A recent case has prompted us to once again draw attention to online scams.
Heiko Thölmann, a software developer from Hamburg and chairman of the 49er Class Association, wants to sell his Bianca 431 and has advertised it on the boats.com online exchange. At the end of February this year, he is contacted by a supposed prospective buyer.
Ramon R. (the name is abbreviated here, although it is very likely a fake) from the Ivory Coast (!) expresses interest by notifying the sales platform and wants more details about the boat.
Two years ago, salesman Thölmann had already dealt with a scam and was therefore forewarned, especially because of the dubious address of the prospective buyer. Nevertheless, he takes the plunge and enters into a dialogue.
After the initial contact, prospective buyer R. asks questions such as what the exact selling price would be, whether it is a private sale or via an agent, how long the boat has been for sale and how long it has been in use. The boat was, quote: "my beautiful wife's dream boat and I don't want to disappoint her". In addition, he was unable to view the boat in person and therefore wanted to make sure that it was in order. He was also unable to pay cash and would transfer the purchase price once the deal had been finalised.
"This type of question is typical of con artists," says Kai Jaeger from the Competence Centre for Boat Crime at the Constance Water Police Station. "The buyer feigns interest, tries to give emotional reasons, but obviously has no idea about the item for sale." The question about the duration of the advert also has a background. "So-called 'grandfather clocks' are increasingly being selected, i.e. adverts that have been online for a long time and where the pressure on the seller to sell is correspondingly high." Indications of fraud are also the purchase without viewing and the cashless transaction.
The buyer agrees to everything, sends back a copy of his passport, probably forged, as well as the signed purchase contract. The seller Thölmann then gives him bank details to transfer the purchase price of 69,000 euros.
Shortly afterwards, Thölmann receives a transfer receipt by e-mail for 75,000 euros and an e-mail from the buyer stating that he has transferred 6,000 euros more than agreed. These 6,000 euros are for the forwarding agent so that Thölmann can pay him in cash when he collects the yacht.
As soon as the money has supposedly been transferred (of course, nothing has ever been credited to the account), Mr Thölmann and Mr R. receive an email, allegedly from the Ivory Coast Ministry of Finance. They had noticed Mr R.'s large transfer, but it did not comply with various alleged transaction laws and tax guidelines. In order to check the legality of the transaction, it was necessary to complete a corresponding declaration and, here it comes, to transfer 2,995 euros. Once the legality of the transaction had been established, the money would of course be refunded.
Buyer R. asks seller Thölmann to get in touch with him very quickly about this sum, because he wants to go to the ministry the very next day.
Thölmann breaks off contact.
This scam appears to be new. Previously, the reverse was known. Sellers lure buyers with allegedly sensational prices, usually for emotional reasons such as the death of the previous owner, an urgent financial bottleneck or similar.
"Such adverts are often copies of actual adverts and can be found several times with the same content, albeit at different locations," says Kai Jaeger. In this way, the prospective buyer is lured by the local proximity alone. "In later communication, the location often changes, and suddenly the boat may be in the UK for pretextual reasons. But the prospective buyer can no longer view it there."
As soon as the deal appears to be about to be finalised, the seller then asks for a sum to be transferred, for which various reasons are given.
We are familiar with this type of fraud from many areas, such as motorbikes or cars, but also boats," says Jaeger. "In most cases, the purchase sums involved are high, but the amounts demanded in advance are only in the low four-digit range, so they seem low compared to the overall transaction."
In contrast, the present case, in which a seller is contacted by a fraudulent buyer, is a more recent variant.
Right now, both sellers and buyers need to be particularly vigilant. "We are seeing this type of fraud in waves," says Jaeger. Apparently the fraudsters take a break when their current scam has become too well known and come back some time later with a modified form. The wave is currently on the rise again and, according to Jaeger, the number of reports is currently higher than in January.
To protect yourself from fraud, Jaeger advises common sense and normal caution. As soon as there is even a suspicion of fraud, for example because of dubious addresses or names, or, especially in the case of a yacht, a purchase without having seen or inspected the boat, you should keep your hands off such transactions. It is also a good idea to prolong the contact with the other party as much as possible, to keep asking questions, as precisely as possible. Some fraudsters then quickly lose interest or expose themselves through a lack of expertise.
However, anyone who is unsure can also contact Jaeger's office directly. "But please do so before any money has been paid. There is often little we can do afterwards," says Jaeger. It would also be advantageous if some communication had already taken place and there were documents, such as copies of ID cards or similar, which could easily be checked for authenticity.
But even the advice from this side is ultimately not enough for some people. "Our record holder is a buyer," says Jaeger, "who paid money three times, totalling 5,000 euros, which was ultimately gone. Sometimes greed is not the best policy."
Contact:
Competence Centre for Boat Crime B.-W.
at the Constance Water Police Station
Stromeyersdorfstr. 7
78467 Constance
Head office +49(0)7531/5902-300
Fax +49(0)7531/5902-309
kbk@polizei.bwl.de
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
