The FBI out of New York busted a $4.5 million classic car scammer ring (thanks Gary!)

Eastern Europeans launched the nationwide fraud ring in November 2016 and the scheme involved posting fake classic car ads online, luring buyers, and setting up shell corporations to transfer money out of the U.S.

Victims responded to ads for Jags, Porsches, and Ferraris on popular car sale sites, and once the two parties agreed on a final price, the defendants would direct the buyers to automotive transportation companies. The transport companies were actually the shell corporations ready to receive payment and wait for one of the criminals to withdraw the funds. Victims never received the car they thought was being delivered.

Upon receiving payment, the group would begin withdrawing money from the shell corporations' bank accounts sometimes the same day victims wired money. The money was then sent to various Eastern European countries.

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2018/08/03/4-5-million-classic-car-fraud-scheme-shut-down-by-fbi.html

Baiting rich guys with Porsches is like promising to give crack to crackheads. 

Scams, greed, profiteering, and dirty deeds... they aren't new. They certainly are clever though, so beware, stay skeptical.

I was just reading the most recent issue of the Hagerty car ins co monthly magazine (11 years now!) and during a slice of pizza at costco I read two scams mentioned by two articles.

That's pretty bad. I only got through about 10 pages of content (ignoring the ads) and learned of two scams. Damn.

I'd rather just share happy stuff, good news, etc... but there isn't much of that in the world. So, like I often do, here is another PSA (public service announcement) to help you out, potentially.

Jay Leno mentioned that while selling his house a little while ago, of the offers that were made, a single mom was one. Okay, right there I'm instantly on alert for a scam, as not many single people can afford anything Jay Leno owns, much less a house in Beverly Hills, and anyone that rich who can make an offer on a multi million dollar house in BH, and is a woman? Is likely to be the California's Most Eligible Bachlorette. So, see what I mean? instant alert for scam.

Anyway, this single mom's offer on the house wasn't the highest, he mentioned it was low, but Jay and his wife were sympathetic, and even sent out their window curtains to get cleaned so the woman moving in would find a far more pleasant place than anticipated. It's the little kindnesses, you know?

Well, a month after selling Jay goes back to see how things are going, you know, questions like "where is the water sprinkler controller? or what key opens the garage side door?" come up.

He found that the house was already bulldozed and a new one was going up. Yeah, she worked for a realtor, to buy houses. Not that she was honest about it, but she was simply earning a living and using what she has to get the most money a day that she can... in So Cal. So, even when there isn't much to alert you, and honestly, there isn't anything illegal about what she did, it still stings to get screwed over by a scammer. So did some honest person who would have been buying the house instead, if this realtors employee hadn't used the sympathy card.

The other scam is a hoot, back in the 1910s, when EVERYONE was full of it about how their backyard car company was making great cars, there was a guy named Bush, who like everyone else, advertised the car in the newpapers, magazines, or whatever... and had to be paid first, before he'd deliver the car he'd make for you. But this canny ol buzzard was not that into work, he went to any car company around that had a new car for sale, and then bought it, put his own name plate on it, and sold it for a profit, cash up front, to whoever was buying a "Bush" car from him. He never made a car, and eventually the nearby car companies caught on, and stopped selling him cars. Then he was out of business. 

have you seen the email scam that uses a free BMW 730 as bait? It actually has Beverly Hills BMW as the place it's trying to convince you is giving away a car

this is the photo in the scam email

BMW LOTTERY DEPARTMENT
5070 WILSHIRE BLVD
LOS ANGELES. CA 90036
NEIGHORHOOD: MID WILSHIRE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
EMAIL: bmwclaimfediciarydesk11@gmail.com


Hello,

This is to inform you that you have been selected for a prize of a brand new 2017 Model BMW 7 Series Car and a Check of $500,000.00 USD from the international balloting programs held on the 15th of JUNE 2018 in the UNITED STATE OF AMERICA.

Description of prize vehicle;
Model: 730iA Color (exterior): Metallic Silver Mileage: 5 Transmission: Automatic 6 Speed
Options: Cold weather package, premium package, fold down rear seats w/ski bag, am fm stereo with single in dash compact disc player.

The selection process was carried out through random selection in our computerized email selection system (ESS) from a database of over 250,000 email addresses drawn from all the continents of the world which you were selected.

The BMW Lottery is approved by the British Gaming Board and also licensed by the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). To begin the processing of your prize you are to contact our fiduciary claims department for more information as regards procedures to the claim of your prize.
Name: Mr. Moore James
Email : bmwclaimfediciarydesk11@gmail.com

Contact him by providing him with your secret pin code Number
BMW: 2551256003/23.

You are also advised to provide him with the under listed information as soon as possible:
1. Name in Full:
2. Residential Address:
3. Nationality:
4. Age:
5. Sex
6. Occupation:
7. Direct Phone:
8. Present Country:
9. Email address:
10. Pin code Number BMW: 2551256003/23

Please you are to provide him with the above listed details as soon as possible so he can begin with the processing of your prize winnings.

Congratulations again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotional program.

Mrs. Rachael Adams.

THE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS
BMW LOTTERY DEPARTMENT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

They got the address mostly right

They got the name of the supposed person emailing this out Rachael Adams  different than it would show up in their email address rachaeeadams@gmail.com  Seriously? Add the "L" and make it look a bit more legit!

I wonder why they make such obvious mistakes that are clear indicators of a scam. 

shakedown lawsuit in progress... now that Seinfeld's "Comedians in cars"... is making ridiculous money, a guy is sueing, claiming to have invented the idea, and that Seinfeld stole it.

Notice, he never made a peep until 7 years of non-money making episodes were over, and Netflix picked it up and it became a profit maker

http://www.thedrive.com/news/18523/lawsuit-claims-jerry-seinfeld-stole-idea-for-comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee

how the rich are getting out of paying sales tax on high dollar cars, new or auctioned... Montana plates

Montana has no sales or use tax and no vehicle inspections. So, an industry has sprung up to assist people from other states who want to take advantage of Montana’s laws while living elsewhere.

What they probably won't mention is that insuring the car anywhere but in Montana is going to be a problem.

But if it's a track day car... who cares? It won't be driven or insured anyway

Car and Driver Magazine, oct 2017 issue, page 32, the John Phillips column
https://www.dmv.org/mt-montana/new-to-montana.php
https://thegarage.jalopnik.com/the-pitfalls-of-the-montana-license-plate-scam-1711216059

used car scam alert

a piece of junk is fixed up just enough to run long enough to sell, then an expensive vacant house is located, the car is driven there and put in the driveway with a for sale sign.

the seller then has buyers come check out the car where the buyer gets the impression that rich people are selling an old car cheap, and is told that for any reason it fails to satisfy just bring it back.... to the house, for a full refund.

The scammer won't be there of course, they don't live there

Avoid any business with West Virginia towing company, Anthony’s Truck Repair

http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=30345#.Vow3iPkrKM8

Scam warning, bikes not for sale in Australia are listed for sale in Berlin

Andreas in Germany found this Indian listed for sale in Berlin, but the price was too good, and asked on the Antique Motorcycle Club facebook page for help, and just that simple, learned that it had been sold in Australia abotu 6 months ago and the current owner is very happy with it and it's not for sale, and then, the motorcycle shop owner that worked on it a couple months ago verified it's happy home status in Australia.

So be careful out there. Too many scams are going on

San Antonio tow truck company "Bexar Towing" operating illegally

http://speedsociety.com/bexar-towing-scam-towing-company-called-out-by-news-station/?gmg 

investigative reporter David Goldstein caught people selling disabled parking placards and making big money without the DMV ever knowing.

Drivers who have a disabled parking placard displayed in their windshields don’t have to feed the meter and can park in certain specially designated parking spots. It’s a privilege reserved only for people with a disability.

But fraudulent use is everywhere. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation estimates it loses $6 million a year because of disabled placard abuse. Some people like Sergio Arriola in Covina are cashing in on the trend.

Goldstein met with Arriola in response to an ad on Craigslist touting “Two years of VIP parking no matter where you go.” It’s one of several ads seen online from various sellers. For $300 apiece, Arriola said he could obtain two placards from a friend at the DMV. CBS2 handed over the cash.

Sure enough, 12 days later, without waiting in any lines at the DMV or proving he had a disability, Goldstein received two placards from Arriola in a DMV envelope, good for two years of free parking.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/04/23/scammers-earn-big-bucks-by-selling-disabled-parking-placards/

the Holman Locomotive Speeding Truck Company scam

It might have been supposed that the Fontaine experiment http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/08/unusual-locomotive-design.html  would have deterred others from trying such an expensive experiment again; but when an amateur gets seized with the malady for designing a locomotive of an entirely new pattern, he generally produces something startling.

"They are advertising in Philadelphia papers that a company has been formed to sell this kind of locomotive,they make the claim that this sort of engine is destined to be the locomotive of the future."

"When we first heard of the Holman locomotive we supposed that it was the invention of some harmless crank who did not understand the elementary principles of mechanics, but we now believe that it has been, since its inception, an ostentatious machine designed to allure unwary capitalists into an investment which will be of the same real value as throwing gold coin over Niagara Falls."

 The engine was run a few trips on a straight railroad in New Jersey, which was used merely as a stimulant to stock selling. Unfortunately many people with limited savings were lured into investing their hard earned money in this swindle

History from Curiosities of Locomotive Design. Development of the Locomotive Engine, by Angus Sinclair. Railway and Locomotive Engineering—September-December, 1907

Found on http://scripophily.net/hollocspeedt1.html

fuel thief alert,

Also at the All State Truck stop,Unadilla,Georgia, i-75 exit 121

One comment recommends that you don't fuel up until before you take off. Sitting at the truck stop with full tanks gives the thieves an opportunity

California Insurance Commissioner orders Mercury Insurance to pay $27.6 million fine

$27.6 million fine in connection with unapproved “broker fees” charged to California consumers buying auto policies.

The California Department of Insurance said Monday that the Los Angeles-based insurer did not obtain the commissioner’s approval for the fees, resulting in consumers paying more than the rates approved by the commissioner. From 1999 through 2004, Mercury insurance agents charged and collected unapproved “broker fees” on more than 180,000 policy transactions, according to the CDI.

CDI said brokers are allowed to charge fees, but those identified as brokers in this case “were actually functioning as agents, and therefore, their fees had to be filed as part of Mercury’s rate filing and approved by the commissioner, which Mercury failed to do.”

Proposition 103, passed by voters in 1988, prevents auto insurers from charging excessive rates and requires that rates be approved by the commissioner, the CDI noted in its statement.

From http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article6114510.html

Chicago balances it's budget with estimated income from speeding ticket cameras, and failed to raise enough money. Yeah, all about safe driving, sure. Not for profit at all. Right

Over the last year Chicago's Mayor flooded the city with speed cameras in the proximity to schools and parks because it was estimated that the revenue to be collected was upwards of $100 million but good drivers set back this greedy political goal $50 million.

The tickets come with a $100 sticker price and the residents of Chicago got wise to this scam real quick.

Keep in mind, while installing all the speeding ticket cameras, they also shortened the stop light yellows illegally and put in stop light cameras.... and got busted for that just 2 weeks ago http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/10/good-ol-chicago-political-corruption.html

This is a perfect example of how the system never sets out to prevent crime, they only wish to control it for profit. A report done by Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson, maintained “the City cannot prove red-light camera locations are based on safety considerations.”

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/chicago-drivers-wised-speed-cameras-good-behavior-bankrupting-city/

Beware - Scam Alert - car wrap email from Bud Select beer is bogus

I called up Budweiser 18003425283 and spoke with Eric, he confirmed my suspicion that this is a scam

You can also email Budweiser to check on this or other scams about Bud beer, budcentral@anheuser-busch.com

Dear Applicant,
 Wrap your vehicle with Budweiser Select® Beer Advertisement Wrap and Get Paid... It is Very Easy and Simple with No Application fees required Here's how It works - The basic premise of the "paid to drive" concept Budweiser Select® Advertising seeks people -- regular citizens, not professional drivers -- to go about their normal routine as they usually do, only with a big advert of "Budweiser Select® Beer "plastered on your car/truck.The adverts are typically vinyl decals,also known as "auto wraps," that almost seem to be painted on the vehicle, and which will cover any portion of your car's exterior surface. What does the company get out of this type of ad strategy? Lots of exposure and awareness.The auto wraps tend to be colorful and eye-catching and attract lots of attention. Plus, it's a form of advertising with a captive audience,meaning people who are stuck in traffic and can't avoid seeing the wrapped car alongside them.This program will last for 3 months and the minimum period you can participate is 1 month. You will be compensated with $400 (Four hundred dollars per Week),which is essentially a "rental" payment for letting our company use the space and we shall provide Experts that would handle the advert placing on your car.
 Interested person should please feel Free to fill out the information below and send it back to us today and we will get back to you with details.
 Full Names: Address Line 1: Address Line 2: City:State:Zip Code :
Age: Home Phone Number: Cell / Mobile Phone Number
 Best Regards, David Alberto Hiring Manager, Budweiser Select® Beer davebud441@gmail.com

Scamming sleezebag alert, counterfeit art being sold at car shows... help out my friends in the hot rod art scene, don't buy from anyone but the real artists.. not Joe Werner. He's selling copies from low-res bad quality images

 Joe Werner, sleeze bag at the Essen Motor Show this weekend in Germany. Deny him your support, keep your cash from someone stabbing a hot rodder in the back.

Want good art? From good artists? Hell yes you do, you want pinstriping from a pinstiper, not a roll on pizza cutter. You want lettering and race car numbers from a artist, a letterer, a sign painter. Not a decal you print at home.

Why? Pride. Proud that you are a hot rodder, an amatuer race car driver, a drag racer... a guy who is living his life with a real passion for the best you can achieve, the best speed, the best lap, the best car, the best parts.

Just like BOMONSTER, who wants just his best work getting into your garage, your bumper, your tool box... not a cheap imitation.

If I was going to ESSEN this weekend, I'd bring a bottle of tempura paint, and spalsh it all over his display. Then hold up a sign, that reads "FAKES SOLD HERE"... cause I'm that kind of guy. I got your back.

scams. I'm sick of them. 3 give aways at SEMA aren't, they are just tricking you into adding to their facebook, buying tickets, or registering on their websites

Examples:
http://www.buildandsearch.com/register is giving away a 1968 Corvette: "Actual car not shown"

http://bpg-werks.com/ will possibly give away a DTV Shredder (ATV with dual cat tracks) but only if you give them a facebook "Like" http://www.facebook.com/DTVshredder  and the "Contest and rules announced soon" should be the clue that they aren't giving one away

http://www.winthemustangs.com/ is an "Enter to win" a 1967 Shelby GT 500 and 2012 Ghelby GT 500, and both were at the Ford Racing area at SEMA but you have to go to their website and buy tickets

A deep south speedtrap so bad, it was national news, and the state govenor had warning signs installed on the town limits, Ludowici Georgia

TWO large roadside billboards just inside the county lines north and south of town used to guard the approach to Ludowici. Placed there by Governor Lester Maddox, they warned approaching motorists of "speed traps" and "clip joints" in large black letters on a white background

The county seat, and location of all three of the county's newspapers. It was also one of the best-known little nowheres in the country. Sitting astride the junction of federal highways 301, 25 and 82, Ludowici commanded the traditional north-south highway to Florida; 1,000,000 motorists drive through town each year. But in 1975 the Interstate 95 diverted traffic around it.

During the '50s it became known as the site of a treacherous stop light that trapped motorists by changing from green to red without warning, after which the travelers were ticketed by a waiting policeman. Since 1960 when the light was replaced, Ludowici's speed traps have bilked motorists of a rumored $100,000 annually. Said Governor Maddox: "The place is lousy, rotten, corrupt, nasty and no good."

Ludowici has nevertheless defied the efforts of three Governors to shut down the speed traps. For years some of the local gas stations also conducted a profitable con game. When an unsuspecting motorist stopped to have his oil checked, the attendant would disable the car by tinkering with the generator or pouring water in the crankcase oil, then suggest that the customer move his crippled vehicle to a nearby garage for repair. Fittingly enough, the repair shop was called "Billy Swindel's."

The man behind the speed trap, and behind everything else in Ludowici, was the county's colorful political boss, Ralph Dawson, a back-country lawyer who ran Long County since 1932, he headed a political machine that never lost an election at the county or city level.





thanks to Dennis for telling me about the record and music about this!

from a Time magazine article in 1970
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,909123,00.html

For the other small town speedtraps that are notorious and made the news: http://justacarguy.blogspot.ca/search/label/speed%20trap%20town 

Scam warning

a scam that has been uncovered already, if you get an email from Star Position, or Robert Sexton,or Liz Monteroso, disregard it.

http://www.topix.com/forum/business/search-engines/TTTRPVQPI7NF0GM5D/p2 is a website for scam notifications, and these guys are busted for being frauds.

http://forums.seochat.com/seo-help-general-chat-16/do-you-use-starposition-com-71825.html has mad it clear to me, just like the emails I received from Liz, that these guys are frauds. Nothing can be proven to show that paying them results in the claims they make. In the old west, it was called "Snake Oil", in the medieval days it was known as "good luck charms", and now... we have scam and spam.