E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

Off-Topic => General Topics => Topic started by: soundcontrol on March 16, 2018, 03:03:31 PM

Title: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: soundcontrol on March 16, 2018, 03:03:31 PM
I'm forwarding a warning that my shipper recently posted on FB.

I would like to caution all of you about internet fraud.
I am working on a fraud helping a friend.
A friend back in Sweden bought a car on a internet site here in US. The car was paid for by wire transfer to a what seems to be a legit company. A very informative web page and very professionally done. It all seemed to go well in correspondence with the seller and the transport company until it was time to deliver the car. The car never showed up at the port when it was supposed to be delivered. He has contacted the seller with no response.
We have contacted authorities with no luck at all.
I just want you all to know that this happens a lot here in the US.
So make sure that you are a contacting a reputable agencies to help you out with your purchases.
Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have and be safe.


This is the company:
http://www.gelstontransport.com/index.php
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping companyThe addres s
Post by: Cuda Cody on March 16, 2018, 03:52:02 PM
The address they are using is just down the road from @ScottSmith_Harms (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/scottsmithharms_164)  but it looks to be a dealership for Freightliner (a manufacture of trucks).

10220 W Westbow Rd, Spokane, WA 99224

:notsure:
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping companyThe addres s
Post by: 1 Wild R/T on March 16, 2018, 04:01:20 PM
Quote from: Cuda Cody on March 16, 2018, 03:52:02 PM
The address they are using is just down the road from @ScottSmith_Harms (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/scottsmithharms_164)  but it looks to be a dealership for Freightliner (a manufacture of trucks).

10220 W Westbow Rd, Spokane, WA 99224

:notsure:

Freightliner is at 10310....  10220 is showing as gelston transport... Hopefully just a screwup that will be fixed...
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Cuda Cody on March 16, 2018, 04:45:14 PM
Cool.  I was just using google street view to see if they had a real business sign.  Wonder why they will not reply to the customer?   :huh:
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Cuda Cody on March 16, 2018, 04:47:45 PM
Is it possible that they don't have a street sign because they are not really there? 

https://db.aa419.org/fakebanksview.php?key=130308

Looks like they have their address on a lot of "websites" but they do not have a real location there.   :dunno:
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: 1 Wild R/T on March 16, 2018, 05:20:15 PM
currently I'm using Google Earth, there is a building there but when you tap the street view button that street doesn't offer street view, most of the streets nearby do but not that one.....  The building does have allot of trucks in the parking lot so it fits the bill... If Scott has time maybe he could do a drive by & at least confirm or not whether Gelston is there....   Maybe even go in & ask questions....
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: RUNCHARGER on March 16, 2018, 07:11:59 PM
That's a real scary deal. I sold my orange car overseas and the buyers were awesome and the deal went well. However I could see a dishonest type feeding a buyer a good line of BS and taking the money and running. As a buyer I would want the money in escrow or something else to protect myself. As a matter of fact I think on a deal of any magnitude that I would fly over and exchange cash for the car and then personally oversee the delivery of the car to port, Sure people are busy and time is money but there is too much at stake for normal people like me that can't afford to let $100k or so fly away.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: anlauto on March 16, 2018, 07:30:37 PM
I will remain positive and hope that the car eventually arrives.....

A had a scary story....with a happy ending.....

I sold my 1971 440+6 Challenger RT to Sweden and the buyer made all the arrangements.....first red flag was that when they called me, I thought they would come and pick it up, instead they wanted me to deliver it to their "Canadian" warehouse ? :clueless: they were calling me from somewhere in the States (second red flag)......
When I delivered the car to the given address....the guy greeting me had no idea the car was coming...the place looked totally sketchy....and he told me it would be sitting outside for a couple of days until the truck arrived to get it :o Also stated it would be on an open transport to Halifax NS (about 1200 miles away)before being loaded into a container  :-X

After about a month ...the car arrived in Sweden and was dirty, but once cleaned up, the buyer was extremely happy with it....I was paid in full before leaving my house, but still very nervous about the whole deal...

Of course I took these pictures that day to cover my ass....
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: RUNCHARGER on March 16, 2018, 07:52:01 PM
Yes: This is the POS my Challenger rode to Vancouver on, then it was going to sit outside as well. It wasn't my car anymore though and I had no input on it. I would have enclose trailered it down there and worried every minute that something would happen  if it had been on me to do it. I bet it took some hard licks by drivers at the yard too, I took a photo of the odometer and every inch of the car when I handed it over.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: soundcontrol on March 17, 2018, 03:22:53 AM
There is at least 2 cases with this company, the Swede got ripped off for $14000 and another guy for $18000, if I Google some. The address seems to be fake.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Spikedog08 on March 17, 2018, 06:46:42 AM
Wow I do hope this has a happy ending!  Wonder if there could be some kind of tracking devise installed so the new buyer would know where their car is all the time?  Sounds like a good idea to me! 

:dunno:
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: scf100 on March 17, 2018, 07:02:39 AM
Quote from: Spikedog08 on March 17, 2018, 06:46:42 AM
Wow I do hope this has a happy ending!  Wonder if there could be some kind of tracking devise installed so the new buyer would know where their car is all the time?  Sounds like a good idea to me! 

:dunno:


That's a great idea
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: HP_Cuda on March 17, 2018, 10:54:07 AM
Sad this thing happens. They are hiding behind privacy protect so the buyer will have to get some legal help to get past that to reveal the perps using publicdomain.com.

Wiring money is a thiefs wet dream.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: soundcontrol on March 18, 2018, 03:55:54 AM
Someone my shipper knows in Spokane went there and there was no such biz at the address.

Hot Rod Export. A friend of mine who lives in Spokane stopped by at the address yesterday and it was a different business. He got some valuable information from the business about others who got screwed as well.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Shoooter on March 18, 2018, 08:25:33 PM
thisbis heart breaking for a car guy! hopefully it all works out
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: LOVE22_85 on April 18, 2018, 07:11:52 AM
 :help:
Hi, my brother got scammed by this gelston transport company, he thought he bought a car and they would ship it in Germany, but after few weeks of waiting when he checked their site, it was taken offline. So he started searching for info and came across this blog. He lost about 30 K EUR  :(

He went to the police, but they said they can't do anything about it, the bank too so he talked to a lawyer who advised him to search more victims and file a common complaint. If the sum is above 150K the fraud can then be investigated by FBI.

Not sure if this can help, but it is better to try something than do nothing and let some criminals rip people off  :madashell:

If there are people there who would like to give it a try, please contact me.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Timbbuc2 on April 18, 2018, 07:57:11 AM
I hope this works out, but if it dont this is terrible. I have bought several big ticket items on ebay, I would always make a deposit and pay the balance when I picked it up. I know this is different than what is being talked about, when it comes to money I dont trust anyone. Quick story, a good friend of mine bought a Gator ATV on ebay. The seller instructed her to send a Western Union for the payment, I told her not too but she did anyway. The seller said the Gator was at a Ebay warehouse, they dont have a warehouse. Anyway she wired 4500 USD and that was the end of it, ADIOS Dinero. Guy had a throw-away phone and never heard from him.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Cuda Cody on April 18, 2018, 08:09:32 AM
I hate hearing that someone else has been scammed.   :pullinghair:
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: soundcontrol on April 18, 2018, 09:24:40 AM
Quote from: LOVE22_85 on April 18, 2018, 07:11:52 AM
:help:
Hi, my brother got scammed by this gelston transport company, he thought he bought a car and they would ship it in Germany, but after few weeks of waiting when he checked their site, it was taken offline. So he started searching for info and came across this blog. He lost about 30 K EUR  :(

He went to the police, but they said they can't do anything about it, the bank too so he talked to a lawyer who advised him to search more victims and file a common complaint. If the sum is above 150K the fraud can then be investigated by FBI.

Not sure if this can help, but it is better to try something than do nothing and let some criminals rip people off  :madashell:

If there are people there who would like to give it a try, please contact me.

I will copy your post on the original FB post with a link to here so the scammed people can get together if possible.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: meoschmaslam on July 10, 2020, 11:38:37 AM
Hey, i think internet providers should block these fraud websites or at least give a warning before opening the links. i got scammed by a cars dealer website, i paid for the car online and they said that they would ship it to my area in a few days, but after a week of waiting i checked the website at my friend's house and the browser gave an warning to enter the website, i was suspensions and i tried to call them but no answer and the website was taken offline after few days. If i had that warning too i wouldn't pay any bucks on that site, i'll change my internet provider to usave (https://usave.co.uk/broadband/) cause i don't want to lose money online anymore.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Cuda Cody on July 10, 2020, 12:15:11 PM
What's the company and where is the car now?

Quote from: meoschmaslam on July 10, 2020, 11:38:37 AM
sorry for bumping the thread, but i thinking it's happening with my friend now, the website he bought from,doesn't answering him for 2 days
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: cudamadd on July 10, 2020, 02:48:29 PM
Heartless people that's what these Scammers are .  I hope some how it works out and it's just a bad dream  :verymad:
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: soundcontrol on July 10, 2020, 04:31:46 PM
Quote from: meoschmaslam on July 10, 2020, 11:38:37 AM
sorry for bumping the thread, but i thinking it's happening with my friend now, the website he bought from,doesn't answering him for 2 days

What is the website?
I was looking for a Cuda, and got in touch with some extremely good scammers. e-autotraders.com, (and a week later they had another name, similar) I didn't fall for it because I investigated it carefully, but just a few weeks later a guy on e-bodies.org Facebook group proudly announced that he bought that exact car, I told him about it and  he stopped the payment. Long FB thread that he removed after a few days. (embarrassed I guess...)
There is a thread on the subject here on e-bodies.
Title: Re: Internet Fraud, shipping company
Post by: Priesty on July 11, 2020, 05:22:44 PM
It seems they have left quite a trail of woe. See below link of other victims banding together, was sometime ago though.
https://www.scamguard.com/gelston-transport/