Camper van Scam

Hiya,
We thought it was to good to be true, a stunning T5 campervan in Widnes, price £4500 on Autotrader, so we contacted the seller. This was his reply.

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.
Yes the engine/clutch is in excellent condition. The MOT will run out on the end of Jan 2014 and still has 3 months road tax.
My last price is £ 4500.

The only reason for selling this vehicle so cheap is because I am involved in a military project and move to Mali on July 07 and come back after 8 months. It is the first time I will go to Mali and I'm a little nervous but excited.

It would be a shame to keep the vehicle in the garage 8 months without being used and I also need some cash before leaving in 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 the vehicle please write me back since we can deliver the vehicle anywhere in UK on my cost.

Thank you for being interested in my vehicle.

It sounded suspicious as all of a sudden it had moved from Widnes to the Isle of Man. I randomly searched the Isle of Man army base and fortunately this website popped up. I did reply and below is his comment.

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-uk-google.co.uk/owa/how-i ... mpl=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.

Regards,
Robert,

We are still in contact with him, as I have not let on that we know it is a scam.
His new name and email.
Robert Turner, [email protected]
The phone number that was on Autotrader was 07765 290421

Obviously this man needs stopping.
Tracy

Ive been scammed by this and lost £4500, cant believe it.

Ive been scammed by him. Using the name David Budds, I feel so stupied. I cant believe it!!! £4500 gone!!! He needs to get stopped, i've notified the police and gave details of this forum. To the former solider who posted, I hope you catch him and he gets what he deserves. Why dont these low lifes get a proper job like the rest of us, scum of the earth

Did you pay the money in to a bank account modest ?

If you did, the account will belong to either a 'money mule' or a fraudster. Even in the first instance the banks and the police have both said that the 'mule' will be made to repay the money to the victim, but so far there has been a total lack of any evidence of this happening.

The authorities cannot allow this situation to persist because, if 'money mules' get to believe that they're immune from prosecution or any action, then the banking system will be abused in to chaos. The authorities talk tough but when called on to act it seems that a shrug of the shoulders and rolling eyes is the best you can expect. Organised crime gangs can, and are, exploiting this situation ruthlessly. You can at least ensure that the account is dealt with by submitting a formal written complaint to the bank and taking to the FOS, if you get nowhere. It won't cost you anything but your time and the cost of mailing letters.

http://www.jmlsg.org.uk/reporting-suspicions

..... if a financial services firm has knowledge or suspicion that someone might be engaged in a money laundering activity, they have a legal obligation to report this to the UK Financial Intelligence Unit, which is located within the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

The effect of this is to make individuals within a bank liable to prosecution for failing to make the appropriate reports.

Yeah I have paid the money, all my savings gone. Im really and truely upset by it all. The banks wont help as made trf by Chaps. I have contacted the police and im now filling out the form to SOCA as per your link. Its a times like this you feel completely helpless. Ive phoned Barclays to say one of your accounts is beinh used for fraud and all the keep saying is I cant disclose any information. I feel like im banking my head up the wall as im not asking for info I just want a stop put on the account!! AHHHHH Ive contacted watchdog to, dont know if anyone else has but if you havent please contact them. The more complaints they get they are more likely to look at it, I need to keep a little bit of hope that I'll get my money back

Is this an account that has already been reported here as being involved in fraud/money laundering ?

If it is there may be a chance you can get your money back. Use the search function in the top right hand corner, first on the name and then just on the account number.

It'll take effort and persistence, but it won't cost you anything but time and postage.

It's the reason why it's so important to report any bank accounts used for money laundering/fraud. Once they have been reported then the bank has legal responsibilities that can lead to individual members of staff being prosecuted if they fail to observe them. Their obligations go beyond just reporting them, and if they are subsequently involved in another fraud it raises questions as to whether or not the bank involved has robust money laundering policies and procedures in place. An issue that would make any bank twitch nervously.

Any bank that doesn't take action against accounts used in money laundering is foolish as they are unlikely to be anything but trouble. If the account you were given has cropped up before I'll guide you through the process.

Nearly got scammed but the offer was too good to be true. The scammer is calling himself Peter Furness and selling a camper van. I have replied the the scammer and asked to visit the camp. I can't wait for the reply

******************************



Sorry google wallet isn't available in the uk.

I have friends in the Isle of Man. I could arrange for them to look over the van and, if it's as good as you say they could give you the cash.

Regards

Sent from my iPhone

On 17 Jun 2013, at 20:27, Peter Furness <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Jill,

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-uk-google.co.uk/owa/how-i ... mpl=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.

Regards,
Peter,


Subject: Re: 2008 Compass Avantgarde 140 Diesel 14,000 Miles.
From: Removed (BW)
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:54:34 +0100
To: [email protected]

Hi Peter. What's your location as I would like to come and look. I am a first timer
Regards
Jill

Sent from my iPhone

On 17 Jun 2013, at 14:52, Peter Furness <[email protected]> wrote:


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 £ 5000.

The only reason for selling this vehicle so cheap is because I am involved in a military project and move to Mali on July 10 and come back after 8 months. It is the first time I will go to Mali and I'm a little nervous but excited.

It would be a shame to keep the vehicle in the garage 8 months without being used and I also need some cash before leaving in 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 the vehicle please write me back since we can deliver the vehicle anywhere in UK on my cost.

Thank you for being interested in my vehicle.
Peter Furness ,

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Hi,

Just wanted to let everyone know he's still at it on Auto Trader last week. A colleague also spotted him last night. VW T5 Transporter Silver Van.

He goes by the name of Robert Turner.
Here's what he wrote when I enquired about a silver VW T5 van. Hope he/she gets caught!

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 £ 4100.

The only reason for selling this vehicle so cheap is because I am involved in a military project and move to Mali on July 07 and come back after 8 months. It is the first time I will go to Mali and I'm a little nervous but excited.

It would be a shame to keep the vehicle in the garage 8 months without being used and I also need some cash before leaving in 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 the vehicle please write me back since we can deliver the vehicle anywhere in UK on my cost.

Thank you for being interested in my vehicle.
Robert Turner.

Welcome to Scamwarners hdegeus,

What email address did Robert Turner use with you?

Bryon

He's got a van on Auto Trader at the moment.
How can this person be sorted out?!

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/ ... ransporter

Welcome to Scamwarners hdegeus,

What email address did Robert Turner use with you?

Bryon

He used the following address:

[email protected]

The bank accounts he's using need to be shot down.

He's a professional scammer and whether he's using innocent dupes or not, the accounts need to be put out of action, and the people involved should be investigated to discover whether or not this is an organised operation. I say this not only for the benefit of future victims, but also to save the bank from all the hassle and trouble they'll get from these accounts, though I shouldn't need to tell them this.

If anyone has paid money in to an account that has been mentioned as being used previously in money laundering then I'll assist anyone wanting to pursue it to get their money back. The general response appears to be a shrug of the shoulders and rolling of the eyeballs from both police and the banks, but if the account has previously been reported, then subsequent frauds should be covered by them.

I find the attitude of the banks to be baffling as these accounts give rise to unquantifiable risks and no bank should allow this to happen. I know because I spent all my working life in a bank. They can't know if a payment of £100,000 will go through it tomorrow, or if the scammer will test out their referral limits. I won't aid or assist the scammers but they're not stupid and they will push the limits to extract the most profit. They don't appear to need my advice as to how to make a very rich living from this fraud, but it could get a lot worse.

If they can't stop the scammer, the only option is to stop the 'money mule'. If the banking system becomes overrun with 'money mules', I don't like to think of the consequences.

Ive notified autotrader regarding the van, lets see what they do?
Also Im on the phone to Barclays who his bank account is set up with, if anyone reads this can you let me know if they have sent money to Barclays? (sort code will be 20 ** **). I work for a bank and I will not be fobbed off with this, I need to know if anyone else has reported this to Barclays so I can create a time line. Please let me know.

Before I retired I spent all my working life working for a bank too modestl.

The experiences most people have reported with banks have not been encouraging and it may be necessary to adopt a more formal approach.

I understand why you may not wish to put the account details out in the open but if you wish me to do some searching you can pm the details to me. I'm pretty thorough with my research as health issues give me plenty of spare time, but that's your decision.

There's no point being rude or abrasive with the bank, but equally it doesn't mean that you can't be firm if you have a well considered and measured approach. Your most powerful and effective point will be if there is any evidence that this account has been used before for laundering money. The bank will always stand behind the protective wall of customer confidentiality but, if there is evidence that it's previously been reported, that can be broken if you take the matter to the FOS.

I've taken a bank to the FOS and I've even gone over the head of another Ombudsman to my MP, and I won the argument. Get your winning argument in place and you just keep going higher and higher. If you allow yourself to be fobbed off over the phone that's what they'll do. It costs little to fob you off over the phone. It's far more expensive for them to deal with a formal complaint and it just costs you stamps and paper.

I have nothing against banks, but this fraud should not be occurring on the current scale if banks were exercising proper diligence, in my opinion.

Thanks for your reply. To everyone who has been caught by this fraud, im now talking to a national paper and need all the information I can get. Please respond