the military base do daily trainings for 2 weeks to get ready to be deployed on mission in Mali . I'm doing a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or give calls whenever I want. The delivery will take 2 to 3 days depending on your location and it's not a problem because I can do it at no cost for you. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like Google Wallet because I already prearranged the whole process with them, using their Google Safe Pay Solutions (bank-to-bank wire transfer) for vehicles.

The money will be sent to Google Wallet, before you will receive the vehicle. So, you will deposit the payment directly into the Google Wallet agent's bank account in United Kingdom, either online or at most banks and they will hold and secure your money during the entire transaction. I repeat, they will hold and insure your money until receipt of the vehicle in good condition and will release the funds to us only after you decide to keep the vehicle and you register it, into your name. You will have an inspection period of 10 days. In this time you can check, test and inspect the vehicle. If by any reason (the vehicle has any hidden damages or is not like I describe it) you can reject the deal. In this case Google Wallet will refund you totally and they will deliver the vehicle back.
You can read more about Google Wallet here:

http://wallet-google-uk.starjale.com/ho ... #how-works

Let me know your shipping details (your full name, full address and home phone number) so I can open a transaction case with Google Wallet and declare you as buyer. They will contact you with further information regarding payment and delivery.

Regards,
Dean

I too have been duped! 10/10/13:-

Yes i confirm that the engine sound and gearbox are OK.
The MPG is around 40.
Yes it has 6 months MOT, no advisories on the last MOT.
As I've said in my previous email I am currently located in the Isle of Man in the military base do daily trainings for 2 weeks to get ready to be deployed on mission in Mali . I'm doing a special training program each day and I am not allowed to get out of the unit or give calls whenever I want. The delivery will take 2 to 3 days depending on your location and it's not a problem because I can do it at no cost for you. Because it is a large transaction, we will complete the deal only using an authorized third part like Google Wallet because I already prearranged the whole process with them, using their Google Safe Pay Solutions (bank-to-bank wire transfer) for vehicles.

The money will be sent to Google Wallet, before you will receive the vehicle. So, you will deposit the payment directly into the Google Wallet agent's bank account in United Kingdom, either online or at most banks and they will hold and secure your money during the entire transaction. I repeat, they will hold and insure your money until receipt of the vehicle in good condition and will release the funds to us only after you decide to keep the vehicle and you register it, into your name. You will have an inspection period of 10 days. In this time you can check, test and inspect the vehicle. If by any reason (the vehicle has any hidden damages or is not like I describe it) you can reject the deal. In this case Google Wallet will refund you totally and they will deliver the vehicle back.
You can read more about Google Wallet here:
http://service-checkout.google.lmc.gr/h ... #how-works

Let me know your shipping details (your full name, full address and home phone number) so I can open a transaction case with Google Wallet and declare you as buyer. They will contact you with further information regarding payment and delivery.

Regards,
Brian,

Keep safe & secure people

By the way . .
Thanks for alerting me, I could be quids down

http://service-checkout.google.lmc.gr/h ... #how-works is in the process of being killed by the good folks over at 419Eater.com.

@diddo

where did you find the campervan advertised?

The ads are still appearing

http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/used-motorhomes/volkswagen/transporter/2010-volkswagen-transporter-t5-campervan-motorhome-140tdi-sw-4x4-motion-diesel-ravensbury-mfpa-8ab653e941a057930141a740d8936230/makemodel/make/volkswagen

2010 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T5 Campervan Motorhome 140TDI SW 4X4 Motion Diesel in Ravensbury 12,900 Miles
£5,903

Ridiculous price.

An unusable phone number and an e-mail address in the photos - [email protected] leaves no doubt.

It would be pointless plastering these forums with every fake ad I find, but no buyer must ever lay out any money before they've seen and inspected the vehicle they intend to buy, under any circumstances. If the seller has an excuse why this can't be done then he's an idiot or a scammer, but most likely a scammer.

If you think buying sight unseen is the only way to secure a bargain just bear in mind that this scam dates from the Middle Ages when it was known as 'buying a pig in a poke'. Don't allow yourself to be scammed by one of the oldest tricks in the book.

Just had correspondence from the same guy luckily I'm a cynical type and was suspicious about there being an army base on the Isle of Man and came across this forum. This concerns an 05 vw t5 camper van that was on Auto trader. His email was [email protected]. Very thankful this forum exists!

Hi, I can confirm that the vehicle is still for sale and that never been involved in an accident. Nobody smoked in and I never carried pets. Full history and V5 document are present, HPI is clear.My last price is £ 3650.The only reason for selling this vehicle so cheap is because I am involved in a military project and move to Mali on November 20 and come back after 6 months. It is the first time I will go to Mali so I'm a little nervous but excited.It would be a shame to keep the vehicle in the garage 6 months without being used and I also need some cash before leaving to Mali.Right now I am located in a small military base in the Isle of Man because our squad do some special training here.The vehicle is here with me inside of the base garage.In case you are still interested to buy it please write me back since I can deliver the vehicle anywhere in UK on my cost.Thank you for being interested in my vehicle.

Brian crighton

I've got this scammer, 'the Mali Man', in my sights right now.

As previously mentioned, the ones using the Google Wallet spoofed web pages are part of an East European Gang, most likely Romanian, but the scam is so popular and UK enforcement so lax that we have our own home grown scammers jumping on board the scam train. The Romanians are UK based and many don't speak English though some do, and they'll try to avoid speaking by phone if they can. The Romanians are well organised and invariably use bank accounts that they've either set up themselves against fake ID or that they've recruited from victims of fake job ads.

Never forget that this is organised crime on a scale that ranks them alongside big business with an annual multi-million pound turnover and I know for a fact that they're also deeply involved in the distribution of hard drugs. If UK law enforcement can't or are unable to do anything about it, they could at least make the public better aware of the risks of using ad sites. The primary responsibility of any government is the protection of its citizens, and our government is failing.