Online fraud (car related, delete if you're not interested)

[Jim Jordan]

 ------below--------

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Taka Mizutani [mailto:t44tqtro at gmail.com] 
>Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2006 2:58 PM
>To: S-Car-List; Quattro List
>Subject: Online fraud (car related, delete if you're not interested)
>
>Has anyone here successfully gotten a criminal action filed 
>against someone who is committing wire fraud via ads on 
>internet forums?
>
>I recently paid for some shocks that have not been sent for 
>two weeks and now the seller is basically saying "You're 
>screwed, too bad."
>
>I'm wondering if the claims via the US Postal Inspector's 
>office, the FBI or anywhere else actually get anywhere.
>
>I will be contacting the local district attorney about this as well.
>
>Any action against Robert Hack or Motodyne or whatever else 
>his a/k/a might be?
>
>Taka

Hi,

I've been doing biz on the internet since before it became GUI, and there is
little one can do for the most part.  The most blatant one that I
encountered was a guy in Canada selling SPARC 2's with nothing but an empty
case.

HST, that's why it's ultra important for dialogs like this one to occur, to
have a recommended vendor list, and to provide constant feedback.  There are
a lot of bad guys out there and their verbiage looks as legit as the rest.

I'm trying(still) to find a replacement car;  I bought a sub to
Autocheck(Carfax comp by Experian) and I've checked about 20 cars.  Almost
all showed some sort of problem that wasn't revealed by the seller.  

If I were in your shoes, I would take every avenue for complaint available
to me including widespread publication of the story.  Your story might gain
traction somewhere.  The FBI allegedly has an internet fraud unit but good
luck getting them to acknowledge you.  I gave them an alien that was
producing fraudulent passports, according to the Swiss Embassy, and the FBI
agent I talked to told me to tell INS....

Try radio and TV stations;  they sometimes have a "help" line that will
attempt to do things.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Cheers!

Jim Jordan