eBay fraudsters sentenced to jail
Three Romanians who conned eBay customers out of thousands of pounds have been sentenced to a total of eight years' imprisonment.
The "cell" tricked customers into paying for £300,000 worth of fictitious goods which never arrived.
The man said to be the gang's ringleader, Nicolae Cretanu, 30, of Forest Gate, London, was given a three and a half year term for the fraud.
His wife Adriana, 23, and George Titar, 26, both got two and a half years.
The couple advertised everything from non-existent cars to concert tickets and used 12 aliases and an accomplice to collect the payments.
Their accomplice Titar, of Stratford, London, collected payments from money transfer shops.
Don't use money transfer to send money to anybody who you don't know personally
Chief Supt Nigel Mawer
The two-year scam was successful because buyers on eBay have to pay before they are sent their goods.
People were told by email that they had been unsuccessful in their first bid but were offered a "second chance" to buy a similar item.
But the goods they purchased never arrived and the trio managed to net at least £300,000 from the scam.
The majority of the cash was sent back to the gang's accomplices in Romania in what the police described as a well-planned and sophisticated fraud.
The racket was finally exposed after suspicious staff at money transfer firm Western Union alerted police.
Essentially safe
Chief Superintendent Nigel Mawer who led the operation said the fraud was operated by a "significant cell of Romanians operating in London".
"We believe there were 3,000 victims of this fraud and this type of fraud is still continuing."
He said that up to a £1 billion worth of fraud of this type took place in the UK a year.
And he issued a warning to potential internet auction customers: "Don't use money transfer to send money to anybody who you don't know personally.
"It is not designed for that and Western Union support that and work with us on that," he said.
Chief Supt Mawer added that the cell's accomplices in Romania had been arrested and were awaiting trial.
He stressed that internet auctions were essentially safe as long as customers followed the "good guidance" on how to buy safely.
Read more =>http://news.tutorialselect.com/4385956/ebay_fraudsters_sentenced_to_jail
Three Romanians who conned eBay customers out of thousands of pounds have been sentenced to a total of eight years' imprisonment.
The "cell" tricked customers into paying for £300,000 worth of fictitious goods which never arrived.
The man said to be the gang's ringleader, Nicolae Cretanu, 30, of Forest Gate, London, was given a three and a half year term for the fraud.
His wife Adriana, 23, and George Titar, 26, both got two and a half years.
The couple advertised everything from non-existent cars to concert tickets and used 12 aliases and an accomplice to collect the payments.
Their accomplice Titar, of Stratford, London, collected payments from money transfer shops.
Don't use money transfer to send money to anybody who you don't know personally
Chief Supt Nigel Mawer
The two-year scam was successful because buyers on eBay have to pay before they are sent their goods.
People were told by email that they had been unsuccessful in their first bid but were offered a "second chance" to buy a similar item.
But the goods they purchased never arrived and the trio managed to net at least £300,000 from the scam.
The majority of the cash was sent back to the gang's accomplices in Romania in what the police described as a well-planned and sophisticated fraud.
The racket was finally exposed after suspicious staff at money transfer firm Western Union alerted police.
Essentially safe
Chief Superintendent Nigel Mawer who led the operation said the fraud was operated by a "significant cell of Romanians operating in London".
"We believe there were 3,000 victims of this fraud and this type of fraud is still continuing."
He said that up to a £1 billion worth of fraud of this type took place in the UK a year.
And he issued a warning to potential internet auction customers: "Don't use money transfer to send money to anybody who you don't know personally.
"It is not designed for that and Western Union support that and work with us on that," he said.
Chief Supt Mawer added that the cell's accomplices in Romania had been arrested and were awaiting trial.
He stressed that internet auctions were essentially safe as long as customers followed the "good guidance" on how to buy safely.
Read more =>http://news.tutorialselect.com/4385956/ebay_fraudsters_sentenced_to_jail
