BEWARE selling cars - SCAM that cost me dearly

[Neil]

Hi folks,

Just thought i'd give you a friendly piece of advice when selling your cars. This scam cost me €10k and I am now carless (well in the process of looking for a cheap enough run around).

A friendly French chap called me on a Thursday about my car I was selling. We discussed pricing and the general state of the car, he said he'd be coming from Paris on Saturday and would prepare a bankers draft with his bank (cheque de banque) so that if the car suited him then we could do the paperwork there and then.

SCAM - you cannot call the emitting bank to check the draft on a saturday. The man used FAKE ID (an official French ID card faked and had stolen another person's identity in the process - the photo was of the scammer). Beware of calling the number on the cheque - the scammers now use redirection systems to reply to your calls even and tell you that everything is fine with the cheque.

My scammer got away with the car, insurance wants nothing to do with it because its my fault and the Gendarmerie "are doing their best".

End of the day - only way to sell a car is during the week and do the transaction in a bank OR verify the bankers draft with the emitting bank on a week day. The other possibility is cash BUT again there are scams and beware that it is illegal to perform financial transactions in cash for cars over €4000 (i seem to remember).

Hope you can all learn from the tough lesson i've had to learn.   

Neil (new to the forum but hoping to be around more often)

[AnOther]

Ouch, bummer.

It was obviously a well planned sophisticated scam so the chances of getting you car back are pretty remote I'd say but you never know.

Thanks for the headsup.

It's €3000 cash BTW, and for anything not just for cars, but quite how this could be realistically policed is unclear.

[Neil]

Its policed at the source - the bank - when someone withdraws that amount of cash or pays it in, it sets off a red flag. I've done it myself in the past without knowing the legality of it all and had a few inquisitive phone calls and inspections d'impots afterwards!

[krusty]

[quote user="Neil"]

Its policed at the source - the bank - when someone withdraws that amount of cash or pays it in, it sets off a red flag. I've done it myself in the past without knowing the legality of it all and had a few inquisitive phone calls and inspections d'impots afterwards!

[/quote]

So if you accept the cash and stuff it under the bed , then pay it into the bank at 2k a month you are ok ? [;-)]

[AnOther]

As long as you know about it it doesn't take much to think of ways to avoid attracting attention but let's not hijack a potentially important thread by discussing it hey ?

[krusty]

Agree with you Ernie , and thanks to Neil for the warning .......as I am about to sell a car.

[Gastines]

It would be interesting to know where the car was advertised? I did think that if a friend had a decent car it might even be worth having a go at a sting?I forgot to add,if you get another dodgy buyer,advise the Police first.

[Bugsy]

The advice I was given for the recent sale of my bike was, as follows.

1. Ask the buyer to email you a photocopy of the bank draft.

2. Ring the bank using the number from directory enquiries, not any other.

3. At the time of collection photocopy the buyers ID.

4. Suss out how you feel about the buyer on his/her arrival and if you have any doubts, don't let the vehicle go.

In my case, when I rang the bank they asked me to forward to them the photocopy of the cheque and came back, within half an hour to say that it was genuine and that the funds were available.

[glacier1]

I have seen this type of scam often, I sold 3 cars here in France, EACH time I make them come down to pay for the car on a week day, on Tuesday's or Wednesday's, my bank takes the cheque, I go in with him/her, the bank manager personally calls the buyers bank, asks if the money's actually in the account and that the person is actually whom he says he is, then he accepts the cheque.

NEVER accept people's payment on Saturdays, or people who say they are in London but they will send someone over to pick up the vehicle plus they will draft transfer the full sum (without negotiation) to your account and pick up the vehicle the next day etc.....these are classic scams...

As foreigners here, we should be doubly careful!

David

[glacier1]

My caravan was stolen in france a while back, police are also looking into it, insurance didn't want to know, I'm 12,000 euro out of pocket

[Bugsy]

[quote user="glacier1"]My caravan was stolen in france a while back, police are also looking into it, [/quote]

They've found it then [Www]

[:D]

[BJSLIV]

insurance didn't want to know

Any particular reason why?

 

[Neil]

Well its considered an "escroquerie" and not a theft - even if they put your car on the stolen cars register...

There is an option that costs €15 a year extra but you have to respect certain conditions and all sorts to make sure that it works!