Yvelines: she finds her stolen car on Leboncoin and traps her swindler to get it back
A story worthy of a detective novel. The events took place in the Yvelines department. A young woman of 22 recognised her stolen car in an advert on Leboncoin. She posed as an ordinary buyer and managed to trap her swindler with the help of the police.
Car sold for the first time in exchange for a cheque in cash
Originally, our victim's real intention was to sell her almost-new Volkswagen Polo. To this end, the 22-year-old woman, whom we'll call Pauline, had placed an ad to find a buyer. The car was on sale for 21,000 euros. She managed to arrange the sale with a buyer who seemed very interested.
Once the appointment had been made and the transaction completed, the buyer was able to drive off in his new acquisition, while the seller left with a cheque that she didn't know had bounced. When Pauline went to the bank to cash her cheque, the bank officers told her that it was a forged cheque and that she could not cash it.
Pauline, officially the victim of a cheque scam between private individuals, rushed to lodge a complaint with the gendarmerie in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines).
For once
Determined to win her case, Pauline decides to look for her con artist in parallel with the police investigation. Our victim embarks on a never-ending search.
It was while checking the classified ads for car sales on the internet that she finally found her Volkswagen Polo, sold for €15,000 in a Leboncoin ad. She immediately informed the Mantes-la-Jolie police station. The police asked Pauline to make contact with the thief and to arrange a meeting in front of Buchelay town hall. Pauline quickly arranged to meet the suspected crook.
The transaction took place on Friday 2 October, as planned, at Buchelay town hall. The police officers and Pauline, who had been stationed at the scene in advance, welcomed the suspect who arrived at the wheel of the Polo. Despite attempting to flee in full view of the police, the man was arrested without difficulty. As for Pauline, she was able to recover her car.
The 32-year-old suspect, already known to the police for burglary, was taken into custody at the Mantes-la-Jolie police station. In his defence, he maintained that he was merely doing a favour for a friend who had entrusted him with the sale of his car. He claims that he did not know that the car was stolen, thinking that it belonged to his friend, and had not thought it necessary to check its provenance.
How can I avoid a cheque scam?
Fake bank cheque scams are unfortunately fairly common. It's a scam that's easy for criminals to set up and hard for victims to spot right away.
To make sure you don't end up like our victim Pauline, please read our article on cheque scams between individuals.
Use Obvy secure payment for transactions between private individuals
When making a transaction between private individuals, we strongly advise you not to accept cheques as a means of payment. As you have seen, the risks are very high.
Obvy is a payment system specially designed for transactions between private individuals. Whether you're a buyer or a seller, everything is set up to make the transaction simple and secure.
The funds are provisioned before the meeting on an Obvy digital safe, specific to your transaction. So there's no need for cheques or cash, just your smartphone. The seller can be sure that the buyer is solvent and will be paid if the transaction goes through. For their part, buyers can cancel their offer to buy if the object of the transaction is not suitable, and get their money back.