motorhome scam

Hi This is not new, but couldnt find any other way to post it, I recently replied to an autotrader ad for a 2001 Bessacar 33,000 miles, as follows

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 £ 4200.

The only reason for selling this vehicle so cheap is because I am involved in a military project and move to Mali on September 27 and come back after 6 months. It is the first time I will go to Mali so I'm a little nervous but excited.

It would be a shame to keep the vehicle in the garage 6 months without being used and I also need some cash before leaving to 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 it please write me back since I can deliver the vehicle anywhere in UK on my cost.

Thank you for being interested in my vehicle.
Dean R. Dockray

This is just more information on an existing scam, fortunately I did some checking and asked to see the V5, the ad has disapeared!!!

Welcome to Scamwarners SteveT.

Letting us know if the same scams are still running is valuable, especially as there are people seeking them out and recording the bank accounts being used. The scammer may get some victims, but he'll also divulge his methods and bank accounts he's using, as well as how he's setting them up.

Hi
My parents also replied to an advert for the same vehicle. The name being used by these scammers on this occasion is Dean R DOCKRAY, Dean Robert DOCKRAY.

V1nny

Hello v1nny,

What email address did the scammer use?

My parents replied to the same advert, the man said exactly the same, My dad told the man he would have it and then after a few emails my mum thought something wasn't right so called the police, which have said they cant do anything and to take it up with autotrader,

He said something about having the motorhome for 10 days and an inspection or something and would like the money through google cash, after phoning me this morning and me googling his name I found this thread and told her, her gut feeling was right and to stay well away, she also found the same motorhome up for sale for around £17,000 as the original ad had dissapeared, Thankfully they didn't part with their money!

Heres the ad she found this morning, all same pictures but who know's if he actually has the van or stolen pictures for the scam!

http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/used ... rr/berth/4

Welcome to Scamwarners x_MrsE_x.

This scammer has been operating for months if not years and his story hasn't changed in all that time. It's only the motorhome details that change. As I scam bait I have applied to buy his items several times just to get hold of the details of bank accounts he's using. Scammers are posting details of every type of motor vehicle for sale and they are always mouth watering offers.

The only way to protect yourself is never to pay for a vehicle you haven't viewed personally. The stupid story about being a soldier based on the Isle of Man, shortly to be posted to Mali, is to set you up to understand when the motorhome can't be viewed. Part of the tactic is to muck and mess you about and send you genuine looking spoof mails guaranteeing that nothing can go wrong, but he's a professional criminal.

If I mention what to look out for, scammers will learn to change their postings.

If buyers NEVER buy a vehicle they haven't viewed 90% of ad scammers will have to find something better to do - dealing drugs probably.

Thank you for the welcome, I can't believe some lengths scammers go to its disgusting! Thankfully my parents wouldn't part with any money unless they had the motorhome viewed / sat on their drive after a full inspection and documents in hand, my mum is worried about others getting scammed so going to do as much as possible but if he's been at it for years and doesn't even know his real name she's not going to get very far! The email address he used yesterday was [email protected]

It's regretted that many people have been scammed by this criminal, including families with disabled children and the elderly, but you don't need to have special circumstances for the loss of money to be significant, and he's not the only one performing the scams. People buying classic cars have lost six figure sums and another gang targets farmers and small businesses over construction and agricultural machinery. The loss of their money may even mean the loss of their farm or business, so the consequences to all victims are devastating.

It might sound patronising or preaching but if buyers can just insist on viewing any vehicle they're buying before they part with any money it'll reduce scams on ad sites by 90% and put the foreign scammers out of business.

The scammers are currently building lots of fraudulent escrow websites to try and make it appear that a vehicle purchase is secure. The first point about them is that most UK people don't even know what escrow is, and secondly it suggests that scammers are having less success suckering victims. Hopefully it's a good sign and signals that the peak of this type of fraud has passed.

i have been scamed out of £3600 by this man called dean dockray for the same motorhome all same emails etc. it is our life savings we have used and have been left with nothing. i have contacted fraud and police about this. this man needs stopped

i have also been scamed byv this man dean dockray same emails etc

You'd be astonished at how widespread and organised this fraud is in the UK smmcrothers and mentions are spread all over this forum under various topics and in other forums over the web.

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=64630&start=45

It appears to be a situation fairly unique to the UK and relies on some glaring weaknesses and vulnerabilities in UK banking procedures and processes. I haven't come across one reported case outside the UK apart from when a fraud perpetrated against mostly Australians was reported to be performed utilising bank accounts opened in the UK.

Unsurprisingly many of the bodies that report and deal with financial fraud are operated by banks and financial institutions and I haven't seen any mention by them of this fraud at all. Their sensitivity is perhaps caused by it supposedly being virtually impossible by law to open a bank account fraudulently and it would be more than just embarrassing to have it exposed how easy it is, indeed recently it was reported in the UK that one criminal was responsible for the opening of over 750 bank accounts used in benefits fraud. Due to other weaknesses in the system, it is virtually impossible for you to get your money back as the name you put on your payment may not be the title/style of the account your payment went to. The UK's 'faster payments system' provides an anonymising service to criminals that they could barely have dreamed up themselves.

Local authorities are reported to have lost £7 million pounds in 2011 using these accounts, but no one is even reporting or recording total losses as banks don't record these as crimes. This is a crime that isn't happening because banks and the authorities won't acknowledge it. What Action Fraud does with the reports I can't imagine, but the same banks and branches are opening these accounts by the hundred.

If the UK was seeking to become the financial fraud capital and money laundering centre of the planet it couldn't have done a better job. Before I retired I spent my whole working life in banking, so I do have some insight in to the matter and I've always been fascinated and intrigued about fraud and systems.

I've tracked some of the foreign gangs that have quite an organised set up, but I would be surprised if UK fraudsters were ignoring the rich pickings to be taken. It really is laughably easy to do this and I have photos of the money they've stolen laid out over their beds, most of which they spend on cocaine, thereby giving an economic stimulus to the UK drugs gangs. Unfortunately I can't prove that one person has committed one particular crime, but these criminals know they face little risk of anyone even caring what they're doing.

The only time the banks and/or police take any action is if they attempt to defraud the banks. As long as they stick to defrauding the ordinary person nothing happens.

If what I say sounds incredible, challenge me on anything I've said and I'll provide links and evidence, though any photos I post will have to be edited. Saying that you can use Google and get the background yourself. If you find any mention by UK authorities of this fraud even happening I'd be very interested.

It's not how UK banks operated in my day, but even then I was old-fashioned.

Dear Smmcrothers,

I have added you in my friends list and please contact me before buying or renting anything online.

I suggest you use www.escrow.com for internet purchases,www.ebay.com recommends it.

I want to help without any costs!

Please post on the forum the emails received from the seller,report the ad to the website where you have found the ad(s) and also the website where the ad(s) are or were.People will know and money will be saved.

Dont hesitate to contact me anytime for further information.

Use caution when considering an escrow service

You should only use Escrow.com, eBay's approved escrow service.

If your transaction partner refuses to use Escrow.com, please cancel the transaction and report them to us by clicking Customer Support at the top of most eBay pages.

Don't click links in any emails that claim to be from Escrow.com, or any escrow service, because they could be fraudulent. Instead, type http://www.escrow.com into the address bar of your web browser and proceed from there.

If you're a seller, be cautious about buyers claiming to have paid for an item through an escrow service other than Escrow.com.

Look at the listing to see the seller's policy about escrow. If it's not clear, contact the seller.

There are fees to use escrow. Buyers and sellers should agree before the close of a transaction which party will pay those fees. You can use the fee calculator at Escrow.com to determine how much it will cost.

For more information about protecting yourself from fraudulent escrow providers and spoof web sites, visit the eBay Security Center and take the Spoof tutorial.

hi i was well scammed in august 2011 with i am working in scotland etc my none existant motorhome cost me £4900

i have had a recent e mail from brian.c at scamwarners asking for info re this scam but the info does not go through to him is he one of yours ? if yes please e mail me with correct info and i will send you all the details i do not mind if you use this info as an example for other people it appears he is working with someone to catch this bastrd " automobile " fitting username lol

PM a mod to verify the identity of anyone who claims to represent Scamwarners in any official capacity. The mods can be identified by having their name in Green or Red.

This sounds suspicious but maybe it's okay. In any event no one who is genuine will object to you checking them out before you pass on any personal details.