Scam Tip Report #95158 - Selling Car Scammer
Scam Reporter | Scam Tips Received
|
| Anonymous South Yarra, Victoria, Australia 2019-03-22 11:42:48 Classified Ads Scam Autotrader (autotrader.com) | +11 Selling Car Scammer Tried to buy a suzuki swift, asked for more information. Seller immediately went to $7300. Tried to get me to transfer money to an escrow company "autoguidemoving.com". Which does not look like a legit company website anyway. Looked at the website and any money was to be directed to a random person's bank account as opposed to an actual company account (very obviously a scam). Seemed fishy so typed email into google and similar things were said but different name. |
Follow Ups/Extra Information. Most recent is listed first.
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2019-11-04 09:32:56 |
|
Claimed to be selling 2009 Hyundai I30 CW SLX 2.0 for $5770 on carsguide.com.au; while interstate on a military base in WA; Immediately dropped price by $500; emailed his Defence ID so I would know he "was genuine" (ID had no ID number which all other Defence IDs have). He emailed a link to "Automobile Escrow, Secure Vehicle Transactions" at http://www.transfer-guide.com/index.php - an obviously dodgy looking site. Googled the escrow website and the email address ian.livingstone58@gmail.com and found multiple scammer reviews. It's always the same story in the emails; name and payment methods change over time; some names have been been Anthony "Tony" James Hord, Adam James Wild, Ian Livingstone, Ian Thomskey, Andrew James Scott, James Walker, Paul Maier, James Paul....and probably many many more. Payment methods have included Western Union and third party automobile escrow sites http://www.autoguidemoving.com and http://www.transfer-guide.com.
Scam Email
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2019-11-02 23:05:31 |
|
I made enquiries via the carsales website about the vehicle being offered for sale - see below email thread. The whole thing seemed a bit 'fishy', so I googled his name - low and behold he has tried this before a number of times (refer to report on scamalot.com.
Scam Email
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2019-10-21 09:08:12 |
|
I answered an ad on carsguide. Like others the price was dropped in the return email from Ian. On the website his location was local to me in Melbourne but he claimed to have the car on a military base in WA. I continued emailing him to see how far he would go with the farce. The km on the clock went from 96,546 to 16,130 as well. Nobody speaks like he does in his emails if they are genuine
Scam EmailAll emails dated Monday 21 October 2019
From Ian
Sorry for taking so long to reply, I work for the Department of Defence and I was transferred to a new military base in WA. I am providing Pre-Afghanistan Deployment Training (Desert Training).
If you are still interested in buying my car, I’m asking $8,000 (I’ve lowered the price because I’m running out of time). The car is Road Worthy and Rego until 05/2020. It is very well maintained, always garage kept, excellent condition, runs and sounds 100% perfect with no leaks or noises. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I have to sell the car as fast as I can because in three weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and I’ll stay there for a while. I intend to buy a new one when I get back home.
I also need to know if you have the cash to buy the car, because there are a lot of interested buyers. The car is here with me at the military base but you don’t have to worry about the distance I can bring the car to you on my expenses, so if you're interested, let me know.
Details:
Registration#: ZTH837, 16,722 Km’s. Rego until 05/2020. Just had it serviced. Mechanically A1
You’ll love the car, I can guarantee you that!
I've also attached some pictures so you can take a closer look at the car.
Cheers, Ian
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Ian
I'm interested in test driving the car to start with. As I already have a jazz I'm keen to upgrade to a newer model, as someone has recently run into the back of mine causing it to be a write off
I thought it was local - as per the map on the website?
When can I have a look at it?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The car is here with me at the military base in Western Australia, this is why I know that its up to me to provide the shipping. Besides, its free and I will give you a 10 days inspection period so you can take the car to a mechanic and test it before I receive your money. I think it is the fair thing to do. In case you decide not to keep the car I will have it shipped back with no extra charges for you. I have the transfer paperwork in hand and I’m ready to make a deal as soon as possible. The delivery will not take more than 4-5 days and the car will be dropped at your home address if you want. So, if you hurry up you’ll be able to have it in no time. I’m selling the car because there is no use to keep it parked for so long in the garage and I prefer to buy a new car when I get back home.
Let me know if you want to buy.
Thank you, Ian
PS: I’ve attached a copy of my Department of Defence ID card, so you’ll know I’m a serious genuine seller.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That all sounds good, if a little long winded for you given that you only have 3 weeks to sell.
By all means you can ship it over and I'lll have my mechanic check it out for me
Is 16,310 km on the clock correct?
How about you give me your phone number and I'll call you with the delivery address
Cheers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, everything is correct on the clock about km's. This is my number 0481767168 but unfortunately i'm unable to be reached at the phone for the moment because we are in the final stage of our training and we have strict rules here at the army base that is why i am not able to make or receive phone calls.
This is my first time selling a car over the internet and i think the best way is to use a third party company specialized on this kind of transactions, that protects both buyer and seller. One of my friends here bought a car few weeks ago using this company and he was very pleased with their services. I've read their terms and they will also handle the title transfer,also they give you 10 days inspection period before i get paid.
Also the financial part will be managed by them, which means that you will send the payment into their safe account and you will have a 10 days inspection period before committing to buy the car. I won't have any money in my account until you physically see and test drive the car. In case you decide to keep the car the company will send the funds to my account. In case you decide not to keep it, the car will be shipped back by them (without having to pay the shipping fee) and you will get a full refund with no extra charges for you. But I assure you that it won't be the case and you'll keep the car.
Let me know if you want to proceed.
Cheers, Ian
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Ian
I tried the phone number you gave me and it goes straight to a message bank
Would you like me to give you my address so you can ship the car to me and I can take it for a test drive?
Cheers
| Donna Bell (Boronia, Victoria, Australia) Added the following extra information on :2019-08-21 04:58:18 |
|
I had the same email said he was deployed in Afghanistan but currently in WA and will ship the car at his expense but go through a 3rd party to pay for the car thank god I searched this guy.
Scam EmailIan G Livingstone
2:50 PM (5 minutes ago)
to me
Hi NAME,
I recommend to make the whole transaction for the car thru the http://www.autoguidetransfer.com website. All you have to do now is to register an account on their website and send me the email address you registered with, then i will start the transaction. I'll handle shipping and the escrow fee.
Once the transaction will be set, they will guide you how to make the secure payment. They take care of the title and money transfer in the safest way. You'll not send the money to me but to them! If you decide to keep it(and I am sure you will), then you have to visit the website and accept the merchandise and then i get paid.
You can start the registration process here: http://www.autoguidetransfer.com/register.php .
I recommended them because it was used by a friend of mine in buying a car from Tasmania few weeks ago and everything was finished with success. The payment to them was made only Bank to Bank transfer to a local bank from Australia and delivery was made in the established time.
Cheers, Ian
PS: Don't forget to provide me the email address you used to register on the website.
| Emiliano (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) Added the following extra information on :2019-08-01 13:07:27 |
|
Hi Emiliano,
Sorry for taking so long to reply, I work for the Department of Defence and I was transferred to a new military base in WA. I am providing Pre-Afghanistan Deployment Training (Desert Training).
If you are still interested in buying my car, I’m asking $9,000 (I’ve lowered the price because I’m running out of time). The car is Road Worthy and Rego until October 2019. It is very well maintained, always garage kept, excellent condition, runs and sounds 100% perfect with no leaks or noises. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I have to sell the car as fast as I can because in three weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and I’ll stay there for a while. I intend to buy a new one when I get back home.
I also need to know if you have the cash to buy the car, because there are a lot of interested buyers. The car is here with me at the military base but you don’t have to worry about the distance I can bring the car to you on my expenses, so if you're interested, let me know.
Details:
Registration#: DLF45M, 31,722 Km’s. Rego until October 2019. Just had it serviced. Mechanically A1
You’ll love the car, I can guarantee you that!
I've also attached some pictures so you can take a closer look at the car.
Cheers, Ian
Hi Emiliano,
The car is here with me at the military base in Western Australia, this is why I know that its up to me to provide the shipping. Besides, its free and I will give you a 10 days inspection period so you can take the car to a mechanic and test it before I receive your money. I think it is the fair thing to do. In case you decide not to keep the car I will have it shipped back with no extra charges for you. I have the transfer paperwork in hand and I’m ready to make a deal as soon as possible. The delivery will not take more than 4-5 days and the car will be dropped at your home address if you want. So, if you hurry up you’ll be able to have it in no time. I’m selling the car because there is no use to keep it parked for so long in the garage and I prefer to buy a new car when I get back home.
Let me know if you want to buy.
Thank you, Ian
PS: I’ve attached a copy of my Department of Defence ID card, so you’ll know I’m a serious genuine seller.
Ian G Livingstone
18:47 (4 hours ago)
to me
HI Emiliano,
I recommend to make the whole transaction for the car thru the http://www.autoguidemoving.com website. All you have to do now is to register an account on their website and send me the email address you registered with, then i will start the transaction. I'll handle shipping and the escrow fee.
Once the transaction will be set, they will guide you how to make the secure payment. They take care of the title and money transfer in the safest way. You'll not send the money to me but to them! If you decide to keep it(and I am sure you will), then you have to visit the website and accept the merchandise and then i get paid.
You can start the registration process here: http://www.autoguidemoving.com/register.php .
I recommended them because it was used by a friend of mine in buying a car from Tasmania few weeks ago and everything was finished with success. The payment to them was made only Bank to Bank transfer to a local bank from Australia and delivery was made in the established time.
Cheers, Ian
PS: Don't forget to provide me the email address you used to register on the website.
Scam Emailian.livingstone58@gmail.com
| James (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) Added the following extra information on :2019-07-19 04:54:34 |
|
As above, copy and paste scam on www.drive.com.au for an X5.
Looked like a bargain, and he offered a discount without my even asking for one, which is in my experience a huge red flag (why would ANYONE do that?!?!)
Reported him.
Scam EmailHi James,
I not have a pictures of the odometer but i own the car since new and i confirm that it is 100% free accidents ad will come with complete service book.
The car is here with me at the military base in Western Australia, this is why I know that its up to me to provide the shipping. Besides, its free and I will give you a 10 days inspection period so you can take the car to a mechanic and test it before I receive your money. I think it is the fair thing to do. In case you decide not to keep the car I will have it shipped back with no extra charges for you. I have the transfer paperwork in hand and I’m ready to make a deal as soon as possible. The delivery will not take more than 4-5 days and the car will be dropped at your home address if you want. So, if you hurry up you’ll be able to have it in no time. I’m selling the car because there is no use to keep it parked for so long in the garage and I prefer to buy a new car when I get back home.
Let me know if you want to buy.
Thank you, Ian
PS: I’ve attached a copy of my Department of Defence ID card, so you’ll know I’m a serious genuine seller.
On Fri, Jul 19, 2019 at 7:23 NAME <
NAME> wrote:
Hi Ian
Can you send me a photo of the odometer reading and last service record?
Kind regards
James
Hi NAME,
Sorry for taking so long to reply, I work for the Department of Defence and I was transferred to a new military base in WA. I am providing Pre-Afghanistan Deployment Training (Desert Training).
If you are still interested in buying my car, I’m asking $9,900 (I’ve lowered the price because I’m running out of time). The car is Road Worthy and Rego until Feb 2020. It is very well maintained, always garage kept, excellent condition, runs and sounds 100%
perfect with no leaks or noises. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I have to sell the car as fast as I can because in three weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and I’ll stay there for a while. I intend
to buy a new one when I get back home.
I also need to know if you have the cash to buy the car, because there are a lot of interested buyers. The car is here with me at the military base but you don’t have to worry about the distance I can bring the car to you on my expenses, so if you're interested,
let me know.
Details:
Registration#:
WTG840,
101,046 Km’s. Rego until 02/2020. Just had it serviced. Mechanically A1
You’ll love the car, I can guarantee you that!
I've also attached some pictures so you can take a closer look at the car.
Cheers, Ian
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2019-07-12 01:11:20 |
|
When responding to a car ad on the carsguide.com site - 2010 Mazda Neo BFF 78L for $4,990 - I received the following emails. The ad also appears on Drive.com for a different price - $4,490. The 2nd email contains a photo ID. At no stage has he provided a phone number even though in my initial email I asked him to phone me.
1st email:
Sorry for taking so long to reply, I work for the Department of Defence and I was transferred to a new military base in WA. I am providing Pre-Afghanistan Deployment Training (Desert Training).
If you are still interested in buying my car, I’m asking $4,900 (I’ve lowered the price because I’m running out of time). The car is Road Worthy and Rego until Nov 2019. It is very well maintained, always garage kept, excellent condition, runs and sounds 100% perfect with no leaks or noises. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I have to sell the car as fast as I can because in three weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and I’ll stay there for a while. I intend to buy a new one when I get back home.
I also need to know if you have the cash to buy the car, because there are a lot of interested buyers. The car is here with me at the military base but you don’t have to worry about the distance I can bring the car to you on my expenses, so if you're interested, let me know.
Details:
Registration#: BFF78L, 80,578 Km’s. Rego until 11/2019. Just had it serviced. Mechanically A1
You’ll love the car, I can guarantee you that!
I've also attached some pictures so you can take a closer look at the car.
Cheers, Ian
10 Attachments
2nd email:
The car is here with me at the military base in Western Australia, this is why I know that its up to me to provide the shipping. Besides, its free and I will give you a 10 days inspection period so you can take the car to a mechanic and test it before I receive your money. I think it is the fair thing to do. In case you decide not to keep the car I will have it shipped back with no extra charges for you. I have the transfer paperwork in hand and I’m ready to make a deal as soon as possible. The delivery will not take more than 4-5 days and the car will be dropped at your home address if you want. So, if you hurry up you’ll be able to have it in no time. I’m selling the car because there is no use to keep it parked for so long in the garage and I prefer to buy a new car when I get back home.
Let me know if you want to buy.
Thank you, Ian
PS: I’ve attached a copy of my Department of Defence ID card, so you’ll know I’m a serious genuine seller.
Scam Emailhttps://www.carsguide.com.au/cars-for-sale/10596033/MAZDA--3--NSW+-+Sydney--RANDWICK+2031,+NSW--Sedan?searchKey=cg_s.04bd50dde1
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2019-06-17 08:23:57 |
|
When he asked me to go to a third party site to proceed with the purchase I was hesitate & started researching the company. He even gave me the vin number & it seem legit but I still didn't like the idea of a third party site. Then I stumble in to this site & saw the same email used multiple times with different vehicles.
Scam EmailSorry for taking so long to reply, I work for the Department of Defence and I was transferred to a new military base in WA. I am providing Pre-Afghanistan Deployment Training (Desert Training).
If you are still interested in buying my car, I’m asking $9,000 (I’ve lowered the price because I’m running out of time). The car is Road Worthy and Rego until February 2020. It is very well maintained, always garage kept, excellent condition, runs and sounds 100% perfect with no leaks or noises. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I have to sell the car as fast as I can because in three weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and I’ll stay there for a while. I intend to buy a new one when I get back home.
I also need to know if you have the cash to buy the car, because there are a lot of interested buyers. The car is here with me at the military base but you don’t have to worry about the distance I can bring the car to you on my expenses, so if you're interested, let me know.
Details:
Registration#: BMS63N, 96,722 Km’s. Rego until February 2020. Just had it serviced. Mechanically A1
You’ll love the car, I can guarantee you that!
I've also attached some pictures so you can take a closer look at the car.
Cheers, Ian
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2019-05-26 06:53:22 |
|
Identical email after an inquiry via Autotrader.com for a 2012 Suzuki Swift 26/5/19. The more details I asked for the worse the grammar and syntax in the email became. They even sent me a picture of an ID card for the Department of Defense with full name and picture on it. They also sent me lots of pictures of the car - in a reflection in one of the pics it is clearly not the same person as on the ID card. Looked for reviews of the company they wanted to use for the transaction http://www.autoguidemoving.com/ . Web site looked a bit dodgy - no contact details, lots on it about auto moving fraud but some of it poorly written - googled for review of this company - nothing much came up.
Scam EmailHi,
Sorry for taking so long to reply, I work for the Department of Defence and I was transferred to a new military base in WA. I am providing Pre-Afghanistan Deployment Training (Desert Training).
If you are still interested in buying my car, I’m asking $5,400 Negotiable (I’ve lowered the price because I’m running out of time). The car is Road Worthy and Rego until Feb 2020. It is very well maintained, always garage kept, excellent condition, runs and sounds 100% perfect with no leaks or noises. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I have to sell the car as fast as I can because in three weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and I’ll stay there for a while. I intend to buy a new one when I get back home.
I also need to know if you have the cash to buy the car, because there are a lot of interested buyers. The car is here with me at the military base but you don’t have to worry about the distance I can bring the car to you on my expenses, so if you're interested, let me know.
Details:
Registration#: CR70NN, 80,000 Km’s. Rego until 02/2020. Just had it serviced. Mechanically A1
You’ll love the car, I can guarantee you that!
I've also attached some pictures so you can take a closer look at the car.
Cheers, Ian
| CarBuyer (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) Added the following extra information on :2019-04-23 11:56:03 |
|
First part of a long used scam where the seller claims to be in the military and has to sell quickly. Once interested they will get you to deposit the money into an account and they will either deliver or ship the car to you
Scam EmailSorry for taking so long to reply, I work for the Department of Defence and I was transferred to a new military base in WA. I am providing Pre-Afghanistan Deployment Training (Desert Training).
If you are still interested in buying my car, I’m asking $6,800 (I’ve lowered the price because I’m running out of time). The car is Road Worthy and Rego until 10/2019. It is very well maintained, always garage kept, excellent condition, runs and sounds 100% perfect with no leaks or noises. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I have to sell the car as fast as I can because in three weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and I’ll stay there for a while. I intend to buy a new one when I get back home.
I also need to know if you have the cash to buy the car, because there are a lot of interested buyers. The car is here with me at the military base but you don’t have to worry about the distance I can bring the car to you on my expenses, so if you're interested, let me know.
Details:
Registration#: 645XRA, 79,722 Km’s. Rego until 10/2019. Just had it serviced. Mechanically A1
You’ll love the car, I can guarantee you that!
I've also attached some pictures so you can take a closer look at the car.
Cheers, Ian
| John Wilson (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) Added the following extra information on :2019-04-18 06:13:16 |
|
trying to sell Klugger thru GumTree for little cheaper price.. Asked me to register thru http://www.autoguidemoving.com and transfer the money to them. Looked very fishy..
Narrow escape..