Alert: How one family lost thousands in minutes after falling for this caravan scam
- Replies 8
Planning a road trip any time soon? Most Aussies are familiar with using Facebook Marketplace for finding bargains on both products and services, and there’s no shortage of holiday caravans for sale on the site.
But be warned - not all is as it appears to be on these online classified boards, so you need to be especially wary when it comes to caravan deals or services that seem too good to be true. A new scam is on the rise and victims are losing hard-earned cash to scam artists.
Juliette Jones found this out the hard way. After weeks of searching for a caravan to take with her on a family holiday, she found a 4 Berth Lunar Caravan posted on Facebook marketplace - and it was at a price too good to pass up.
Unbeknownst to her and her family, the seemingly attractive offer was actually a scam.
The caravan in question was being offered on the Marketplace between December 22 and 23 at a price of $4,207. These specific types of caravan’s usually retail for $34,134.95 brand new, or roughly $20,000 second-hand.
Mesmerised by the offer, Jones jumped on it, sending a message to the seller to inquire if it was available.
Upon receiving a positive response, Jones asked if they could inspect the caravan – the seller, however, said it was already sold and was pending pick-up.
'We asked him whether we could view it and he replied saying it's sold and the pickup's pending. I thought that was quick and asked him to let me know if that falls through.'
While she found it bizarre that the caravan was picked up immediately, Juliette still believed that the seller was legitimate, describing them as 'incredibly communicative and responsive'.
The mum recalled: 'We decided to message the seller to see if it was available. He got back straight away and said it's available and [the] inspection can happen tomorrow at 11am.'
'He was incredibly communicative and sent me about 15 photos of this caravan.'
Juliette also confirmed that the registration and warrant matched that of a real caravan. However, she had no way of telling whether the caravan actually belonged to the seller.
She continued: 'We did this even though the price was cheap, we validated as much as we could.'
'Then there was this backwards and forwards of him saying it's pending and I said we were happy to pay a small deposit to book it, and we can pick it up in the morning.'
The Jones family offered the seller a $548 deposit to secure the caravan.
It was only after that, that Jones and her family began to investigate further.
All the signs seemed to point to legitimacy – the seller had three kids in their cover picture, a picture of a boat, and had been a Facebook member since 2005.
However, as soon as the deposit had been paid, the seller suddenly vanished from the Marketplace, leaving only a handful of distressed buyers in his wake.
It seemed that Jones and her family weren't the only victims...
Following the encounter, Juliette connected with another person on Facebook who had, in turn, communicated with four or five additional victims of the same con.
She shared: 'Same caravan, same person and all different deposits.'
'We were fortunate how much we paid compared to what some others did.'
'We got so excited, and whilst we were trying to check him out, he texted and said "oh look, I have got five other people waiting, I'll give you five minutes and tell them it's pending.”'
'He hurried us, and we were getting swept up with the excitement of going on our trip in the caravan.'
It's always a worry when shopping around in the modern age – the recent rise of online scams and fraudulent marketplace activities can make it difficult to have peace of mind when buying products on the web, or at garage sales.
But that’s not the only thing that could leave you feeling concerned. It turns out, you also could be unprotected when it comes to your rights as a consumer – especially if you bought an item through a private sale.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) stated that 'the consumer guarantees apply whether the goods are new, “seconds” or second-hand.’
‘Depending on factors like price and age, it may not be reasonable to expect a second-hand product to last as long or perform to the same standard as a new one.'
However, it seems it is very difficult to get protection when it comes to dodgy second-hand sales, just due to the nature of the sale.
So, we recommend always being extra careful when you're buying things second-hand or using online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace, GumTree etc.
Be Aware of Facebook Marketplace Scams
Scammers are everywhere, and they’re targeting unsuspecting victims on online trading sites like Facebook Marketplace. If you’re one of them, here’s what you need to do:
1. Stop all communication with the scammer - As soon as you realise you are being conned, stop all contact with them and block their number and other contact details, just be sure to have their details written down, and proof of the scam i.e. screenshots or bank transactions.
2. Avoid paying more money – Some con artists prey on people who have already fallen victim to scams by posing as an enforcement agency that can restore all of your money in exchange for a fee. Don't give anyone who is providing this service any more money.
3. Get in touch with the bank or service provider you used to send the money – Contact your bank right away if you've fallen victim to a financial scam, a credit card scam, or identity theft. The possibility of receiving your money increases with the speed at which your bank is informed.
4. Report the scam – To prevent others from falling prey to the same scam, you must report the crime to the police. You may also alert others about frauds and help keep them safe using Facebook's reporting features.
There you have it, folks! Don’t let your exciting treasure hunt turn into a nightmare. Be aware of the specific limitations when it comes to online and garage sale purchases, and be wary of any suspicious scammers.
Do you have any online purchasing tips or buying horror stories? Let us know in the comments below!
But be warned - not all is as it appears to be on these online classified boards, so you need to be especially wary when it comes to caravan deals or services that seem too good to be true. A new scam is on the rise and victims are losing hard-earned cash to scam artists.
Juliette Jones found this out the hard way. After weeks of searching for a caravan to take with her on a family holiday, she found a 4 Berth Lunar Caravan posted on Facebook marketplace - and it was at a price too good to pass up.
Unbeknownst to her and her family, the seemingly attractive offer was actually a scam.
The caravan in question was being offered on the Marketplace between December 22 and 23 at a price of $4,207. These specific types of caravan’s usually retail for $34,134.95 brand new, or roughly $20,000 second-hand.
Mesmerised by the offer, Jones jumped on it, sending a message to the seller to inquire if it was available.
A 4 Berth Lunar caravan was being advertised for a spectacular price on Facebook Marketplace, sending holiday goers into a frenzy. However, it was later revealed that the ad was a scam. Credit: Facebook.
Upon receiving a positive response, Jones asked if they could inspect the caravan – the seller, however, said it was already sold and was pending pick-up.
'We asked him whether we could view it and he replied saying it's sold and the pickup's pending. I thought that was quick and asked him to let me know if that falls through.'
While she found it bizarre that the caravan was picked up immediately, Juliette still believed that the seller was legitimate, describing them as 'incredibly communicative and responsive'.
The mum recalled: 'We decided to message the seller to see if it was available. He got back straight away and said it's available and [the] inspection can happen tomorrow at 11am.'
'He was incredibly communicative and sent me about 15 photos of this caravan.'
Juliette also confirmed that the registration and warrant matched that of a real caravan. However, she had no way of telling whether the caravan actually belonged to the seller.
She continued: 'We did this even though the price was cheap, we validated as much as we could.'
'Then there was this backwards and forwards of him saying it's pending and I said we were happy to pay a small deposit to book it, and we can pick it up in the morning.'
One of the victims of the caravan scam was Juliette Jones, who stated the con artist was 'very communicative and responsive'. Credit: Facebook.
The Jones family offered the seller a $548 deposit to secure the caravan.
It was only after that, that Jones and her family began to investigate further.
All the signs seemed to point to legitimacy – the seller had three kids in their cover picture, a picture of a boat, and had been a Facebook member since 2005.
However, as soon as the deposit had been paid, the seller suddenly vanished from the Marketplace, leaving only a handful of distressed buyers in his wake.
It seemed that Jones and her family weren't the only victims...
Following the encounter, Juliette connected with another person on Facebook who had, in turn, communicated with four or five additional victims of the same con.
She shared: 'Same caravan, same person and all different deposits.'
'We were fortunate how much we paid compared to what some others did.'
'We got so excited, and whilst we were trying to check him out, he texted and said "oh look, I have got five other people waiting, I'll give you five minutes and tell them it's pending.”'
'He hurried us, and we were getting swept up with the excitement of going on our trip in the caravan.'
It's always a worry when shopping around in the modern age – the recent rise of online scams and fraudulent marketplace activities can make it difficult to have peace of mind when buying products on the web, or at garage sales.
But that’s not the only thing that could leave you feeling concerned. It turns out, you also could be unprotected when it comes to your rights as a consumer – especially if you bought an item through a private sale.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) stated that 'the consumer guarantees apply whether the goods are new, “seconds” or second-hand.’
‘Depending on factors like price and age, it may not be reasonable to expect a second-hand product to last as long or perform to the same standard as a new one.'
However, it seems it is very difficult to get protection when it comes to dodgy second-hand sales, just due to the nature of the sale.
So, we recommend always being extra careful when you're buying things second-hand or using online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace, GumTree etc.
Be Aware of Facebook Marketplace Scams
Scammers are everywhere, and they’re targeting unsuspecting victims on online trading sites like Facebook Marketplace. If you’re one of them, here’s what you need to do:
1. Stop all communication with the scammer - As soon as you realise you are being conned, stop all contact with them and block their number and other contact details, just be sure to have their details written down, and proof of the scam i.e. screenshots or bank transactions.
2. Avoid paying more money – Some con artists prey on people who have already fallen victim to scams by posing as an enforcement agency that can restore all of your money in exchange for a fee. Don't give anyone who is providing this service any more money.
3. Get in touch with the bank or service provider you used to send the money – Contact your bank right away if you've fallen victim to a financial scam, a credit card scam, or identity theft. The possibility of receiving your money increases with the speed at which your bank is informed.
4. Report the scam – To prevent others from falling prey to the same scam, you must report the crime to the police. You may also alert others about frauds and help keep them safe using Facebook's reporting features.
There you have it, folks! Don’t let your exciting treasure hunt turn into a nightmare. Be aware of the specific limitations when it comes to online and garage sale purchases, and be wary of any suspicious scammers.
Do you have any online purchasing tips or buying horror stories? Let us know in the comments below!
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discusting i can't believe it how can people do this no heart or soul 
