eBay Motors is a very popular and successful method for selling cars online so it’s not surprising that some crooks have infiltrated the system. Most people spot the frauds before they suffer any loss, but Rance Carli was different. Mr. Carli stands accused of six counts of defrauding buyers of $245,000. In a Connecticut court he says he is not guilty. His arrest followed an extensive police investigation into complaints from out-of-state and foreign buyers. As reported in the Norwich Register, Mr. Carli allegedly sold vehicles through the online auction website but never delivered them and in some cases the vehicles did not even exist. Police say he used forged or altered documents to push the scheme. In one case in June 2009, a buyer from Wyoming purchased two 2010 Chevrolet Camaros for $90,000. A year went by and the buyer still had not received any of the vehicles, despite repeated promises and excuses. Mr. Carli reportedly told the buyer the cars had not cleared customs in Canada, where they were built. Mr. Carli eventually refunded the buyer $42,000. The buyer, with $48,000 already invested in one car, then agreed to buy a 2008 Dodge Challenger for an additional $30,000, according to the criminal complaint. The cars never arrived, police said, and the buyer is out $78,500. The Camaro Z28 has not been produced for years let alone 2010. In the case of the Challenger, police said they tracked the VIN to a dealer’s lot in Sioux Center, Iowa, where Mr. Carli had apparently shown some interest in the purchase of the car and was given the vehicle’s identification number.
One of the other cases included a buyer from Hong Kong who bought a 2004 Honda Rune for $18,100 in September 2009, but never got the motorcycle. Again police said Mr.Carli had obtained the vehicle identification number of the motorcycle from a dealership in Kentucky.
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