Ebay, Gumtree & Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I don't feel completely 100% certain about these adverts being fraudulent simply because it would mean that the criminals would have also hacked/phished the dealer's email box too, which is potentially an ominous but obvious development. I have not therefore identified the adverts here or at SW though I have saved details and screen prints.

I will only be certain when I see Autotrader UK's action today.

These are what would normally be the inserted wordings appearing in the adverts

"OUT OF OFFICE NOTIFICATION" at the bottom of the description!!

and

************************************************** ***************, OUT OF OFFICE NOTIFICATION: I will be out of the office with limited access to my e-mails starting 17/07/2014 and will not return until 27/07/2014.If you're looking for more details or have a question to ask, please contact us by email at: ************************************************** ***************, XXXXXXXXXXXXX@gmail.com

I have X'ed out the email address to hide the company's identity.

It's quite bizarre if it's the real company, as the email address is their standard address and it doesn't make sense even for the hacker/phisher to mention it if they have control of the email box.

To make matters worse the actual website of the company doesn't mention that it acts as a dealer and there are no cars advertised for sale.

If a criminal can hack a company's email address, defrauding their customers is probably the least effective and worthwhile fraud they can perform.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

When I looked up the Autotrader UK website at 7.30am this morning the dealer's pages had been corrected, in that different cars appeared on those pages and the inserted messages that I quoted had been removed.

This is a unique and highly peculiar example, so much so that I did take screen prints of various pages for reference and evidence. On the balance of probabilities it would seem likely that the dealer didn't spot and change (unhack) the pages at that early hour of day. If that is the case are they aware that their company email box may be compromised ?

Usually the hackers/phishers place their own email addresses as inserts in hacked dealer pages on Autotrader UK and there's no sense in them using the dealer's own address even if they have control of the mailbox. Obviously if they have control of this dealer's mailbox or others, they could simply intercept messages and examine the contents for anything of use to them. Further than that it gives them the perfect means to steal the dealer's identity and send messages in their name.

In over 500 previous detected instances of Autotrader UK accounts being hacked/phished I have not detected this before and it may be a mistake by the criminal, but I cannot determine what the mistake is. Whether it's in not insertion their own mailbox address or appearing to disclose that they have control of the dealer's mailbox. If it's the latter then dealers had better take better steps to make their computer systems secure.

[righty]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I have come across an interesting example of a victim who may have evidence that the bank did not properly perform account opening procedures when one of these 'money laundering' accounts was opened. Annoyingly banks are able to hide behind privacy legislation and there is no means to uncover whether or not there is fault on their part, unless thy choose to admit it. Because account opening has virtually been turned in to a competitive sport between banks the risk is that banks will slip and slide through procedures to beat the competition. It is not just unfair to offer an abbreviated account opening procure, it is also a serious breach of money laundering legislation and potentially national security, and the FCA should be very strict on any bank who isn't complying with the legislation.

I'll have to see how this develops and I'd like to be certain that the evidence held is solid. Evidence that banks aren't properly verifying details might explain why the UK has such a serious problem.

Any person or firm using the DPA as an excuse to deny a victim access to the evidence of who robbed them are themselves guilty of a criminal offence which could include 'conspiracy to defraud' AND certainly money laundering Remember to be guilty of ML who don't have to have benefitted but merely to have facilitated the offence for which the maximum penalty is 14 years not 10

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I do not know of one single instance where a bank has actually notified a victim of the actual identity of their customer to enable them to pursue a civil prosecution, which presupposes that the bank itself knows the real identity of their customer. I say that because it's well known that many of the account are set up with junk ID's. Strictly a bank won't even acknowledge that they hold any specific bank account unless they are served with a court order. It protects not only their customer but themselves too.

Prosecutions for money-laundering aren't that common and considering that ONE bank head appeared to suggest that 25,000 accounts were closed for money laundering in one year it's very obvious that they weren't all prosecuted, in fact as far as I am aware, prosecution depends on there being evidence that the account holder was aware of the criminal nature of what they were doing. If necessary I can look up the legal source of that requirement. I doubt that any money launderer would ever get anywhere near the maximum possible sentence.

http://mediatel.co.uk/newsline/2014/...of-the-class/?

21 Jul 2014
As online ad fraud becomes increasingly prevalent and sophisticated, Dominic Mills says things are getting serious - and wonders whether there's a solution for the industry.
I am coming round to the view that parts of the online advertising system resemble nothing so much as a communal cesspit gone toxic.

It isn't that I disbelieve what anyone tells me about measures that banks and other associated parties are taking with regard to fraud but I rely mostly on the direct evidence received from victims, and another one appeared at SW last night. The fact is that banks and ad sites suffer no direct loss as a result of the frauds and if they did I have no doubt that their action would be quicker and more effective, and I say this bearing in mind that this problem has existed for over seven years.

It's exceedingly short-sighted for all those involved to have allowed this situation to have developed as the organised criminals who now operate what are effectively businesses exploiting these shortcomings will be very difficult to take apart now. It's only their lack of expertise and knowledge that appears to have inhibited them from making much more damaging and ambitious frauds against banks themselves and the car dealer customers of ad sites. It wouldn't be helpful for me to spell out how they could do it, but once a criminal has a bank account his options are endless. If he can be comforted in the knowledge that he cannot be traced after performing a fraud, it encourages him to be more ambitious.

To think that fraudsters with an organised ring of fraudulent bank accounts could take down a major car dealer or even a bank is very worrying, but it's possible and though I doubt that any single bank has closed 25,000 money laundering accounts, that claim does at least appear to acknowledge the scale of the problem. The recognition that through the whole UK banking system there may be 100,000 bank accounts set up to perform fraud is quite possible.

Unfortunately the victim I am speaking to doesn't have the evidence they thought they had but the police confirmed that the criminal didn't live at the address they gave the bank and nor had they ever lived there and there was no evidence that the person was in the UK. Make of that what you will, and I could go through all the possibilities, but the criminals know full well how to 'dance' through current UK money laundering procedures and have set up a nice criminal empire in the UK.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

My latest purchase has led to yet another Barclays bank account. If I could place bets on it happening every time I would make a fortune, only I doubt that I'd get very good odds.

I'll post details of the latest script which seems to be an advanced hybrid attempting to 'weed out' impostors, when Ive finished with him, but they can't 'kid' a 'kidder'.

[Tools]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scam. Barclays provide Fraudsters Accounts

If you haven't already reported the account to Michelle, could you pass me the details ASAP please Boycie.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I have a reporting line already and it'll get reported today. Details will be revealed when I post the script but I don't want to blow the bait while it's still in progress.

Criminals who know bank procedures are more than just a menace. These are clearly well 'schooled' at a basic level and they should never be allowed a 'toe hold' in the system because when they become better 'schooled' it will be too late for regrets.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

Virtually by definition, if a person has been duped by one of these criminals they often won't know quite what has happened or be able to provide full details, and for this reason I'll detail a full transcript of the messages I have received from one of these scammers to help people recognise when they're getting involved in one of these fraudulent deals.

I contact these criminals a lot and will continue to do so, for the purposes of disrupting their operations and so that their fraudulent websites and money laundering accounts can be reported to the authorities. I have the ability to do so anonymously and without risk to myself because it must always be realised that these people are criminals.

Hello,

I still got the 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS C220 CDI Sport 4dr Auto for sale at the price of £5195. The car is in excellent condition, garage kept and accident free. The mileage is real and I never had any problems with the engine. The car looks and works just perfect. I bought it from UK and it is still registered here. We live in the Northern part of United Kingdom, in a beautiful sea-side city called Thurso.
We are a nice couple of pensioners (I have 64 and my beloved wife is 63 years old) and don't use the car so often. We love to spend our time on the road but now we use to travel by plane, so a car is no more useful for us. Also we sold our house and bought a big farm here in Thurso. If you are really interested we are ready to make a trip to England and meet you personally. You can take the car for a test-drive and any kind of inspection.
Please tell us where do you live? I am sure that we will find a nice city in England to arrange a meeting, a region acceptable for us and for you in the same time. We have the faith that this can be a good deal!

P.S. I appreciate if we can continue our conversation by e-mail. The mobile signal is poor here, we have to walk over 2 miles for a good phone call.

Thank you and let me know,


Martin

A very nice touch in this mail in which the scammer/criminal offers to meet me so that I can inspect/test drive the vehicle. It helps to make it appear he has a vehicle to sell and it also tests whether or not I am a serious buyer.


Am I fooled ? :mrgreen: not for a second. Of course I'll meet him.

Hello again,


Thank you for prompt response. As I told you the car is in perfect condition and has no technical problems.It has done only 64000 miles, there are no visible scratches and no rust (corrosion). I like to keep my car in excellent condition so I don't think you will find anything wrong with it.
The car is registered in UK and has valid plate numbers. It comes with MOT and Road Tax ( valid till 12/2014). I have all the original papers including full service history.
As I already announced you we are in Thurso now (the car is here as well). If you are interested in a test-drive and a full inspection I am ready to meet you.

We can meet you next week Saturday or Sunday morning in Manchester .Let me know if you agree so I can start looking for a Hotel in the area.


Regards

Hi,


I shall discuss with my wife and I will reply later today with details about the meeting point.


Have a nice day,


Martin

Hi,


I've spoken to my wife and we can come to Manchester. We can arrive there on Friday evening so we can have our meeting on Saturday morning if this works for you.
We will book a room at the Premier Inn hotel. Address: Medlock Street, City Centre, M15 5FJ Manchester. We can meet there if it's OK with you.
Before we come to Manchester, we want to be sure that you will be there and that you have the funds available so we will not drive for nothing. There is a risk which we want to avoid. I spoke with my wife about this and we have decided to close the deal through RAC car purchase which was specially designed for this kind of situation. This is for our and your security.


If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to drive and inspect the car before paying me. You will have a 5-days inspection period to decide whether you want to keep it or not before they release the funds to me. In this time you can even run an RAC or AA inspection. I will receive the payment from RAC only if you are satisfied with it. If for any reason (it has any hidden damage or it isn't as i describe it) you reject the deal RAC will fully refund you and I will come and collect it at MY own cost. Please NOTE that RAC is not an online payment method, is just an third party service that will secure our deal, the money exchange will be done securely through the banks. You can read more about it here:
http://www.racinstructions.co.uk/buying-cars


If you like it and want to inspect it for 5 days at your place, please confirm your full name and address so I can register the sale with RAC and proceed.


Thanks,


Martin

racinstructions.co.uk is now dead.

Hi,


Thanks for the info. I have notified RAC and you should receive the transaction details today or tomorrow morning. At this point the car is reserved for you. Please let me know as soon as you get the email from them.


Thanks again,
Martin

Hi,


Usually this kind of transactions are done in person but this time, due to my location, I can deliver the car only if we close the deal trough RAC protection program which was specially designed for this kind of situations. The process works something like this:
- you provide your full name and address to start the transaction; Done
- I register the sale with RAC; Done
- RAC provide further payment instructions;
- you have to deposit the amount into RAC's holding bank account;
- RAC confirm your deposit and instruct us to proceed with the delivery;
- we will deliver the car along with the V5 document, service history etc.;
- you inspect it at your local dealership and police;
- if you are satisfied, RAC will forward me your payment otherwise you are refunded on the spot.


Everything is covered by RAC , they will keep your money secured during the inspection period. This purchase protection guarantees that the car is exactly as I described it; basically, once delivered, you'll have 5 days to inspect it and if you decide not to keep it you will be refunded in no time and they will charge me with the return costs. I will get paid only after you confirm that you received the car in good order and decide to keep it.





Best Wishes

Hi Xxxxxx,


I have been notified by RAC that the invoice has been sent. You should check all your folders in your email, sometimes emails from RAC go into the junk or the spam folder. Have you got it? Please advise. Also let me know if you have all the funds together, are you able to proceed with the payment today or tomorrow? I have others interested and I need your confirmation asap.


Thanks,
Martin

Next message from

Rac Motoring Services <rac@wallet-invoice.co.uk>

Already in aa419's fake site database


http://db.aa419.org/fakebanksview.php?key=86647





http://motoringservices.us/purchases...94004591598736

Registrant Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Administrative Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Technical Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Billing Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Registrar Info
Name DYNADOT LLC
Status clientTransferProhibited
Important Dates
Expires On July 09, 2015
Registered On July 10, 2014
Updated On July 10, 2014
Name Servers
ns1.motoringservices.us
ns2.motoringservices.us

Website imposter already in aa419's database of fraudulent websites


http://db.aa419.org/fakebanksview.php?key=90585








The bank account

Bank Name: Barclays Bank
Account number/IBAN: 23472191
Sort Code/SWIFT: 20-29-63
Beneficiary: M T Rac
Bank Address: 43 Vanbrugh Park, London SE3 7AB

… has been reported to the authorities for involvement in attempted fraud as I will report any such bank account offered to me for a similar purpose, whether it is located in the UK or abroad.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay &amp; Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

Virtually by definition, if a person has been duped by one of these criminals they often won't know quite what has happened or be able to provide full details, and for this reason I'll detail a full transcript of the messages I have received from one of these scammers to help people recognise when they're getting involved in one of these fraudulent deals.

I contact these criminals a lot and will continue to do so, for the purposes of disrupting their operations and so that their fraudulent websites and money laundering accounts can be reported to the authorities. I have the ability to do so anonymously and without risk to myself because it must always be realised that these people are criminals.

From martincorper@gmail.com

Hello,

I still got the 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS C220 CDI Sport 4dr Auto for sale at the price of £5195. The car is in excellent condition, garage kept and accident free. The mileage is real and I never had any problems with the engine. The car looks and works just perfect. I bought it from UK and it is still registered here. We live in the Northern part of United Kingdom, in a beautiful sea-side city called Thurso.
We are a nice couple of pensioners (I have 64 and my beloved wife is 63 years old) and don't use the car so often. We love to spend our time on the road but now we use to travel by plane, so a car is no more useful for us. Also we sold our house and bought a big farm here in Thurso. If you are really interested we are ready to make a trip to England and meet you personally. You can take the car for a test-drive and any kind of inspection.
Please tell us where do you live? I am sure that we will find a nice city in England to arrange a meeting, a region acceptable for us and for you in the same time. We have the faith that this can be a good deal!

P.S. I appreciate if we can continue our conversation by e-mail. The mobile signal is poor here, we have to walk over 2 miles for a good phone call.

Thank you and let me know,


Martin

A very nice touch in this mail in which the scammer/criminal offers to meet me so that I can inspect/test drive the vehicle. It helps to make it appear he has a vehicle to sell and it also tests whether or not I am a serious buyer.


Am I fooled ? :mrgreen: not for a second. Of course I'll meet him.

Hello again,


Thank you for prompt response. As I told you the car is in perfect condition and has no technical problems.It has done only 64000 miles, there are no visible scratches and no rust (corrosion). I like to keep my car in excellent condition so I don't think you will find anything wrong with it.
The car is registered in UK and has valid plate numbers. It comes with MOT and Road Tax ( valid till 12/2014). I have all the original papers including full service history.
As I already announced you we are in Thurso now (the car is here as well). If you are interested in a test-drive and a full inspection I am ready to meet you.

We can meet you next week Saturday or Sunday morning in Manchester .Let me know if you agree so I can start looking for a Hotel in the area.


Regards

Hi,


I shall discuss with my wife and I will reply later today with details about the meeting point.


Have a nice day,


Martin

Hi,


I've spoken to my wife and we can come to Manchester. We can arrive there on Friday evening so we can have our meeting on Saturday morning if this works for you.
We will book a room at the Premier Inn hotel. Address: Medlock Street, City Centre, M15 5FJ Manchester. We can meet there if it's OK with you.
Before we come to Manchester, we want to be sure that you will be there and that you have the funds available so we will not drive for nothing. There is a risk which we want to avoid. I spoke with my wife about this and we have decided to close the deal through RAC car purchase which was specially designed for this kind of situation. This is for our and your security.


If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to drive and inspect the car before paying me. You will have a 5-days inspection period to decide whether you want to keep it or not before they release the funds to me. In this time you can even run an RAC or AA inspection. I will receive the payment from RAC only if you are satisfied with it. If for any reason (it has any hidden damage or it isn't as i describe it) you reject the deal RAC will fully refund you and I will come and collect it at MY own cost. Please NOTE that RAC is not an online payment method, is just an third party service that will secure our deal, the money exchange will be done securely through the banks. You can read more about it here:
http://www.racinstructions.co.uk/buying-cars


If you like it and want to inspect it for 5 days at your place, please confirm your full name and address so I can register the sale with RAC and proceed.


Thanks,


Martin

racinstructions.co.uk is now dead.

Hi,


Thanks for the info. I have notified RAC and you should receive the transaction details today or tomorrow morning. At this point the car is reserved for you. Please let me know as soon as you get the email from them.


Thanks again,
Martin

Hi,


Usually this kind of transactions are done in person but this time, due to my location, I can deliver the car only if we close the deal trough RAC protection program which was specially designed for this kind of situations. The process works something like this:
- you provide your full name and address to start the transaction; Done
- I register the sale with RAC; Done
- RAC provide further payment instructions;
- you have to deposit the amount into RAC's holding bank account;
- RAC confirm your deposit and instruct us to proceed with the delivery;
- we will deliver the car along with the V5 document, service history etc.;
- you inspect it at your local dealership and police;
- if you are satisfied, RAC will forward me your payment otherwise you are refunded on the spot.


Everything is covered by RAC , they will keep your money secured during the inspection period. This purchase protection guarantees that the car is exactly as I described it; basically, once delivered, you'll have 5 days to inspect it and if you decide not to keep it you will be refunded in no time and they will charge me with the return costs. I will get paid only after you confirm that you received the car in good order and decide to keep it.





Best Wishes

Hi Xxxxxx,


I have been notified by RAC that the invoice has been sent. You should check all your folders in your email, sometimes emails from RAC go into the junk or the spam folder. Have you got it? Please advise. Also let me know if you have all the funds together, are you able to proceed with the payment today or tomorrow? I have others interested and I need your confirmation asap.


Thanks,
Martin

Next message from

Rac Motoring Services <rac@wallet-invoice.co.uk>

Already in aa419's fake site database


http://db.aa419.org/fakebanksview.php?key=86647





http://motoringservices.us/purchases...94004591598736

Registrant Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Administrative Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Technical Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Billing Contact Information:
Name: Rac
Organization: RAC Motor Services
Address 1: Great Park Rd
City: Bradley Stoke
State: Bristol
Zip: BS32 4QN
Country: GB
Phone: +1.9755864
Email: Email Masking Image@gmail.com


Registrar Info
Name DYNADOT LLC
Status clientTransferProhibited
Important Dates
Expires On July 09, 2015
Registered On July 10, 2014
Updated On July 10, 2014
Name Servers
ns1.motoringservices.us
ns2.motoringservices.us

Website imposter already in aa419's database of fraudulent websites


http://db.aa419.org/fakebanksview.php?key=90585








The bank account

Bank Name: Barclays Bank
Account number/IBAN: 23472191
Sort Code/SWIFT: 20-29-63
Beneficiary: M T Rac
Bank Address: 43 Vanbrugh Park, London SE3 7AB

… has been reported to the authorities for involvement in attempted fraud as I will report any such bank account offered to me for a similar purpose, whether it is located in the UK or abroad.

[righty]

Re: Ebay &amp; Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

You probably know but 020 7504 3541 is a genuine number which goes straight to fax

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay &amp; Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

No I hadn't checked that righty.

It's always worth checking details on these thing and I try to pick up on anything I can, as they do slip up from time to time, and sometimes it can be important. I have even found links to incorporated companies but I haven't taken that any further because I can't see that they serve any useful purpose for a criminal, at this stage anyway.

I am pretty thorough but if you spot anything, let me know. I don't mind the criminals knowing that I'm in the market to buy their cars and deal with any fraudulent domains and money laundering accounts they use.

Rarely, if ever, do they want phone contact with a buyer but, if they ever do, I am able to record their calls and I'll publish them too. I don't bother honest car sellers and the people I contact have no car to sell and I can evidence that. That's important to make clear.

The Polish victim of a Gumtree fraud has now posted at SW

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/vie...211661#p211661

I won't bother mentioning where the money laundering account was held but the victim states that he was sent a utility bill to substantiate the criminal's identity and I've asked to see a copy. I don't like to act on information from third parties as I can always substantiate my own claims, but it's always interesting to see what other people get from these scammers.

I'm not having a go at you righty, but for all the dire threats about the consequences that those involved in fraud will face from banks and the authorities, news reports I read evidence otherwise. I have just posted details at SW news reports of the case of a fraudster convicted of involvement in a £1m fraud in 2009 relating to intercepted cheque books and cheques which were then fraudulently altered. Lo and behold he has just been prosecuted again for the same offence. For such serious offences the most obvious defence for banks and the general public is to apply a CIFAS blacklisting and, if not applied in this case, I have to ask whether they ever apply one.

[Tools]

Re: Ebay &amp; Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

Thanks for that Boycie.

Seeing that account number confirms to me we speak with the same SW source, which also means it ends up pretty much on the same frdops desk as the ones I report. I can confirm that account will have been shuttered almost as soon as the details were read.

I also had a bait using the RAC invoices last week, good to see it is now dead.

Sending you a PM about this one as it has given me a thought, but obviously I won't spell it out here.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay &amp; Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I'll do some work on what you mentioned Tools but, as I'll be posting more examples of the criminals full scripts, they can represent a source for anyone wanting to research and examine in details what they're doing. If what I say makes them more cautious, suspicious and careful - so much the better as they'll catch fewer victims in trying to obscure what they do.

I found this clause at the bottom of their payment instructions to me intriguing.

Please note: it is extremely important to include the RAC transaction number exactly as indicated above in the "payment reference" field of the bank transfer instructions. Sometimes this field is also referred as "memo", "message for beneficiary", or "reason for payment".Do not include ANY additional information in this field! Only include the 15 digit number provided with no other words! Failure to include the reference number as provided, or including additional information in this field will result in your payment being delayed or returned to you at your own expense.

The reason behind this can be found here

http://www.paymentscouncil.org.uk/me...s/-/page/1034/

and the reference number derives from the email invoice

http://motoringservices.us/purchases.../index.php?id=594004591598736

As fundamentally unsophisticated as these criminals are, their attention to detail, and the efforts they make to mimic UK payment/banking systems should serve as a warning to those who don't take the threat seriously. They hack company accounts daily and have bank accounts to launder stolen money. When they work out how to combine the two, the consequences will be serious.

[righty]

Re: Ebay &amp; Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I used a withheld no to check their fax no. Also having confirmed its for real won't that help in tracking their actual address

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay &amp; Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I can see from other mentions on the internet that the fax number been in use for a while.

They have stepped up the use of new domains and email boxes since I've been working on this particular group/organisation and that makes them work a lot harder and complicates their activities. I leave them to guess how else they can be tracked and traced. Hopefully they have active imaginations. Overestimating my abilities will disrupt them as much as underestimating them could be much worse.

In any event, publishing details of what they do shines a light on their activities and will hopefully save people from becoming victims. If it leads to their prosecution so much the better.