Too good to be true? http://abtbikes.2ya.com/

Camion

Has anyone used this website to buy a bike. I enquired about a 2010 Madone 6.9 with full SRAM Red for GBP700 on Gumtree and received a reply directing me to this website http://abtbikes.2ya.com/ There are some amazing bikes for less than 1k but look like they should be 3 times that.

As the saying goes if it looks too good to be true it probably is. Anyone else seen this?

If there was a bike for GBP100 I may test it out but they are all 600 odd although just the groupset or wheels seem to be worth that.

softlad

sounds dodgy - and I haven't even clicked on it....

Anonymous

I wouldn't even bother clicking on it either!

Camion

Our experienced staff is happy to offer all the free cycling advice you need.
We're staffed by knowledgeable and enthusiastic cyclists who love to share their expertise. Need to learn how to shift, fix a flat, carry gear, pump your tires? Want to find the best places to ride or friends to pedal with? Just ask, and we'll be more than happy to help.

Yes please! I'd like to know how to pump my tyres up please!!!

tlw1

not even going to try the link!

andyrm

Looks dodgy as you like!!!!!

I've heard from reliable sources that a huge amount of the high end bikes stolen in the UK end up in mainland Europe, makes me wonder about this one and their sources.........

Pross

It's about the dodgiest site I've ever seen. They appear to be suggesting they are a bike shop but all the bikes for sale have been ripped from something like Gumtree. If I thought there was even the remotest chance I cold get a genuine 2009 Pinarello Prince with Super Record for £650 I'd be beating a path to the seller's door!

I might be going to Rome in February, if I do I'll check out their address - I'm not holding my breathe that I'll be finding an Aladdin's cave of genuine, cheap, top quality bikes

Camion

Ive 'ordered' the prince using an old email address and my work address with mobile phone number.

Lets see how it goes, amusingly probably!

i found it on the site mentioned in Cycling Plus this month, www.bikeshd.co.uk which collates all advertised bikes on ebay and gumtree so if you get yours pinched, its your first port of call.

Hopefully I never see my Colnagos on there!!

benpinnick

Have you looked at their escrow delivery partner's site? Thats even more hokey than the bikes are. All 100% bogus. Their verisign logo and link - Bogus. Their Truste mark - Bogus. Their company name - Real - just that they aren't actually that company, and their address isnt some flat in Bexleyheath.


Avoid like the plague, unless you're genuinely too rich to care.

term1te

"Our staff has a cumulative total of 3 years of experience in the cycling industry, giving us the ability to comfortably address bicycles through the decades." :?

Camion

"We have years of experience in fitting bikes to riders and we'll get yours fitting so good it disappears beneath you."

I bet it doesn't even appear in the first place!

danowat

The fact its hosted on a free host is a good sign its a bit iffy, bikes could be nicked, if they exist.....

freehub

One of the bikes also has an aluminium fork by the looks of it, and it's listed as a carbon fork.

Pokerface

It's been cobbled together by stealing info from various other sites.

For instance, the info from the "Events" section was taken from a genuine bike shop website in the USA. (http://www.wheelerdealerbicycles.com/trails.html)

Camion

Latest email I've had after placing my 'order':

Subject: Order Confirmation - 2009 Pinarello Prince with Campagnolo Super Record ( CODE - N15P07 )

Dear my name,

We have received the following information:

Full Name: my name
Address: Street Address: x Canada Square
City: London
Postal / Zip Code: E14 5xx
Country: United Kingdom
Phone Number: 07956 xxxxxx
E-mail: jamesxxxxxxx@hotmail.com
Bike Code: N15P07

As soon as the bike is packed and inspected we will deliver the bike to the shipping company, please visit www.ets-europe.vze.com for more information.
Please confirm your order.

Thank you
Harold - ABT Bike TEAM.

Camion

blimey and only a few hours later (they must have inspected and delivered the bike in a matter of hours to the delivery company) I received this:

Subject: Escrow Trasport Services - Tracking Number and Payment Request


Dear Customer,


We have received the following information:

Sender:
Full Name: Harold McNumman ( ABT Bike Shop )
Full Address: Via Corso Della Repubblica, # 262, 04012, Rome, Italy
E-mail: abtbs@net-shopping.com
Item: 2009 Pinarello Prince with Campagnolo Super Record ( inspected )
Price: £ 650 ( GBP )

Receiver:
Full Name: my name
Full Address: xCanada Square, London, E14 5xx, United Kingdom
Phone Number: 07956 xxxxxxxx
E-mail: jamesxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com
Item: 2009 Pinarello Prince with Campagnolo Super Record ( inspected )
Price: £ 650 ( GBP )


The item is in GSLE custody, it was inspected by our technicians. The package contains full documentation.

Shipping - PAID from account: 2991MSZ01H9367 ( Account holder: Harold McNumman - ABT Bike Shop )

Step 1 of the process is complete.

Step 2:
The Buyer must send the funds to Global Shipping Logistic Express through Western Union.
**NOTE: Do not make the transaction at Western Union by phone, it takes 3-5 days to confirm your order in this way.
For amount under:3000 Euro we use Western Union for payment.
For amount over: 3000 Euro the money will be send to Global Shipping Logistic Express bank account ( trust account )
* find Western Union locations here: http://www.westernunion.com ( or copy/paste the link into your browser )
The money will be deposited in our trust account.
After we have received your payment in our account, we will release your order for shipping.
The founds must be deposit on Global Shipping Logistic Express agent full name and address ( payment department ).
Payment details:

Full Name: David Estonito
Full Address: Viale Castello della Magliana
Rome
00148
Italy

After you deposit the founds at Western Union please provide us the following details:

MTCN,the payer's full name , the amount you have paid, your phone number , your country and your city.)
First name: ****
Last name(Surname): ****
Nation:****
City:****
Zip Code:****
Address: ****

Step 3:
Your tracking number for this transaction: UB6235148652Z23
Please check your transaction status here: TRACK YOUR PACKAGE
We recommend you to use COPY/PASTE for tracking number.

NOTE* The seller can receive the founds only after you confirm us that you keep the item.
If you do not want to keep the item you can e-mail us and you can pick-up your money back. This is the guarantee that our company can offer to the buyer.


I am not from the Europe and it costs me to pay in EUR. Can I pay in my normal currency ?
Indeed, you are allowed to pay us in the currency of your country if it is one of the following ones :
US Dollars (USD)
United Kingdom Pounds (GBP)
Canada Dollars (CAD)
Australia Dollars (AUD)
For other currencies, you can ask us by sending an email.


Usually we take part at the selling process by offering our complete escrow and shipping services. We are not just a regular escrow service, we have the infrastructure to conduct authorized pre-buy inspection on the merchandise.

1. After you agree to terms the transaction is started and the merchandise is picked up from the seller.

2. We conduct a full pre-buy inspection of the merchandise at one of our partner services. Both buyer and seller are informed about the inspection result.

3. If the merchandise is accepted by the buyer, then the buyer must send funds to our company for depositing into the escrow account. Once funds are cleared we start the shipping process. We have our own shipping company so the delays are as minimum as possible. You will be able to track your shipping online using the tracking number provided to see the current status of the shipment.

4. The buyer receives the merchandise and he gives his final accept on the transaction. The buyer takes the merchandise and all necessary papers are completed.
Our company takes full responsibility for the inspection results so if the merchandise is not as it was described then you can refuse the transaction and get a refund of your money.

5. The funds from the escrow account are transferred to the seller. You will receive the amount transferred by the buyer from which we will deduct the tax for the services used during the transaction.


Which countries do you ship to?
We ship to all countries. If for whatever reason we cannot ship to your location, we will contact you.

Inspection:
The inspection period is the amount of time agreed to by both parties in which the Buyer may examine the items. The amount of time selected can be from 1 to 5 days. The inspection period begins when Global Shipping Logistic Express confirms the shipment has been received, and the Buyer must accept or reject the goods within this period. When the Buyer rejects the items, the Seller has 5 days to examine the merchandise after it is returned.

Security:
Global Shipping Logistic Express takes several steps to protect both the Buyer and Seller against fraud:
1) All payments by the Buyer are verified as "good funds" before the Seller in instructed to ship
2) All shipments are tracked to ensure the Seller shipped and the Buyer received the merchandise
3) If the merchandise is fraudulent, it gives the Buyer the chance to return the merchandise before payment is released to the Seller.

Thank you for your e-mail:
GSLE - Customer Support
Danielo Carter.
=

andyrm

So this is little more than an elaborate 419 scam targeting cyclists then it seems! Once you end up with a target Western Union account, you know it's unlikely to be legit.

Weejie54

I suggest that the original poster pass on info to the police. The 'Escrow' service company "Global Logistic(s) Ltd" doesn't exist at the 'registered' address (there is such a company, but in Yorkshire, and not involved in anything like the kind of crap on these dodgy web pages.
Crap like this should be nipped in the bud - and Gumtree should be booted out of existence for encouraging it.

Camion

Anyone know how I make the Police aware (email etc)? In the meantime, I offered to pay by bank transfer, they said it takes too long and involves fees so the email trail went like this and has now ceased.......read from bottom

From: Jamesxxxxx <jamesxxxxx@hotmail.com>
Date: 17 September 2010 11:16:52 GMT+01:00
To: "etseu@europe.com" <etseu@europe.com>
Subject: Re: Escrow Trasport Services - Tracking Number and Payment Request

Do you take payment in gold bullion? My friend in Ghana will arrange delivery if you send me your bank accound details and any passwords and PIN numbers. Also please send your home address and inside leg measurement.

Regards

James



On 17 Sep 2010, at 10:54, etseu@europe.com wrote:

Dear Customer,

Please check our website for more information about how ETS Europe works. We don't use bank account transfer for this amount.
The bike is already in our custody. It will arrive at you address in 3 days. If we receive and inspect the founds untill then, you can inspect the item, if not, the package will stay in pending for 5 days with 23 euros/day ( from seller account ) then will be shipped back.

Thank you for using our services.
Customer Support.

---

Original Message

---

From: Jamesxxxxx <jamesxxxxx@hotmail.com>
To: etseu@europe.com <etseu@europe.com>
Sent: Fri, Sep 17, 2010 12:48 pm
Subject: Re: Escrow Trasport Services - Tracking Number and Payment Request

Swift payments clear the same day and I'll cover the fees.

What is your account number please?



On 17 Sep 2010, at 10:26, etseu@europe.com wrote:

Dear Customer,

This is our terms, for amount under:3000 Euro we use Western Union for payment.
For amount over: 3000 Euro the money will be send to Global Shipping Logistic Express bank account ( trust account ).
The founds are secured untill you receive and inspect the item. If you are happy with it you must confirm to us that you will keep it, so that we can release the founds to the seller. If you don't want to keep it, you must send it back and you will be fully refounded from seller account.
We can't use bank account transfer for this amount, the fees are to high and the period for confirmation is too long.

If you have other questions please e-mail us.

Thank you for using our services.
Customer Support

danowat

Yup, as above, typical 419 scam, not even a very good, or convincing one either.

softlad

there's never a bad time to post one of these.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MTFauI8 ... re=related

Weejie54

Anyone know how I make the Police aware (email etc)?

http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1492

It's the Gumtree connection that is really annoying.

Aggieboy

Camion, - Report it to Gumtree by sending the ad etc.

Gumtree Help - If you aren’t sure whether a reply you’ve received is dodgy, take a look at the list of top scam warning signs. If in doubt don't proceed any further with someone who seems suspicious.

If you’ve found something suspicious or if you just want our advice, report it to us so we can have a look and take any appropriate action.


There is a Contact us link at the top of their pages.

Camion

Done, been looking at another sale on there which maybe too good to be true?

http://www.gumtree.com/london/36/65135136.html

The wheels and power meter alone would go for that price wouldn't they?

Maybe i'll just go on ebay and go for high feedback sellers.....

SLX01

Camion wrote:

Anyone know how I make the Police aware (email etc)?

Reporting Fraud, Bank & Card Fraud, Scams, eMails and Web Sites.
In an emergency you should phone 999. You should use this service to contact police in situations when you need an immediate response - if a crime is happening now or if anyone is in immediate danger.

If as a result of one of these frauds or any other type of fraud, you have become a victim of crime, you will need to contact your local police to report the allegation.

If you are resident outside the London area the following link will provide you with details of your local force website from which you can obtain contact details of your local police.

If you are an investigator and think that we may be able to help you, please contact the SCD6 Economic and Specialist Crime OCU via normal police channels.

Please send all banking related phishing emails to reports@banksafeonline.org.uk. Queries related to Paypal or Ebay should be sent to spoof@paypal.co.uk and spoof@ebay.co.uk respectively.

http://www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/

bluesky8

I am currently in contact with a joker after responding to an add on Gumtree where a 2009 Trek 9.9 SSl OCLV was on sale for £650. They have suggested using this Escrow. Its been fun stringing them along to see how gullible they think I am. Its a pity its not a speeding motorist we're talking about because I am sure that the police would take an interest. As it is the best I can do is help spread the word. As someone else has already commented - if it looks too good to be true...........

TMR

Camion wrote:

Latest email I've had after placing my 'order':

Subject: Order Confirmation - 2009 Pinarello Prince with Campagnolo Super Record ( CODE - N15P07 )

Dear my name,

We have received the following information:

Full Name: my name
Address: Street Address: x Canada Square
City: London
Postal / Zip Code: E14 5xx
Country: United Kingdom
Phone Number: 07956 xxxxxx
E-mail: jamesxxxxxxx@hotmail.com
Bike Code: N15P07

As soon as the bike is packed and inspected we will deliver the bike to the shipping company, please visit www.ets-europe.vze.com for more information.
Please confirm your order.

Thank you
Harold - ABT Bike TEAM.

OMG! Who do you work for? I work in Canary Wharf also - 1 Canada Sq

gadgetmonster

andyrm wrote:

Looks dodgy as you like!!!!!

I've heard from reliable sources that a huge amount of the high end bikes stolen in the UK end up in mainland Europe, makes me wonder about this one and their sources.........

I have a question, but it seems illegal to ask it. Or get answers for it. If you unknowingly buy a bike that's stolen, do you get rapped for it?

Pokerface

gadgetmonster wrote:

andyrm wrote:

Looks dodgy as you like!!!!!

I've heard from reliable sources that a huge amount of the high end bikes stolen in the UK end up in mainland Europe, makes me wonder about this one and their sources.........

I have a question, but it seems illegal to ask it. Or get answers for it. If you unknowingly buy a bike that's stolen, do you get rapped for it?

No - but they will still take it off you.

andyrm

Could it be one of those grey areas where if they could prove likely knowledge you knew it was stolen you'd get hit for handling stolen goods if they proved the bike was nicked and you had paid a well below market rate?