Buys fake Rolex in Caen and sues seller

The story takes place in Caen. A man who was swindled into buying a fake Rolex on a classified ads website has lodged a complaint with the magistrates' court against his swindler. The case has been going on for a few years now, and here are the details.

A seemingly good deal

But the story begins in a very common way. A man had been looking to buy a luxury watch for some time. Not necessarily having the means to buy one on the official luxury websites, our victim turned to the classified ad sites. It's a good way, when everything goes right, to pick up a bargain. After a few searches on the sites for transactions between private individuals, the victim came across the ideal ad. It was a Rolex watch for sale at €3,000. Given that prices for new Rolexes usually start at just over €3,000, this was definitely a bargain.

It was a counterfeit Rolex

After some thought, our victim showed an interest in the property for sale in a message sent to the person placing the ad. After a few exchanges about the second-hand luxury watch, the seller confirmed the authenticity of the watch and reassured the buyer. All the classic steps in transactions between private individuals on classified ad sites then follow. First, the buyer transfers the amount due to the seller. Once the transfer has been received in the seller's bank account, the seller sends the item for sale on 19 August 2019. But when the buyer received it, he was in for a shock. He quickly realised that it was a counterfeit Rolex. We have written an article that will help you check the authenticity of a Rolex.

The seller promises a refund

Our victim then contacted the seller, expressing his great disappointment. The seller promised to reimburse the victim as soon as he had received his counterfeit luxury watch. Naturally, the buyer complied and returned the item by recorded delivery with acknowledgement of receipt. A few days later, the buyer received notification that the returned item had been received, but he never heard from the seller again, let alone received a refund. Very upset, the buyer decided to lodge a complaint.

A never-ending affair

Interviewed in court on 24 January 2020, the 40-year-old who had placed the advert on the private transaction website admitted that he was aware that it was a counterfeit Rolex. The prosecutor then gave him 3 months to pay back the money to the buyer. Unsurprisingly, once again, the seller did not reimburse his victim. Reheard on 12 May 2020, he claimed that he had not kept his end of the bargain because he had never received his watch back.

At the hearing on Thursday 15 April 2021 before the Caen court, the seller was given a 90-day fine of €10. However, the court postponed the victim's claim for compensation until 14 October 2021 to check whether she had been reimbursed.

Carry out your transactions in complete security with Obvy

Unfortunately, scams are very common in transactions between private individuals on classified ad sites. When you are left to your own devices, dishonest people take advantage of the opportunity to trick less attentive users. These scams can be counterfeit or involve stealing your personal and/or bank details, and can have very serious repercussions.

That's why you need to use payment methods that make your transactions between private individuals secure. Obvy was designed primarily to combat scams between individuals. Thanks to our various features, you can be sure of a secure transaction.