Man duped by O/S ebay scam. $12,000 for commodore

[JADED6]

Well most of us have seen these scams or threads about them by now.

Basically the link explains how he wired $12,000 to an overseas account after buying a car off eBay only to see no car & no trace of his money.
If it doesn't seem suspicious that an Australian car is sitting in scandanavia, ready to be sent to you real cheaply then you're probably better off not on our roads. I do feel sorry for this guy but come on.
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au...5E2682,00.html

[JADED6]

The story incase the link fails at a latter date.

"$12,000 carjack - The auction site Commodore that didn't exist"

28aug05

A GILLES Plains man has been duped out of more than $12,000 after attempting to buy a car off internet auction site eBay.
The fraud, which has been linked to organised crime, is virtually untraceable with police holding out little hope of tracking down the perpetrator.
Michael Holliday, 25, is furious after paying the money this month for a 2002 Holden Commodore V8, only to discover the car did not exist.
"I was just devastated to start with," he said.
"I couldn't quite believe it until it really hit that I wasn't going to get my money back."

Mr Holliday bid for the car when he saw it offered on auction site eBay.
The fraudster contacted Mr Holliday after the auction to say the deal with the highest bidder had fallen through.
He told Mr Holliday that he would accept his lower bid of $9400, including shipment and handling.
Calling himself Francisk Murphy of Bratislava, in Slovakia, he claimed he had just moved there from Australia to get married.
"My kid was born a week ago here in Bratislava and as a fresh daddy, I can't find the time to ride the car any more," he wrote in an email.
"The car is already crated with all the papers inside signed by me and ready to go at the shipping company."

The fraudster created a fake website for internet trade dispute specialists Square Trade.
He claimed he had a $20,000 "purchase protection account" through SquareTrade and provided the internet links to verify that.
It has since been discovered the links were fake.
Mr Holliday made the initial payment of $9400 through Western Union and then another $2800 for a new shipping crate. Western Union is a wire service that can be accessed without the recipient leaving a money trail.
It is designed specifically for money transfer to friends and family, not for deals.
"It wasn't until he asked for more money for a new shipping crate that I found out it was a scam," Mr Holliday said. "I thought I was emailing Square Trade – I didn't know I was emailing him personally.
"He also sent me a fake website for TNT Cargo Express with false shipping information. I recommend eBay users get used to trading online before negotiating big deals.
"And watch what web pages you're actually visiting. Make sure you are on eBay."

Mr Holliday is not the only one being scammed, with SA police saying it is a common occurrence most likely linked to underworld operatives.
"Where is the money going?" Commercial and E-Crime branch officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent Tony Rankine said.
"It's not just shady individuals – how deep is organised crime involved or terrorist groups? I'd say quite significantly."
SA Police E-Crime Branch figures show since July 1, 69 people have reported dishonesty offences.
But Supt Rankine said this was not indicative of the real numbers, because less than 10 per cent of fraud cases were reported.
He said companies, particularly financial institutions, did not want to risk their image or reputation.
"Everyone is a victim of fraud," he said.
"If you haven't been affected directly, you are indirectly affected when it comes to banks and other agencies recouping their losses through increased fees and charges."
eBay Australia spokesman Daniel Feiler acknowledged online fraud was "problematic".
"We work closely with law enforcement," he said.
"This was a grey market incident (off eBay), but if there's any information at all we may have on the seller in regards to this matter, we will share this information with the police."

[andrew_smith_84]

ebay has warnings about sending money through western union. his own fault. also who would ship a car o.s. only to 'sell' later? some things just scream DODGEY!

[SpoolMan]

Crazy dude, sends $12K blind...

[Mike Gayner]

Idiot.

[Bucknaked]

Its not the first time. Last time involved a notebook. Why don't people follow the rules and use recommended forms of payments. i.e paypal. Serves him right

[Dodge]

that was a cheap lesson, some people pay 100s of thousands to have a home built by a dodgy builder, lots of them end up bulldozing the dream away. anyone that buys something sight un seen is taking a gamble. I wish EBAY them selves set up a proper sale system where they get the money into a trust account until the item has been delivered . or just dont use ebay, they profit last year was enough to buy out a major bank in australia.

[MrSparkle]

I thought the only people who used Western Union were Nigerian scammers????

[The Mighty Red]

Originally Posted by XRFPV8

Crazy dude, sends $12K blind...

Yeah I have to agree , you must be in need of serious medication to send $12,000 for a car you have never seen to a person you have never met.
:

[TZENU]

That was pretty stooopid......

I have seen ads for a brand new 350z and RX8 that are by different users but have the same story in it.... "I am in the army in france and i will send the car via lufthansa cargo straight to your doorstep"....

What a crock of S&*^

[FordFan86]

Where does a 25 yr old man from gilles plain get $12k, looking the way he does.... tax free all the way i think....
EDIT: picture in the sunday mail, SA

[RED_EL_XR8]

Originally Posted by FordFan86

Where does a 25 yr old man from gilles plain get $12k, looking the way he does.... tax free all the way i think....
EDIT: picture in the sunday mail, SA

Where does a Young Lad from Adelaide get the money for a Fairlaine!!! Comment on the stupidity by all means, but its a harsh call to ask where someone obtained a few thousand dollars, based on their appearance.!!!

[b2tf]

Serves him right as far as im concerned, youd be nuts to buy a car from Ebay sight unseen.

[Heeno]

Originally Posted by back2thefutura

Serves him right as far as im concerned, youd be nuts to buy a car from Ebay sight unseen.

agreed. what an idiot

[Lukeyson]

Originally Posted by JADED6

Calling himself Francisk Murphy of Bratislava

Haha he probably got that from Euro Trip

[Casper]

Sorry, the guy got scammed with is sad but to actually fall for that crap is even sadder. Next time he'll work out quicker that if it looks too good to be true...it probably is!

[Kryton]

yet the scam ads are so easy to pick though on Ebay. everyday there is another 5 in the car section alone.

[Hardtopxb]

Doooooh

[bindi]

Wouldn't you have just bought one in your local area?! And gone over to check it out beforehand? Surely they aren't all that expensive.

What a weirdo.

[EA2BA]

What a loser, deserves him right, no real sympathy from me, as they say:

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cant fool all the people all the time.

[Paris Hilton]

Yeah, what a loser. Who buys a Holden, i mean, seriously, some people.

[RED_EL_XR8]

Originally Posted by slection

Yeah, what a loser. .........

Will he get an award mention at one of your monthly meetings??

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by slection

Yeah, what a loser. Who buys a Holden, i mean, seriously, some people.

Thats right, they should be buying EA's.

[Paris Hilton]

Originally Posted by back2thefutura

Thats right, they should be buying EA's.

damn straight

[Sourbastard]

Originally Posted by back2thefutura

Thats right, they should be buying EA's.

The dude got scammed for 12,000 bucks, dont you think he has been punished enough?

[Heeno]

Originally Posted by sourbastard

The dude got scammed for 12,000 bucks, dont you think he has been punished enough?

yea he's right.......should of bought an eb :

[XAGSV8]

Originally Posted by sourbastard

The dude got scammed for 12,000 bucks, dont you think he has been punished enough?

I think years of his mates and family paying the sh!t out of him will be worse.

[BA_Turbs]

I know it the wrong thread, but while we're on the topic, does anyone want to buy my 2003 XR6T for $15K? If interested visit www.won'tbeheretomorrow.com.au

For info, I accept cash or money as payment, in a briefcase and dropped in a mail box of my choosing. I will arrange to ship the car to you once I have payment. If you purchase in the next 15 minutes I'll also inculde a set of steak knives, a 1929 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, Delta Goodrem (excludes clothing) and a cubic metre of diamonds.

Enquires call me on 1-900-too-dumb

[MITCHAY]

Originally Posted by BA_Turbs

I know it the wrong thread, but while we're on the topic, does anyone want to buy my 2003 XR6T for $15K? If interested visit www.won'tbeheretomorrow.com.au

For info, I accept cash or money as payment, in a briefcase and dropped in a mail box of my choosing. I will arrange to ship the car to you once I have payment. If you purchase in the next 15 minutes I'll also inculde a set of steak knives, a 1929 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, Delta Goodrem (excludes clothing) and a cubic metre of diamonds.

Enquires call me on 1-900-too-dumb

LMFAO!!! Ill take Delta off ya hands.

[4.9 EF Futura]

I always wondered if someone would ever fall for that auction... I also wondered which capital city the person would come from... spose I should have known.

If it looks too good to be true - then it is. Simple, no?