Motoring Scams In Sri Lanka

[Watchman]

A friend asked me an opinion on buying a 2008 Lancer GLX which was imported by a gov servant on his permit. Owner claimed that since he had his official car he never used the lancer, hence "low mileage".. It was so low that i told my friend to stay clear of it. after 5 years of usage it had done only 408km.. yes... 408....

My friend went against my advise and bought the car! I was skeptical till I saw it. It couldn't be any more "Showroom condition" than that.. not a spec of dust inside, not a single sign of ware n tare.. the engine bay didnt even have any dust let alone grease/oil..

So yeah, I guess such specimens do exist, but it's 1 in a million..

[madmax]

Ah! My favourite type of car purchase: An older low mileage car run by an aunty or uncle who use it occasionally and have it maintained at the agents (preferably, but not essential) by a young gun in the family who is a car enthusiast (essential). Now if only this were a larger sedan with more space in the rear I'd be hounding you for the car

What happened to the Fiat 126 your family had?

[Sampath Gunasekera]

A friend asked me an opinion on buying a 2008 Lancer GLX which was imported by a gov servant on his permit. Owner claimed that since he had his official car he never used the lancer, hence "low mileage".. It was so low that i told my friend to stay clear of it. after 5 years of usage it had done only 408km.. yes... 408....

My friend went against my advise and bought the car! I was skeptical till I saw it. It couldn't be any more "Showroom condition" than that.. not a spec of dust inside, not a single sign of ware n tare.. the engine bay didnt even have any dust let alone grease/oil..

So yeah, I guess such specimens do exist, but it's 1 in a million..

One of my friend has similar Japanese Yaris 2008 done less than 10,000km. Absolutely in showroom condition.

When I sold my previous Japanese Alto which purchased from the agent in brand new in 1999, after 12 years it had done only 49,000km as she was not a daily runner. We had all maintain records from very first day (even had car purchased invoice from agent Browns) and handed over to new owner. Otherwise I could be blamed as "meter karakäwala". When I go for services, service station people always observe the odo meter & ask "metere kedilada, sir?".

Even it was a low mileage car, after 9-10 years I had to replace some rubber parts like brake washers in master pump due to natural decay of rubber parts over the time.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Sampath Gunasekera

[Kavvz]

What happened to the Fiat 126 your family had?

Still have it, and it still gets taken care of lovingly by some mechanic they get down. No I kid you not, every single oil change, every single repair, every single adjustment done at an exorbitant cost, by some dude who gets brought down and paid mad money to do so. He makes so much money off that car that he even came down the day after his wedding to replace the front CV joints. Seriously, the dude interrupted his honey-moon! That's how desperate he is that they don't get anyone else to maintain that white elephant.

But that's not what takes the cake: On the current car before it got sold last month it got its tyres, the wipers and the radiator replaced with OEM parts from the agent before they sold it. When I asked why the on earth all that crap was done on a car that they knew was going out the door, the answer was: Because it was being sold and they don't want the new owners thinking bad of them! Seriously. A car buyers dream.

My car on the other hand: Gets washed only when it rains

Edited March 27, 2015 by Kavvz

[LS110]

But that's not what takes the cake: On the current car before it got sold last month it got its tyres, the wipers and the radiator replaced with OEM parts from the agent before they sold it. When I asked why the on earth all that crap was done on a car that they knew was going out the door, the answer was: Because it was being sold and they don't want the new owners thinking bad of them! Seriously. A car buyers dream.

Some good folks you've got there. very rare commodity in this day and age.

[Kavvz]

Some good folks you've got there. very rare commodity in this day and age.

Its nice of you to say so -Thanks.

(But to be honest I think its silly. Selling used cars isn't about making new friends or saving face. And in this instance, the person who bought the car simply jacked up the price and sold it at a profit.)

Edited March 27, 2015 by Kavvz

[Crosswind]

Since we are in the process of bi*ching about our own classifieds...

The red Honda CRV with an HF- number plate in the classifieds was actually used as a rental fleet vehicle from 2007 to 2010 at Rajagiriya Tours. How do I know? I worked for the organization that took the vehicle on rent. At that time itself, it had clocked over 90,000. Seems it has run only 1000km more since 2010 The buyer can call up Rajagiriya Tours and verify.

The light green Fiat Punto was checked out by yours truly during the low budget car search about 3 months back. The gearbox of it was messed up. I suppose the car sale which is trying to sell it may have actually repaired it. In any case, caveat emptor!

mods, if you feel this post violates forum rules, u r welcome to take action.

[iRage]

Well if I could continue...what's up with the E36 325i ? Been hovering around many ad sites. Remember seeing it for about 1.7mil August last year...then it kept on going down when it was on AL about a month or so back for 1.1mil. Now it has re-appeared for 1.7 mil again (after it was advertised for 2 mil just last week). Was tempted to buy it. Called for it in December and in January but everytime I called the car was already sold off or being reserved for someone....

[Devinda_Z]

Well if I could continue...what's up with the E36 325i ? Been hovering around many ad sites. Remember seeing it for about 1.7mil August last year...then it kept on going down when it was on AL about a month or so back for 1.1mil. Now it has re-appeared for 1.7 mil again (after it was advertised for 2 mil just last week). Was tempted to buy it. Called for it in December and in January but everytime I called the car was already sold off or being reserved for someone....

Thought I saw it at Bosch/D*MO a few weeks back....

Not sure if this was the one which originally wasn't a 2.5L

[Crosswind]

Well if I could continue...what's up with the E36 325i ? Been hovering around many ad sites. Remember seeing it for about 1.7mil August last year...then it kept on going down when it was on AL about a month or so back for 1.1mil. Now it has re-appeared for 1.7 mil again (after it was advertised for 2 mil just last week). Was tempted to buy it. Called for it in December and in January but everytime I called the car was already sold off or being reserved for someone....

The blue one?

I know that car too. Checked it out for a friend two years ago. It has spent most of its past 5 years in car sales in Pagoda Road. Particularly in the sale which has the KO-series Honda Prelude for sale since 2011.

The blue bimmer was a right royal mess. It did have a 2.5L engine when I saw it but even the engine was messed up. It finally changed its hands from Pagoda Road to a buy and sell guy in Wellawatta. I think that was not so long ago. Someone may have bought it and restored it up to a certain extent.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Crosswind

[matroska]

There is an advert for a two-tone 1996 B14 on I*man priced at 13/90 with images of the car taken at the arcade independence square.

My dad had this car for over a decade. Even when this was bought the ODO had been tampered with (had an oddly low reading - back then tampering was not as common as it is now) and eventually had to replace the entire cluster of meters when the odo stopped working. I can't remember the exact mileage but I'm pretty sure the mileage on the Ad is fake.

And then the price...13/90... this car is in excellent condition but the valuation for this is 1.2 Mill anyone who pays 13/90 probably deserves to lose his money

Edited April 7, 2015 by matroska

[Hoonigan]

I’ve been browsing car listings recently, ahead of a purchase in the next few months and came across an interesting advert. This was not on AL and was on the other ‘quick’ site mind you.

The listing was for a two door hunk of a European with the license plates blotted out. The asking price was stupid low and there was no phone number on the advert.

I sent an email asking if the car is on a lease (I assumed so because of the price) and a few other questions. The response I received is where things really get interesting.

The guy bought the car while working in Sri Lanka. He moved back to Europe at the end of his project in SL and didn’t have time to sell the car before leaving. The car currently is in Europe and he wants to sell it as he is no longer using it. And the price was just what was listed, no lease on it or anything.

While this story already has many plot holes, he assures that we can have a ‘safe and smooth transaction for both of us’.

Why I’m posting this here is because this sounds exactly like a scam we used to have some time back here in Doha. The ‘seller’ would post a vehicle at a severely discounted price because he is in a hurry to sell the car, having already moved out of the country. They do not ask for any financial commitment at first but would reel in a prospective buyer and ask for ‘inspection fees’ and the like (which would be marginal compared to the banging deal you’re getting) to be remitted to him directly or the account of a company who is supposed to carry out the service for you. Needless to say, that would be the last of what you would hear from them. And some people did fall for these scams and car listings actually had to take steps to stop such posts on their sites.

Did anyone else see this type of thing earlier or is this new in SL?

[Magnum]

I’ve been browsing car listings recently, ahead of a purchase in the next few months and came across an interesting advert. This was not on AL and was on the other ‘quick’ site mind you.

The listing was for a two door hunk of a European with the license plates blotted out. The asking price was stupid low and there was no phone number on the advert.

I sent an email asking if the car is on a lease (I assumed so because of the price) and a few other questions. The response I received is where things really get interesting.

The guy bought the car while working in Sri Lanka. He moved back to Europe at the end of his project in SL and didn’t have time to sell the car before leaving. The car currently is in Europe and he wants to sell it as he is no longer using it. And the price was just what was listed, no lease on it or anything.

While this story already has many plot holes, he assures that we can have a ‘safe and smooth transaction for both of us’.

Why I’m posting this here is because this sounds exactly like a scam we used to have some time back here in Doha. The ‘seller’ would post a vehicle at a severely discounted price because he is in a hurry to sell the car, having already moved out of the country. They do not ask for any financial commitment at first but would reel in a prospective buyer and ask for ‘inspection fees’ and the like (which would be marginal compared to the banging deal you’re getting) to be remitted to him directly or the account of a company who is supposed to carry out the service for you. Needless to say, that would be the last of what you would hear from them. And some people did fall for these scams and car listings actually had to take steps to stop such posts on their sites.

Did anyone else see this type of thing earlier or is this new in SL?

Im little confused here....was the car in SL earlier, then he took to Europe and now he wants to sell the car to a buy in SL?

[Crosswind]

This happens frequently in SL but usually with three wheelers and bikes and to people outside Colombo.

The victim gets a phone call saying he won a three wheeler or a bike in a lottery or lord of the reload contest.

Couple of days later, there will be another call asking the victim to deposit a sum like 7750/- to some bank account for registration, license, insurance and delivery.

After the victim does it, the scammer vanishes. Btw the phone connection and the bank account are both under forged NICs.

[Hoonigan]

That's right Magnum. Did mention the plot holes

@Crosswind, I vaguely remember things like that happening a while back. Surprised to hear that people still fall for that.

Update: while I realised what's going on, I relied this guy with a 'cautious interest' just to see what he will say. The reply is a pre-cooked email they must have used on other European residents as the email refers to the region in many places. And they would deliver within 3-5 days too!

Here's the email just for LOLs/

Quote:

Hi,

As mentioned in my previous message, the car is located in Munchen, Germany. ( The car is currently placed into a transport company custody ). I left it there because, if you decide to buy the car, this company will take care of all the shipping arrangements, including to make the transfer of propriety on to your name to Sri Lanka Consulate from Germany. It is much easier for me to use the services that this company is offering because they will take care of all the paper work, including to make the contract of sale between you and me. Using this company you will have the chance to inspect the car before I receive the payment for it.

Once again you should know that my car is in a perfect condition, it has no technical or mechanical problems. In this moment the car has Sri Lanka papers. As I told you in my first e-mail, I'm enginer construction bulding and I would like to make this deal as safe as possible for both of us, so I will explain you how we will handle the transaction if you are interested to buy my car.

The best way how I imagine to finish this deal is to use the services of the transport company where the car is located at this moment. I used their services in the past ( when I bought a Bike from Ireland ) and I was very satisfied. They will handle the transport, payment and all the other necessary services, so the transaction can be safe and smoothly. Because I am already registered with this company and I used their services in the past, they will offer me a discount. So the cost of the transport will be covered by me. All you have to pay is only the price of the car.
First of all you will have to send me your shipping information (full name and address). After I receive your details, I will contact the delivery company and make the shipping registration into your name and address. You will receive a notification from the delivery company as a confirmation that the car is in their custody and also you will be informed with details about delivery and payment. After you follow the company instructions and after you`ll send them the payment, they will start the delivery to your home address. Once the car arrives to you, you will have 7 days to inspect the car and documents. If you are not satisfied with the car, the agents of the shipping company will take the car and deliver it back to Germany on my own costs and they will return all your money back 100% in the same moment.I don't think will be necessary, the car is perfect, you'll love it. If you decide to keep it the agents of the shipping company will make all the documents to transfer the car in to your name.

I have taken the car to delivery company which makes regular car transports to all Europe's territory. The car can be delivered to Sri Lanka in 3-5 working days. The delivery company handles all this kind of transaction across Europe all the time.

So if you interested to start the transaction please send me the following information:

- Complete Name
- Delivery Address ( Street and number, City, Zip Code )
- Phone Number

so I can forward the details to the delivery company. They will prepare the delivery route, transaction invoice, a tracking number so you can verify the transport online.

As soon as the transaction will start you will be contacted by the delivery company with the transaction information's including the tracking number and all details about delivery and payment.

During the 7 days verification period you can test the car and documents and see if it fits your needs. If you decide to keep it, the company representative will contact you and will help you to prepare the documents and to transfer the property of the car under your name at the post office. But if you decide not to keep the car, the agent will arrive to you in one week time and will pick up the car.

I hope you are satisfied with my way of doing business. If you are going to accept my terms let me know so we should not waste our time.

Thank you for your time and have a nice day.

Unquote

[MasterDon]

Looks like the typical 'Nigerian scam' with a twist...Try and troll him if you can.Some people get the scammers to do really weird shit.

[Seeker LK]

Looks like the typical 'Nigerian scam' with a twist...Try and troll him if you can.Some people get the scammers to do really weird shit.

Yeap it's definitely a typical 419 Scam.

Try and troll him and waste some of his time and finally say bye bye

[Sierra Charlie]

I’ve been browsing car listings recently, ahead of a purchase in the next few months and came across an interesting advert. This was not on AL and was on the other ‘quick’ site mind you.

The listing was for a two door hunk of a European with the license plates blotted out. The asking price was stupid low and there was no phone number on the advert.

I sent an email asking if the car is on a lease (I assumed so because of the price) and a few other questions. The response I received is where things really get interesting.

The guy bought the car while working in Sri Lanka. He moved back to Europe at the end of his project in SL and didn’t have time to sell the car before leaving. The car currently is in Europe and he wants to sell it as he is no longer using it. And the price was just what was listed, no lease on it or anything.

While this story already has many plot holes, he assures that we can have a ‘safe and smooth transaction for both of us’.

Why I’m posting this here is because this sounds exactly like a scam we used to have some time back here in Doha. The ‘seller’ would post a vehicle at a severely discounted price because he is in a hurry to sell the car, having already moved out of the country. They do not ask for any financial commitment at first but would reel in a prospective buyer and ask for ‘inspection fees’ and the like (which would be marginal compared to the banging deal you’re getting) to be remitted to him directly or the account of a company who is supposed to carry out the service for you. Needless to say, that would be the last of what you would hear from them. And some people did fall for these scams and car listings actually had to take steps to stop such posts on their sites.

Did anyone else see this type of thing earlier or is this new in SL?

Yep. Scam indeed. One of my friends almost fell prey to something similar. In his case, it was a elephant back Corolla. Don't think there's any car more innocent sounding than that. The following is the actual excerpt of the conversation.

"Hi, I see you are interested in my car, first of all I have to tell you that the vehicle is in good condition, has no technical damage at all,no scratches or dents, no hidden defects, no smoking. The car has all taxes paid till next year. Also has full service history and service book. I have worked in Sri Lanka for the last 2 years and I purchased the car there. My company wanted me back home, so currently I'm in London, United Kingdom. I got the car home with me and the car is here in UK now. The car is still registered in Sri Lanka with papers and plates. I decided that is better to sell it because the tax to register it here is very expensive and it is a pity to keep such a car and not to use it. The price I am looking for my car is Rs 950,000 including the shipping costs, insurance and delivery to Sri Lanka. You will not have to pay any additional taxes for this. Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have."

What I've noticed is that on ######, there's a burst of car adverts like this once in a while. Some have pics (albeit foreign ones.) and some not. Common among all these ads is that these cars have too-good-to-be-true prices and no telephone numbers. Stay away from such ads if you come across them.

I also noticed such an advert for an apartment on rent. The advert was so convincing and I made contact over email and on a hunch, dragged and dropped the advert pics on Google. (Yes, you can do that to search for similar pics.) Lo and behold, the same pics were used in classified ads in South Africa and Thailand. Looked quite professional with proper English and different descriptions, etc. So, be aware that the well known Nigerian princes have graduated.

[Hoonigan]

Wow apartments! That's a nice angle

Trolled him back asking if 2.5mil is all he wants for a 2007 bimmer cos I have to get the cash together. I also gave a shipping address in Angoda. want to see where the rabbit hole goes.

[Sierra Charlie]

Wow apartments! That's a nice angle

Trolled him back asking if 2.5mil is all he wants for a 2007 bimmer cos I have to get the cash together. I also gave a shipping address in Angoda. want to see where the rabbit hole goes.

Awesome. Some inspiration here.

There's a whole community dedicated to scamming the scammers. www.419eater.com

Edited April 29, 2015 by Sierra Charlie

[Hoonigan]

Awesome. Some inspiration here.

There's a whole community dedicated to scamming the scammers. www.419eater.com

Had some fun going back and forth with this dude all day and now I'm getting more specific responses in much worse English than the first two emails. Anyways, no point dragging this on in this thread any further

[Watchman]

Ask HIM to send you Rs.20,000 first to do the bank transaction/authorization and that you'll pay him rs.30,000 more for the trouble caused.

Same shit happens here with renting apartments.. owner is overseas, but i need to pay the first months rent for the building management to issue me th ekey even for an inspection.

[PreseaLover]

Guys i have a small issue... Im gonna buy this car which is in real good condition approved by a mechanic who I took with to inspect the car... But in the car book it doesnt state either if its ORIGINAL or DUPLICTE (it states nothing)... What does that mean???

[Davy]

Guys i have a small issue... Im gonna buy this car which is in real good condition approved by a mechanic who I took with to inspect the car... But in the car book it doesnt state either if its ORIGINAL or DUPLICTE (it states nothing)... What does that mean???

I maybe wrong but I don't remember seeing "ORIGINAL" on the registration documents. If you're not sure if the registration documents are legitimate, you can get it checked from RMV. Check the below link:

http://eservices.motortraffic.gov.lk/VehicleInfo/home

[PreseaLover]

ok so last evening, I went back to the seller and asked for a copy of the book, to take it to rmv and check if its original... and surprisingly it STATED "ORIGINAL"... 3 more people who i took with me saw in the first place that the book copy stated nothing, but now...we are pretty sure that it was 2 copies which he showed in the morning and then in the evening... (they are copies cuz the original was at a finance company)... all the other details of the copies were the exact except the word "Original" (the only difference is that in one copy is stated ORIGINAL and in the other it didnt state anything)... all the 3 people saw this difference... so i checked now from the link i provided and it states that the owner of the car now is the finance company and the exact details of the car... the copies had the signature of the RMV with the seal as well as the seal and signature of LB finance with the certification saying the copy is true.....how come there can be two copies like that, one with nothing and one with the word original?

Edited May 18, 2015 by PreseaLover