Ebay, Gumtree & Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

[Darryl1108]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree & Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Hi
Just discovered this forum after being scammed to the tune of £4,600. I'm normally very vigilent but fell for the "Its such a good deal so dont want to miss out"
The car was a Honda CRV on Autotrader with the Usual Prival Sale and to conatct Directly. After sending the first email last night, all my subsequent communications were via email on my phone whilst at work.
I got the working away information along with the use of an escrow compay, which a quick google search appeared legit. We eventually got to the time to transfer funds to the escrow account, which, unfortunately for me I logged onto my banks at work and for the first time ever guessed correctly my account password which meant that I was able to setup the transfer.

Payment instructions

Beneficiary / Account Name : VISION LTD Account Number : 70204544 Sort Code : 20-70-15 Reference No : 878278

Amount: GBP 4,550.00 Shipping Cost: GBP 1.00 Finance Vision Ltd fee: GBP 24.95 Total: GBP 4575.95

Upon getting home from work I dicovered something not quite right, so Contacted Halifax, but met with nothing they can do. Spoke to Barclays as the receiving account is with them, again drew a blank. Finally reported it to FraudAction, but not expecting much.
Has anybody who has been scammed, ever got all or even part of their money returned ?
This experience has left me feeling numb, the fact that I was duped by these pieces of scum, and the fact that I have let my family down by being caught out,

[Tools]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree & Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Sorry to hear you have fallen for this too.

What time did you send the payment and when did you realise it was a scam and call both banks?

I've passed the account details on to Barclays Fraud Ops team and will let you know if I hear anything back from them

[Darryl1108]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree & Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Thanks for your assistance, I sent the payment at about 15.30. Realized it was a scam about 18.30/19.00 I contacted Halifax Banks and told them, but as prevoiusly mentioned was informed that as I had done the transfer online and authorized it then there was nothing they could do. I then contacted Action fraud and finally Barclays Bank at around 19.30, who just didn't want to know and just gave me their fraud phone number - which when I rang was closed.
So after these replies and briefly scanning this forum, I presume there is nothing I can do to try to recover my money or do you think a complaint to both banks would produce anything, and do you have any advice of what to put into a complaint.
As an update to this, I was emailed again this morning with another invoice for £1,000 plus the 24.95, this was to supposedly cover the insurance for me trying the car for 5 days. I ignored the email and was later contacted again telling me not to pay the invoice as there was a problem but they would contact me again when it was sorted.
As they wanted me to pay into the same bank I thought it best to let actionfraud know as quickly as possible, but this was met by an operator informing me that I would be contacted within 5 working days - So really is no hope of seeing my hard money again.

[Pringles07]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree & Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Hi guys,

I have just joined so I can help catch these guys and stop them scamming other people.

I found a 59 plate Citroen C3 1.4 VTi 16v Exclusive 5dr with 33,200 miles on autotrader. They wanted £2800 for the car which is obviously a great deal.

Originally unaware, I have been contacting 'Lucy' trying to arrange for me to see the car and maybe test drive it. Then I received this today;

'On 17 Jul 2015, at 17:14, "Lucy" <lucy@mbtworld.co.uk> wrote:

Hello,
I still have the Citroen for sale and its condition is excellent. All necessary documents available. My current location is Scotland due to my work If this is going to be a quick sale, I will let it go for £2800 delivered at my costs.
The deal will go through eBay and PayPal.
Thank you

Lucy'...

This seemed very suspicious so I googled her email address and came across this site. Thank you very much guys you have probably saved me some money!

So this is another to add to the list. They have now changed changed the price to £4995 for some reason.... WE NEED TO STOP THIS!!!!!

[Tools]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Welcome to the site and thank you for posting those details, it will help others who are unsure and decide to Google, just as you did.

If you would like to help even more, then continue to speak with the scammer until they provide you with a fake "invoice", this way we can uncover their bank details which I can the pass on to the relevant banks' fraud department.

Once they have sent the "invoice" , please forward the email to me at julian.siddle@legalbeagles.info

[law356]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Thanks for the post, I've just been 'stinged' and scammed by this same Lucy@btdrive.co.uk, first coming on as range55@btdrive.co.uk to the tune of £5000. 00 even though I think I'm immune to this guys because I work in IT. I'm so ashamed of myself and still having a sleepless nights.
Knowing what it is to loose hard earned cash, I hope there should be a stop to this to save others going through this same trauma and find out why is it only Barclays Bank that is being used for this atrocity. I switched my account from Barclays to Satander and I was almost asked to bring my great- great- grandmother as an identification to verify who I am after all other documents. Why is it easy for someone to open Barclays account with false identities and still get away with it- maybe 'inside job'. Before the money was transferred, I visit a Barclays Bank and I was told the account is valid and there is no problem paying into it but after I paid and went back to the same branch I was told its a fraudulent account.


The details sent from 'PayPal' is produced below for others to be aware:

How to proceed from this moment?

The conventional method of transferring funds to a PayPal member cannot be used due to the large amount that must be paid. Payment must be submitted via bank transfer to the PayPal representative bank account assigned for this transaction. PayPal will secure the payment until the Buyer receives, inspects and accepts the vehicle. Or, if it is the case, PayPal will refund the payment to the Buyer. Protecting tahe security of your payment is our primary concern.

PayPal representative Bank account* : Payment details:

Bank Name: Barclays Account number: 03355985 Sort code: 20-76-90 Beneficiary Name: Claudiu Mitrasca *Bacs, CHAPS and Faster Payments are accepted. Invoice#: 17873129 Subtotal: £5,000.00 Shipping(Free): £0.00 Deposit: £0.00 Total: £5,000.00

Please let me know if there is any way of following this up and the help to get the money refunded.

Thanks for everyone that has posted and help on this forum.

[Tools]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Sorry to hear you have fallen for this and thank you for posting the details.

Can you tell me when the payment was made and when you reported it to Barclays.

You may also have grounds of a complaint as you asked at the bank before transferring the money, did you tell them exactly what the transfer was for?

[law356]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

Thanks for the post, I've just been 'stinged' and scammed by this same Lucy@btdrive.co.uk, first coming on as range55@btdrive.co.uk to the tune of £5000. 00 even though I think I'm immune to this guys because I work in IT. I'm so ashamed of myself and still having a sleepless nights.
Knowing what it is to loose hard earned cash, I hope there should be a stop to this to save others going through this same trauma and find out why is it only Barclays Bank that is being used for this atrocity. I switched my account from Barclays to Satander and I was almost asked to bring my great- great- grandmother as an identification to verify who I am after all other documents. Why is it easy for someone to open Barclays account with false identities and still get away with it- maybe 'inside job'. Before the money was transferred, I visit a Barclays Bank and I was told the account is valid and there is no problem paying into it but after I paid and went back to the same branch I was told its a fraudulent account.


The details sent from 'PayPal' is produced below for others to be aware:

How to proceed from this moment?

The conventional method of transferring funds to a PayPal member cannot be used due to the large amount that must be paid. Payment must be submitted via bank transfer to the PayPal representative bank account assigned for this transaction. PayPal will secure the payment until the Buyer receives, inspects and accepts the vehicle. Or, if it is the case, PayPal will refund the payment to the Buyer. Protecting tahe security of your payment is our primary concern.

PayPal representative Bank account* : Payment details:

Bank Name: Barclays Account number: 03355985 Sort code: 20-76-90 Beneficiary Name: Claudiu Mitrasca *Bacs, CHAPS and Faster Payments are accepted. Invoice#: 17873129 Subtotal: £5,000.00 Shipping(Free): £0.00 Deposit: £0.00 Total: £5,000.00

Please let me know if there is any way of following this up and the help to get the money refunded.

Thanks for everyone that has posted and help on this forum.

Thanks for your reply. The money was transfered on the 10th of July 2015. Went back to the branch to report on the 16th of July because I was stupidly waiting for the car to arrive on Wednesday evening as promised. Yes I told the lady cashier whom I was directed that it was meant for Paypal and a large sum of money. She was even ready to collect the money from me there and then. It was the Barclays branch on Fenchurch Street, London EC3P 3HY.

Thanks

[Tools]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

If you specifically told the cashier that you intended to transfer the money to a "Paypal" account and you asked them to check the account details before doing so, they should have told you that the account holder wasn't in fact Paypal, it also wouldn't have been in the name of Claudiu Mitrasca either.

Can you expand in more detail exactly what happened/was said when you went into the branch, i.e did you print off and show them a copy of the "invoice" etc.

You may have a cause to raise a complaint with Barclays. Can you also tell me which bank your own account is with.

[law356]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

If you specifically told the cashier that you intended to transfer the money to a "Paypal" account and you asked them to check the account details before doing so, they should have told you that the account holder wasn't in fact Paypal, it also wouldn't have been in the name of Claudiu Mitrasca either.

Can you expand in more detail exactly what happened/was said when you went into the branch, i.e did you print off and show them a copy of the "invoice" etc.

You may have a cause to raise a complaint with Barclays. Can you also tell me which bank your own account is with.

Yes I told her everything, maybe because there were few customers on the 'q', she just checked on her screen and said yes its a geniue Barclays Account and she can't give more details on the account than that.

I only showed her the part of the account details to be transfered money into.

Te money was transfered from Halifax account.

Thanks for your help.

[Tools]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

In that case I suggest you raise a complaint with Barclays pointing out that you took all reasonable steps and they assured you the account was safe to transfer funds into. The counter staff should be aware of this type of fraud and it should have started alarm bells ringing/prompted more questions about the transaction.

If you put together something I will happily look it over and suggest any additions.

[law356]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

In that case I suggest you raise a complaint with Barclays pointing out that you took all reasonable steps and they assured you the account was safe to transfer funds into. The counter staff should be aware of this type of fraud and it should have started alarm bells ringing/prompted more questions about the transaction.

If you put together something I will happily look it over and suggest any additions.

Thanks a lot Tools for having the time all the time to reply to posts and your helping tips. I will go bacjk to the branch now to get the name of the cashier and I believe they have all the recordings on their CCTV for that day and get back to you. Thanks once again.

[law356]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

[QUOTE=law356;562370]Thanks a lot Tools for having the time all the time to reply to posts and your helping tips. I will go bacjk to the branch now to get the name of the cashier and I believe they have all the recordings on their CCTV for that day and get back to you. Thanks once again.[/QUOTE




This is what I've put together as a complaint, can you let me know if there is anything I need to add or remove and where and who I need to send it to. Thanks

Manager.
Fenchurch Street
London

Dear Manager,

I write to inform you that I have recently been the victim of an internet fraud that involved your bank.
The basic details are that I decided to purchase a car through Autotrader and was required by the seller to pay him the money for the car via direct bank transfer. I went to the Fenchurch Branch of Barclays Bank to verify the account details supplied by the seller and I spoke to one of the cashiers by name Anita Kumar and showed her the account details and explained to her what the money is meant for. She then checked the details on the system and told me that this is a genuine Barclays Bank account. This is what gave me the confidence to pay the money into the designated account.

However, after some further correspondence with the seller and waiting for the delivery of the vehicle which did not arrive at the appointed time and date, I made some further enquiries, including to Autotrader and it soon transpired that it was a scam.

I immediately contacted the Police, my bank Halifax and Barclays Bank and spoke to a helpful lady. I explained what had happened and requested that she checked the account which she also confirmed to be a Barclays valid account. She contacted the fraud department on my behalf and gave them the details of the transaction, and I was told to contact the reportascam@barclays.com which I did by sending an email on the 16/07/2015 and no reply up till now.

From the information gathered from different sources, these frauds are being carried out via eBay, Gumtree/ Autotrader and other advertising sources and it appears to have been going on for a long time and the active agent in these fraudulent acts is Barclays Bank.
I’m sure you are aware of these activities by many others who have also been victims of this scam, all of whom sent money to criminal fraudsters using accounts held at various branches of Barclays Bank.
I am aware that many people have tried to hold Barclays Bank to account for their discreditable activities regarding their apparent assistance of these criminals. I am asking that for myself and others who hold Barclays in high esteem, I can only ask Barclays to reimburse me of the £5000 scammed with your bank’s assistance because this wouldn’t have happened if I did not get a confirmation from Barclays that this account is not a valid Barclays account.

Thanks for your help and awaiting reply.

The accounts details I paid the money into is:

The sort code - 20-76-90
Account No. 03355985
Name: Claudiu Mitrasca
Amount £5,000.00
Ref: 17873129
Date Paid: 10/07/2015

[Tools]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

JUst about to go out for a few hours but I will look it over in more detail when I get back.

[Tools]

Re: Ebay, Gumtree &amp; Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

I would add in there that the cashier should have raised concerns knowing that the account name did not match, that the account holder was not a representative of Paypal and that Barclays are very aware that frauds of this nature are being carried out using accounts held with them. Had you been made aware that the details did not match you would not have sent payment. The cashier should also have reported any suspicions to her branch manager or their own Fraud Department.

The address to send it to is:-

Clive Watkins I Investigations BSD | Global Fraud Operations
Swift House, Ground Floor, East Wing
Longwood Close, Westwood Business Park
Coventry, CV4 8JN - Mail Area 5