Help with fraud?

[Northhorse]

A friend has just been ripped off trying to buy this trailer on ebay - the guy used a false name and bank account and she has lost a lot of money. It was supposed to be in Aberdeen, but the police think it could be anywhere in the country and they would very much like to trace him.
Does anyone regognize this trailer or where it's at?? The number on the house is 6.
Would very much appreciate any help however small - and if you can pass this on please do!!
PM me if you have an idea of where it might be. Thanks

 

[quirky]

Eh !

It's a piccy of a trailer, am I missing something?
No, can't help sorry

ETS: You added text after you'd posted the pic!!!

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

I'm sorry your friend got ripped off Unfortunately, that photo could have been taken from any website where it was legitmately sold.

I sold a one-off black Barry Swain side saddle on Ebay in March to a lady in Europe who loves it and fits her horse perfectly (she has no intention of selling it) but my Ebay photos of this one-of-a-kind Swain side saddle is on all the free classified websites like Adoos, Loot, Gumtree being "sold" by some scammer in "London" (the listings often say Haringey) for £1000 (a fraction of what Barry Swain charges to make a side saddle so it's a easy lure for anyone desperate for a side saddle).

I've reported the listings as a scam but the websites refuse to do anything to take them down so I have no doubt that there are probably some people who have been scammed out of a great deal of money thinking they are going to buy a "bargain" Swain side saddle.

Maybe it's even the same scammer, who knows but unfortunately, that photo could have been taken from any website like they did with my saddle photos.

 

[Dubsie]

Picture looks as though it's a standard one as used by Robertson Gemini - dealers in Scotland. http://www.horses4salescotland.co.uk/ifor-williams-511-copy-i972.html - looks as though taken outside same set of houses.

I suggest your friend reports the details and bank account she paid to HMRC and that she suspects that there is a fair level of fraud going on and that she doubts taxes are being paid on the fradulent income generated and request they keep the police informed too.

 

[Northhorse]

Thanks for that - anything is a help at this stage. Unfortunately, the bank account was set up fraudulently using a false name and emptied as soon as the money was drafted.

 

[Foxhunter49]

Hope she has told Ebay, they have insurance for this sort of thing.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

there is very little red brick in scotland. red brick is a very english thing.

 

[wallykissmas]

Im assuming your friend transfered the money between bank accounts and didnt use paypal ?

 

[Northhorse]

The whole set up was very clever - he sent a false ebay invoice to her, you could'nt tell it was false but ebay say it was a deal done outwith their system and because of that she cant get help from them.
He had opened a bank account using someone else's name - identity fraud I suppose - as soon as the money was in, he emptied it and vanished. He coould be operating from anywhere, but said the Trailer was in Aberdeen and that picture does seem to point to Scotland?
The Police told her that his has happened to her and someone else at the same time

 

[liveryblues]

How did she pay for it... Paypal ? debit card? I think ebay are being rather mean as the original add was with them.. fraudulent or not, how would your friend have known the difference!
If debit card.. there is something called charge back... for goods not recieves/damaged etc, you can get your money back.
Do banks have insurance for things like that?

 

[skydancer]

this nearly happened to me when i was selling a laptop but it was the other way round i was receiving notification supposedly from ebay that the funds had been transferred to our paypal account which i believed were real. It wasnt until we logged on and found that ebay had closed the buyers account as they were suspected of fraud. Even after their account was closed they kept emailing to my personal account documents made to look like ebays documents. These people are very clever and they are difficult to recognise but i hope your friend gets her money back