SCAMMERS LURKING ABOUT

[lotus4me]

alex
was the car  also featured on craigslist [chap called steve]?

fred

[4129R]

Possibly, the name is the same.

Any evidence of the CL advert?

It is a '73 TCS on standard Lotus alloy wheels,Regency Red and a runner, but the tyres go flat.

If anyone is offered one for sale in the Florida area especially, please tell me, as I have paid in full for it by a BIN offer I made to him accepted in writing on 21st May at 17.10.15 PDT.

Regards,

Alex.

[lotus4me]

alex

I was directed to a craigslist ad for a lotus elan for sale, and the picture of the elan showed a maroon europa parked next to it, looking a bit dusty, so I contacted the seller...this was on 6 [?] sept, before i had agreed to go for joji's project.....

here is a transcript of the e-mail exchange [some overlapped].............


"hi stevesaw your ad for a lotus elan, and noticed there are also photos of a maroon lotus europa.....is that for sale also?thanksfred

T HAS BEEN SOLD.  WE ARE JUST WAITING FOR THE NEW TITLE SO IT CAN BE SHIPPED BACK TO ENGLAND.  IF YOU HAVE AN OFFER OF $11 OR MORE, I WILL PASS IT ON TO THE OWNER.  THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST.  STEVE.  305.244.8399.

Possibly yes. What would you offer for the Europa?

Sent from my iPhone

hi stevecouple of questions..is the europa complete?chassis [frame] solid? driver? clear title?assuming it's a tc or tcs, I would make an offer.....thanksfred

HI FRED,WE ARE PLACING A MECHANICS LIEN ON THIS VEHICLE NOW TO GET A CLEAN, CLEAR TITLE.  THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAS DISAPPEARED FOR A FEW YEARS NOW.  YES.  IT IS COMPLETE.  YES. IT HAS A SOLID CHASSIS AND FRAME.  WHAT WOULD YOU OFFER FOR THE CAR? 

steveassuming clear title, and that the car needs full restoration after standing for some years, i would say it is worth about $5500  maybe $6500 if it is 5speed model tcs.......if you have the VIN number, I can check.....europas are not worth as much as elansfred

HI FRED, IT'S AN ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLAR CAR & SOLD FOR THAT AMOUNT ALREADY.  DONE DEAL.  

hi steveI would like a reply to my valuation fairly quickly, as I'm about to purchase another one!thanksfred

YES.  SURE.  LET'S GET THIS EUROPA SOLD.  I WOULD NORMALLY NOT SELL IT SO CHEAP AT $6,500, YET THE NEW BOAT IS COSTING ME THOUSANDS QUICKLY BEFORE I HAVE EVEN HAD IT SHIPPED TO ME.  ?!?!?!?!  THANKS, STEVE.  754.551.1260."


It all sounded bit fishy, so I pulled the plug.....is this the same car/seller?

fred

[4129R]

Very highly likely to be the same car.

Can you please PM me all the contact details you had for "Steve" please, and if possible a reference to the CL advert itself.

Just checked the Cellphone number he gave me. It is the same!!!

Many thanks,

Alex.

[lotus4me]

alex

no problem....I will pm you copies of everything I've got.....I tried getting the craigslist ad up again, but only got the 'home' site..

the craigslist ad was advertising a lotus elan, so he wasn't actually advertising the europa for sale, but he was apparently willing to sell the car to me after he'd already sold it to you!!!

btw.......I thought you had enough europas??!!

regards

fred

[3929R]

A Google search of both of the phone numbers in that email chain shows multiple cars for sale in the recent past. If he is not a salesman for a dealer/s, I'd think he is required to be a licensed and bonded motor vehicle dealer himself (required if you sell more than 3 cars a year). You could call the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles- 1 305 244-8399 and file a complaint- http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/dmv/forms/BRE/84901.pdf   Not sure if this would be effective but it's perhaps something to try.

[4129R]

Thanks very much for that.

I have sent texts to both cellphone numbers and emails. I have reported this to Craig's List also. All he has to do is get the copy Title Deeds and put the car in a container, he had my money 6 months ago.

Alex in Norfolk

[4129R]

I am now in contact with the Attorney General's office in Florida by email, and sent them 30 pages of email correspondence, and I have posted a report and the same full email evidence to  Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles in Miami.

It appears that the vendor of this 1973 Regency Red TCS sold it to me via e-Bay, then admitted all this to another Forum member, and then offered to sell the same car to him for $6,500 in response to a Craig's List advert, 4 months after he had sold the car to me on eBay.

I will keep updating on developments, so people know what to do if they get scammed like it appears I have been.

Alex in Norfolk UK.

[BDA]

Good luck to you, Alex!! Hopefully, there'll be a positive resolution to this - and the more positive to you the better.

Please keep us up to date.

[EuropaTC]

Hi Alex,

I'm sorry to hear your tale, it's one of those things that can so easily happen to us all. What I do find heartening is the response from the other guys here in helping you to progress it, that's a real friendship/community thing which I'm not sure you get everywhere these days.

You have a piece of the jigsaw in that it was another forum member who contacted him and got the subsequent offer of sale, but I guess the real kicker is if there's a third (or fourth/fifth) guy in the buying loop  and if the car has actually been sold/delivered to someone else. Or does the original seller still have it tucked away ? 

I suppose if someone else has tried to register it in their name then you have the right departments to help you find out.

Brian

[4129R]

I don't even know if he owns or has the car. He could have just taken photos of a Europa and an Elan together, and then starts advertising on eBay and Craig's list fishing for bights.

I have given his bank account details to the authorities, which hopefully is the best way of tracing him, as his phone numbers may be ficticious. His limited company should make him traceable, and as he has committed fraud, someone in authority should be interested.

Having said that, he has sold car parts and cars and has feedback on eBay, so unless he is making up all the feedback, which would be very difficult, he should exist, and be trading.

I just hope all on this Forum are aware of this scammer, and do not buy a Regency Red 73 TCS without making loads of checks first.

[4129R]

No luck so far getting the scam resolved. My complaint to the Attorney's office said they had tried to contact him to resolve the dispute but were unable to do so.

My complaint to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is crawling along at snails pace.

I have today contacted the FBI to send in an Internet Fraud claim.

If anyone is offered a Regency Red TCS Europa in the Florida area, please contact me straight away.

Thanks,

Alex in Norfolk UK

[BDA]

I can only hope he pokes his head up at the wrong time so when the law plays Whack-a-Mole, he gets the hammer and you get your money back! Good luck!

[Bainford]

Thanks for the update, Alex. Please keep us posted, and good luck.

[4129R]

It seems that I had the chassis number of this Regency Red TCS.

It should be 4174R.

If anyone is offered 73114174R, I suggest you check very carefully the credentials of the vendor, the title document, and please let me know, as this is very probably the car offered to myself and another in the UK, by Steve Cannon of Miami.

Incidentally 4607R another Regency Red TCS is currently for sale with 8944 miles on the clock, on eBay.co.uk