Criminal network on Leboncoin in Alençon
The events took place in Alençon (Orne) a fortnight ago: 23 people lodged a complaint against a young man who had acted as an intermediary in a vast internet scam that extended as far as Benin.
A first scam set up on Leboncoin
A 25-year-old man from Alençon is suspected of acting as a go-between for a network of criminals who posted fake ads on the famous classified ads website Leboncoin. For sale were drones, metal detectors and kitchen robots.
People who were interested in these items sent their money, but as with any good scam, they never received the items they had ordered.
A second scam via a job search website
At the same time, a scam was also set up on a job search website. To complete their application, victims had to cash a cheque and then transfer the same amount as shown on the cheque to the intermediary's account. Except that, because the cheque was made out of wood, there was no money in it. The victims paid sums to the young man from Alençon that they never actually received.
Network of fraudsters swindled 23 victims out of almost €30,000
In less than a year, the 25-year-old received a large number of transfers - almost thirty - directly into his bank account, totalling 30,000 euros. Once these sums had been deposited in his bank account, the man used international money transfers to transfer most of the money to Benin and all the group's swindlers.
The man from Alençon still managed to earn a commission totalling almost €10,000 for his part in the whole scam.
The sentence has been passed
On Thursday 15 October 2020, the young man was heard, without a lawyer, before the magistrates' court. Despite his defence, the sentence requested for handling stolen goods is as follows: 12 months' suspended prison sentence, a €3,000 fine and the full amount scammed, i.e. nearly €30,000 to be repaid to the victims for their economic and moral losses.
Unfortunately, the investigation failed to dismantle the network of swindlers based in Benin, so it's up to the young man from Alençon to take responsibility for everything, because in the end, none of this would have been possible without him.
Avoid scams with Obvy
When you choose to carry out a transaction between private individuals via classified ad sites, be very vigilant. There are plenty of crooks out there who are just waiting for the slightest flaw on your part to set up their scams.
Shop securely with Obvy. Our simple and 100% secure payment system has been specially designed to prevent scams in transactions between individuals. Numerous operations have been put in place to prevent you from finding yourself in this kind of situation.
For example, with our cash-on-delivery system, the seller can only collect his money once the buyer has confirmed receipt of the product ordered. So if you're not satisfied with the goods you've bought, you can always send them back to the buyer and get your money back.