[shabash]

Admins, Please move it to the appropriate thread if this is not the right place for this one

I was checking out second hand cars on carwale.com and came across this Merc car It looked too good to be true. Never the less, I thought I will check it out. So I gave my email id and mobile number to get the details of the seller. An email id and mobile number was given from the carwale database. I sent an SMS to the mobile number asking whether the car is still available, no reply came back. I thought maybe the car is already sold. But then I receive this mail today in my email id (contents as below).

**********Mail start***********

From: L A <gaf43@live.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 2:07 PM
Subject: 2006 Mercedes Benz E280 Cdi, Elegance, Automatic, 56000 Km
To: <<My email id remove>>
Hi,
The price is Rs. 785 000. The car is like new, it has no accidents, it comes with full service history, it has no scratches, no damages, no mechanical or engine problems, it was always garaged and it has Indian documents (registered in India). I have worked in India for one year and I've purchased the car there. My company wanted me back home, so currently I'm in United Kingdom, the car it is now located in United Kingdom. I tried to sell the car in United Kingdom but nobody want's to buy a car registered in India. The price is correct and it's not negotiable and it also includes the transport to India, delivery time will be 4-6 days. I am a VerifiedTrader so the transaction will be done through eBay Motors. I've already signed a contract with eBay Motors so the car is ready to be shipped to any location. Terms of the eBay Transaction ( http://pages.ebay.in/aboutebay/About_PaisaPay.html ):
1)I need your shipping information (your name and address) and your phone number in order to make all the papers.
2)You will receive a notification from eBay Motors as a confirmation that the car is in there custody and also, that the car has been tested.
3)You will have to make a 30% deposit to eBay Motors, as a guarantee.
4)You will have to make the deposit to eBay Motors by WIRE BANK TRANSFER.
6)eBay Motors will verify the payment, and if everything is in order, they will deliver the car to your address.
7)After you will receive the car and you will be completely satisfied with it, you will tell to eBay Motors your decision. You have 10 days to inspect it and take a decision.
eBay Motors will keep your money until you receive the car and the documents of the car. After you will receive the car, you will have an inspection period of 10 days. In this time you can check, test and inspect the car. If by any reason (the car has any hidden damage or it isn't like I describe it) you can reject the deal, in this case eBay Motors will refund your deposit in full and they will ship the car back on my cost. The car was verified by eBay Motors qualified automotive technician and the car has passed all the test with no problems.
Please send me your details only if you are ready to buy the car and if you accept and understand the transaction terms because I am tired of people that ask questions and are not interested at all. Because of the very attractive price you are not the only interested for my car.
Thanks,
Denis

**********Mail end***********

My strong feeling is this is a CON mail. Also I checked out the number plate on btis.in site and the number does not reflect on the site. So I strongly believe that this is like those Fake lottery mails. Hence thought I will alert my fellow TBhp-ians about this. Also planning to inform carwale team about this.

This seems to be a new way of taking people for a ride. My fellow members your thoughts please.

Regards
Shabash

[_abhishek]

LOL. Desparate people are finding different ways to con innocent ones. They try very hard to make the offer look lucarative. In this case a Merc for 7,85,000 . Now a days lot of these incidents are being reported. We have to be carefull not to fall for the trap.

Carwale should be informed to take this off their website. And if you want to have some fun, just reply to his mail.

[mohandasnikhil]

Hi,
I had a similar experience with a Mercedes C Class listed on Carwale. The Ebay Mail they sent me was a fake, and some call was made to me by someone from U.S but it sounded like a Nigerian. I wrote an email to Carwale and had them pull the ad off.

Note from Team-BHP Support : Please avoid quoting entire large posts. It inconveniences our small screen and mobile readers.

Please go through our board rules before proceeding any further. Thanks.

[mohandasnikhil]

This was the mail received by me when I made an enquiry about the car.


Congratulations, You committed to buy the following item! - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C200 CDI
BPP Case ID: 53EE90111
.
Dear Nikhil Mohandas, the seller Amelia Reilley started the transaction over the eBay Buyer Protection Program!
.

2001 Mercedes-Benz C200 CDI

INR 540,000.00
Quantity: 1
Sale date: 14-Feb-11
Buyer: Nikhil Mohandas



Buyer's postal address:

Shipping: Included
Item description: Never been involved in any accidents, no damages scratches or dents. Clear Title
(If the item does not match with the description, you can return it to the seller with no obligations)

Five easy steps to complete your eBay transaction:

Buyer and seller agree to terms: Both parties agree to terms of the transaction, which includes a description of the item, sale price and number of days for the buyer's inspection.

Buyer sends payment to our agent, using his name and address: The buyer submits the payment, our agency verifies the payment. Processing time for payments is 24 hours.

Seller send item to buyer: Upon payment verification we have the authorization from seller to ship the item and submit tracking information. eBay verifies that the buyer receives the item.

Buyer receives item: The buyer has 5 days to verify the item and the option to accept or reject.

eBay pays Seller: eBay pays the Seller. The transaction is complete. If the buyer is not satisfied, he must notify our agency with the item issues, after the inspection period. A solution to most problems can usually be negotiated between the Buyer and Seller. If this is not possible, the buyer will receive the money from our trust account. In case the buyer refuses to continue the transaction with the seller from other reasons, our agency will return the funds to the buyer in maximum 1 - 2 days depending by his location and also the available payment method.
If you have any questions,contact us at : +1 (408) 844 4304.


How to make the payment

Contact your bank and send a money wire transfer using the bank account details found below.*

Send the payment using eBay Motors Agent's Banking Account details (found below) as payment details.

E-mail or fax us the following payment information:

Case ID #;
Transfer Number;
Name of bank sending payment;
Date of transfer;
Total Amount Sent.

Fax** the bank payment receipt to eBay Motors Financial Department at: +1 (206) 426 5328.
Payment must be submitted via Bank Wire Transfer. The eBay Motors Agent will secure the payment until the Buyer receives, inspects and accepts the vehicle. Or, if it will be the case, the Agent will refund the payment to the Buyer.In order for us to identify the transaction faster, when you make the wire transfer , in the section "REASON" please fill in only with the BPP Case ID number. Here are the bank account details needed to make the payment:

Payment must be submitted via Bank Wire Transfer to our verified agent below:

Bank Name: HSBC
Bank Address: 165 Fleet St, City of London, EC4A 2
Account Holder: Eugen Buleandra
Account Number: 92221128
Routing Number: MIDLGB2104V
Swift Code: GB13MIDL40252792222228
Country: United Kingdom

When payment is received, it will be verified and secured into a non-interest bearing trust account. Payment verification process usually takes less than 3 business days. After payment is secured, the Seller is authorized to ship vehicle. The Seller has 3 business days to send the Buyer and eBay Motors Customer Support the tracking number of the shipment. If no tracking number is provided, a full refund is immediately sent to the Buyer.

The Buyer receives the vehicle and has 5 business days to inspect it. If it is complete and as described, the Buyer should accept the vehicle. If he refuses the vehicle, the Seller will be responsible of shipping back the vehicle.

After the inspection period is over, the Buyer must contact eBay Motors Customer Support with the result of the inspection. If the Buyer refuses the vehicle, the refund will be sent to the Buyer. If the vehicle is accepted, eBay Motors Financial Department submits the payment directly to the Seller within 3 business days.

Marketplace Safety Tip
All the transaction, payment and personal information is considered confidential and will not be released under any circumstances.
Vehicle Purchase Protection program security measures are constantly reviewed and modified given evolving circumstances globally.

Notes
Some banks may not be able to send a bank transfer payment to the specified bank account in your country or territory. You may need to contact several banks before finding one that can send a bank transfer payment. The exact procedure for initiating bank transfers may differ depending on your location - even within the same country or territory. Contact a member of your bank to see how your bank processes transfers

[ajmat]

It is a scam. I was looking at cars on carwale and the same car is for sale for Rs 26 L and 78000km. That advert sounds more genuine

The car is registered in Shimoga

[V-16]

Unbelievable.
Firstly Shabash, why on earth would you want to buy an Indian Merc which is presently housed in the UK? That should be enough to make your antenna go up.

To top that he is quoting a ridiculous price, what about duty etc? (am not aware what the formalities are to ship Indian Goods back to India but trust me its not going to be worth it even if this were a genuine case)
Then he is sugar quoting it by saying you will get the car in three four days. Even airlifting, takes more time.

This is a transaction with scam written all over it. Everything is too good to be true, the terms, the buy back and the quality assured. Only an Idiot would take a Mercedes from India back to the UK where the car is available for almost half the price.

Thanks for bringing it to everyone's notice though. I hope no one falls for this/such scam/s.

[MAS]

This is just another trick to fool innocent Indians into giving their money. It sounds like the Nigerians are again involved in this. I used to get a number of mails claiming to have won Millions of Pounds, Euros and US Dollars in this similar way.

Carwale should atleast put in a system whereby they should atleast remove the ads which are ridiculous and obviously a scam.

Originally Posted by shabash

I have worked in India for one year and I've purchased the car there. My company wanted me back home, so currently I'm in United Kingdom, the car it is now located in United Kingdom. I tried to sell the car in United Kingdom but nobody want's to buy a car registered in India.

Is it possible to export an India Registered car to UK and try to sell it?

[dot]

@shabash and @mohandasnikhil, as you know such a fraud can be actually a cyber crime. Recently Maharashtra police had caught people in similar rackets. If you think that the sale ad is part of a scam, you can actually approach the cyber crime cell.

[yeleravee]

Thanks for letting it known in this forum. Its very hard to con people in this way but one will be surprised to read in newspapers so many have been tricked in this fashion. And for record sake, IMHO, I do think, one do not have to pay any customs duty for bringing their own things whatever it may be.

[toiingg]

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Post edited. DO NOT post links which contain obscene images and text. This is strictly against the Forum rules. Please read the announcements section before posting further.

[aditya_911]

Same seller Denis!! BMW 320i for Rs 460000/-.
Used 2005 BMW 3-Series 320i Sedan (S203596) for sale in New Delhi - CarWale
Got this mail from this guy upon enquiring !!
Hi,

The price is Rs. 460 000. The car is like new, it has no accidents, no scratches, no damages, no mechanical or engine problems, it was always garaged and it comes with full service history.

The car has all the taxes paid, it comes with all the papers in order and it is already registered in India. I am selling the car so cheap because I am in United Kingdom with my job and I am going through a divorce. I need to inform you from the begining that you cannot inspect the car because I am already in UK and the car is here in the custody of eBay and it will be delivered to your address in maxx 3-4 days after you will pay the money to eBay India through PaysaPay, you can visit PaisaPay - How PaisaPay works? to see how it works. If you're ready for this purchase, I need to know your full name and address, as soon as I have them I will start the official procedure, and eBay India will notify you about this. eBay India will send you an Invoice with all the info you will need to complete the transaction. Also a 10 days refund policy will be included so if you will not like the car you will receive your money back.

Thanks,
Denis

IMO this guy is a big fraud !!

[aditya.86]

This is one of the most common ways of cheating peaple in the US. i have come across so many deals in which the seller says tat the car will be shipped to your address and the payment and transaction is made through ebay. This is the mails i received when i contacted one of the sellers.

"Let me explain you the process..

It will be shipped from Regina, SK and I'll pay the delivery costs. After they will receive your amount, they will give me the OK to start the shipping process and I'll do it in the same day if possible. You'll have three days for inspection. Only after you'll receive, inspect and agree with the vehicle, eBay will release the money to me.
eBay has a Return Policy available for the transactions, if the vehicle is not as I described it or you'll find something wrong with it (which I don't think so), the total amount will be refunded by eBay and I will pay the shipping back.

Tell me your decision and I will contact them regarding the sale. Then they will send you all the information about the purchasing.
Thanks!"

On asking the seller for their contact no this is the response i got which i found really hillarious.

"I am ashamed to tell you this. I can't be reached by phone due to a throat infection. Actually it's very hard for me to speak right now...Feel free to ask me everything you want to know about the purchasing by email. I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Thanks!"

A nice and professional way of cheating people

Adi

[mdsaab]

This is surely a scam. People are getting very innovative in their scamming ways. Its Scary!
The other day i got an e-mail stating that i am eligible for a tax rebate. I had applied for the same but never got it. So i actually thought it finally came through. Upon clicking the link. I was taken to a income tax replica site. Then asked to click on my bank link. After doing so i was taken to a replica site of my bank. After realising this. I did not enter my user id and password for internet banking. I dont get suckered in for these kind of things. But this one was quite a close call. Also just wanted to mention that after such a thibg happens please also do a complete virus scan on the system, i found a tracking cookie on the system after this ordeal which was successfully removed.
Sorry for going OT
back to the topic. I dobt think its wise to pay a dime for any car without inspecting and driving it first.
Thanks for bringing this con to light, and safeguarding others from falling prey to such scams.

drive safe!

[ibcool]

these scams are reaching the shore of team-bhp classified!
just saw a listing for a jetta at 3,45,000/- and thought it was too good to be true, so i emailed the person listing the ad and got a response as below
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

I confirm you the car price it is 345 000 Rs .The car is in the best condition, has no technical damage, full service history. The car have India documents and registration. I worked in India for one year and I've purchased the car there. My company wanted me back home, so currently I'm in England (United Kingdom).
The car it's now located in ENGLAND - United Kingdom, Berkshire.
I'm trying to sell it at this price because I don`t use it anymore , it`s a pity to keep such a car and not to use it. UK registration tax is too high ,i can not afford to pay it and i need money urgently to pay my House Bank Credit Debts. I tried to sell the car in United Kingdom, but nobody want`s to buy it because of the high registration tax .
I list my car on India websites so i can sell it faster. The price is correct and the car can be transported to any location. My car is already at one Transport company from UK. I paid them to take care for my car sale protection. I can deliver the car to any location.
Please write me back to discuss only if you are interested!then we will continue the discussion about the car by phone .

Regards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This surely raised my antennas, as i had read this thread earlier, hope no one on team-bhp falls into these traps!

[harit]

There is another scam where they ofer a nice car like a BMW-MINI for 15lacs. When you contact, they ask for a "refundable" deposit of a minor amount like 20,000/- to show that you mean business. This is very tempting and the amount is peanuts if you expect to buy this MINI for 15 lacs. Only you will not get the car and lose 20K. Please be careful when you come across such offers.
And, in the first case export-import of used cars is not hassle free as they make this out to be as the posts above try to imply.

Cheers harit