New Aussie Escrow Scam Site

[steve61]

Posted to be found by concerned searchers who suspect http://topautosafety.com/ is a con.....

New "Escrow" site registered as a domain name on 29-Jan-2011 is http://topautosafety.com/
which is a variant of the sites listed on http://escrow-fraud.com/index.php?page= ... layout=171

The modus operandi here was

1. car placed on major used car site at a few thousand AUD below typical market price. Mobile phone number was incorrect but email worked fine.
2. Email was Scott Shellcot <rodfastwe@y7mail.com> who maintained he was inter-state, a RAAF person who was about to be shipped on a tour hence the need to (A) sell the car and quickly and (B) mobile phone not working so well as proximity to airport, interference with sensitive electronics etc.
3. "Scott Shellcot" has car with him but armed forces will deliver car to buyer / home as part of his deployment overseas.
4. Scott Shellcot (in a later email concerning the ability to have a test drive) had a colleague who had used http://topautosafety.com/ escrow services to purchase a vehicle from overseas in the past and it had excellent service. He's already set himself up with an account. I could do the same and we could go from there.
5. At this point my spouse was able to vaguely make out the number plate on the photo - photos used mostly did not show the car number plate clearly. A search on the web revealed that the photo's had been lifted from a valid used car sales site for a valid vendor selling the same car.
6. Interestingly they'd attempted to keep the scam going even after they'd been blown claiming it was all a mistake, the photo's they''d used were indicative only, the escrow service was very valid etc.

This posted so that anyone searching for http://topautosafety.com/ website to determine the validity of the site can see it's a con. Also text of his email in case he uses the same email content again....

From: Scott Shellcot [mailto:rodfastwe@y7mail.com]
Sent: Monday, 7 February 2011 8:35 AM
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Subject: Re: Citroen C3

It is a 5 speed automatic.
I have the car here with me at the military base but I can have it delivered to you by truck (no cost involved) if you're really interested, I Have the title in hand and am ready to make a deal as soon as possible. The delivery will not take more than 3 days and the car will be dropped to your home if you want. You can test drive it as much as you want and it will be a safe deal for both of us.
The car is mechanically sound and everything works as it should. It was never involved in an accident and the paint is in perfect condition. I have all the log books and service history.
And if I return one piece I'll buy a new one:)


From: Scott Shellcot [mailto:rodfastwe@y7mail.com]
Sent: Sunday, 6 February 2011 6:53 PM
To: rodfastwe@y7mail.com
Subject: Citroen C3

Gday
Thank you for your inquire.
This is 2003 CITROEN C3 58,000 kms (RWC available). If you still want it, I'm selling for $5,300. The vehicle has been well kept, always garaged, no rust and been recently serviced. Engine starts right up, sounds great and there are no strange noises. No hail damage. I hope to sell it soon because in 3 weeks we are going to deploy to Afghanistan. I'm serving in the RAAF and I've been already sent to Northern Territory for training.
The vehicle is here with me but the transportation is included in the price.
I'm looking for a cash buyer.
No worries about the car's condition...I took great care of it!
More photos attached.
Cheers.

[lightfair]

Thanks for the detailed description. I've added the site to our database and sent a report to the web hoster.

This is an ongoing scam (including the RAAF backstory) and it usually involves this particular site design.

Thanks also for posting the name and email address used by the scammer; perhaps potential victims will search for this, too.