Please help, been scammed out of £500 3 weeks before my baby due

[Floralaura]

Ebay allow the use of cash as payment for cars if I remember right, ring ebay and get their stance on the issue too.

 

[Eleanor ace]

Oh hun . I wouldn't go round, if the address is know to the fraud squad that would make me super wary. He could palm a stolen car off onto you, take more money from you and leave you in a world of trouble.

 

[lylasmummy]

The address we have is in Yorkshire....

 

[lylasmummy]

Oh hun . I wouldn't go round, if the address is know to the fraud squad that would make me super wary. He could palm a stolen car off onto you, take more money from you and leave you in a world of trouble.

Tbh, this is what I am worried about if my OH goes and gets it (if it even exists) we did a HPI on the number plate from the car in the pictures and it all came back clear

 

[Tasha]

I think it wont even be there, then it will of been money wasted on petrol

 

[weewdy]

When i went through a similar situation i also was 8 months pregnant and i purchased a used car from a professional garage and ended up £3500 out of pocket because it broke down 80miles after i bought it. The car was a fire hazard and should never have been sold. I know its a completely different situation but i was 3500 out of pocket for 6 months but because i contacted the appropriate people immediately i was reinbursed 6 months later. I kept every correspondence, which were all recorded delivery letters as proof. I honestly feel you are going round in circles and stressing yourself out, which you dont need just now. As i posted previously i would letter him threatening small claims court and stop texting back and forth. I know you need the money now but i dont think your going to get it. Also i would advise against going to his door and that could cause more problems for your oh. Did he see the car before buying?

 

[lau86]

So sorry this has happened to you. I would be so upset. If it was me I would let the police deal with it.

 

[Squidge]

The address we have is in Yorkshire....

What area in Yorkshire?

 

[lylasmummy]

The address we have is in Yorkshire....

What area in Yorkshire?

Huddersfield, why? X

 

[Rachel_C]

You know the more I read this back the more I can't see exactly what the guy did wrong tbh

You gave a deposit which he used for something but then you changed your mind because of the tax/insurance issue (which would be present on ANY used car you bought) then the guy maybe stalling because he has spent the 500 already

Well for starters he never should have asked for the money outside of eBay, especially if he wasn't even going to keep to his word when he said himself he was happy to pay it back (I know the OH shouldn't have paid it but this fella would have known it was dodgy to ask for it outside of eBay and it reaks of scam if they couldn't have just done it through paypal)

Of course he shouldn't have asked for payment outside eBay. But reading further into the situation that appears to be all he has actually done wrong. He spent the 500 possibly in good faith thinking he would be getting the remainder in collection of the car. Maybe he was genuinely trying to scrape the 500 back and that's why he has been stalling. I just don't think it's actually malicious scamming

You can't tax a car you don't own and you can't legally drive a car without tax unless you're on the way to a pre-booked MOT. You can use the new keeper part of the log book/V5 to tax the car at a post office if you are already insured on the car (which means paying insurance for a car you don't yet own and waiting for your insurance certificate to come through the post, or limiting yourself to one of the insurers that provide a certificate for you to print yourself), but that would mean buying the car, not moving it from the owner's drive because it's not taxed, going to a local Post Office to tax it and then coming back to put the tax disc in the car. It is a real pain in the arse to do; it requires careful timing/planning and trust in the seller... if a car is sold 'with tax' but doesn't have it I'd very strongly argue that it is perfectly reasonable to withdraw from the sale as the car is not as described if it doesn't have the tax, exactly the same as if the car was sold 'with MOT' or 'with wheels' and didn't have them. If the car wasn't taxed, he should have checked he would have the funds to tax it and would be able to get the paperwork together to do it, or he should have said 'IT IS NOT TAXED' in the item description. That is where he did something wrong... apart from, you know, the stealing money thing.

 

[suzib76]

You know the more I read this back the more I can't see exactly what the guy did wrong tbh

You gave a deposit which he used for something but then you changed your mind because of the tax/insurance issue (which would be present on ANY used car you bought) then the guy maybe stalling because he has spent the 500 already

Well for starters he never should have asked for the money outside of eBay, especially if he wasn't even going to keep to his word when he said himself he was happy to pay it back (I know the OH shouldn't have paid it but this fella would have known it was dodgy to ask for it outside of eBay and it reaks of scam if they couldn't have just done it through paypal)

Of course he shouldn't have asked for payment outside eBay. But reading further into the situation that appears to be all he has actually done wrong. He spent the 500 possibly in good faith thinking he would be getting the remainder in collection of the car. Maybe he was genuinely trying to scrape the 500 back and that's why he has been stalling. I just don't think it's actually malicious scamming

You can't tax a car you don't own and you can't legally drive a car without tax unless you're on the way to a pre-booked MOT. You can use the new keeper part of the log book/V5 to tax the car at a post office if you are already insured on the car (which means paying insurance for a car you don't yet own and waiting for your insurance certificate to come through the post, or limiting yourself to one of the insurers that provide a certificate for you to print yourself), but that would mean buying the car, not moving it from the owner's drive because it's not taxed, going to a local Post Office to tax it and then coming back to put the tax disc in the car. It is a real pain in the arse to do; it requires careful timing/planning and trust in the seller... if a car is sold 'with tax' but doesn't have it I'd very strongly argue that it is perfectly reasonable to withdraw from the sale as the car is not as described if it doesn't have the tax, exactly the same as if the car was sold 'with MOT' or 'with wheels' and didn't have them. If the car wasn't taxed, he should have checked he would have the funds to tax it and would be able to get the paperwork together to do it, or he should have said 'IT IS NOT TAXED' in the item description. That is where he did something wrong... apart from, you know, the stealing money thing.

Woaw. I know how the tax & insurance situation works. My whole post was based on the facts not the reasons. Anyway like I said to the op I am not saying anything further

 

[x__amour]

I've just read your whole thread and I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I'm from the US but I'll try and help as much as possible.

A few months ago I was preparing to have my two cars shipped from Colorado to Florida. I found a company, very cheap, who required a deposit of $150. Not a lot of money but a decent amount. The day my cars were to be picked up, they never showed up. Never called, turned off their phones, etc. I was able to find another company who picked my cars up a few days later. The second I knew I was scammed I called Wells Fargo, my bank, and opened up a claim. I had to provide information that the services were never performed, show them my receipts, phone records, etc. I was credited the $150 and the "business" is in a shit hole with the government right now.

You need to contact your bank. I hope that there is something similar. I hope I've helped and I so hope you get your money.

 

[ladyluck8181]

I think at this stage if you are not in a position to go to Huddersfield, pay the remaining money and collect the potentially non existent car then your only option is to take it to a small claims court, it costs about £25 to start a claim and is pretty easy but lengthy process ie about 6 months.

 

[lylasmummy]

I think at this stage if you are not in a position to go to Huddersfield, pay the remaining money and collect the potentially non existent car then your only option is to take it to a small claims court, it costs about £25 to start a claim and is pretty easy but lengthy process ie about 6 months.

Ahh, I was under the impression small claims court was rather pricy. That's worth knowing, thanks.

Need to have a serious talk with oh about this tonight, I need it resolving once and for all one way or another.

Thanks so much to everyone for their kind words and input xxx

 

[ladyluck8181]

Under a certain amount of money it is v cheap, it was £25 in 2009. We claimed against our wedding cake maker, she f-ed it right up, that was for £300 and you can fill out the form online, pay the fee online and they send papers to the other party.

 

[mazndave]

Just read through this, it doesn't look good for getting it back with all the excuses he's throwing out! Definitely look into taking it through small claims, even if it does take 6 months it's better than never getting anything back at all. Did your oh find the guys bank details, as that'd be the best way for any fraud team to trace him, if his other details were fake. The only problem is it'll be difficult for you to even prove you paid him the money if he denied any knowledge of it, so hopefully it won't come to that.

Ladyluck, I'm from Doncaster too and I'm intrigued to know who the shoddy cake maker was?!

 

[Abz1982]

I would definitely take this to the small claims court. Was there not a guy who was riped off via an ebay scam that managed to successfully fight back and the person who ran the scam was caught?

If I had agreed to buy a car that I believed was good to go - just needed insurance - and after doing partial payment they asked for More money, I would back out. They have changed the terms of the agreement, which you then have the chance to refuse. Which you chose to do and so he should refund you.

If he doesnt have the money, as he is legally still the registered owner of the car, tell him to sell it again and refund you...............

 

[ladyluck8181]

Just read through this, it doesn't look good for getting it back with all the excuses he's throwing out! Definitely look into taking it through small claims, even if it does take 6 months it's better than never getting anything back at all. Did your oh find the guys bank details, as that'd be the best way for any fraud team to trace him, if his other details were fake. The only problem is it'll be difficult for you to even prove you paid him the money if he denied any knowledge of it, so hopefully it won't come to that.

Ladyluck, I'm from Doncaster too and I'm intrigued to know who the shoddy cake maker was?!

It was a lady from Wakefield called cheryl so nobody local. It did make the free press though cos a cake shop based in epworth ended up saving the day by providing a cake at the last minute lol!

Where abouts in doncaster are you?

 

[mazndave]

It rings a vague bell that I might've read about that! When you posted it I wondered whether it'd been a cake shop in Thorne as I've heard so many bad things about it.

I'm up at Woodfield Plantation/Balby, what about you? Ha, be funny if we kind of knew of each other somehow, I'm a year younger than you.

 

[Squidge]

The address we have is in Yorkshire....

What area in Yorkshire?

Huddersfield, why? X

I'm in South Yorkshire so if it'd been close I could've drove past to see if the car was there. I'm not near Huddersfield though, sorry!

Hope you get something sorted