Scam on Leboncoin: €5400 in counterfeit notes for a motorbike sale
An individual who posted an advert on Leboncoin for the sale of his motocross bike was paid €5,400 in counterfeit notes. Fortunately, he realised the deception in time.
A classic advert submission
The story unfolded a fortnight ago. To put his motocross bike up for sale, a resident of Marchaux placed an advert on Leboncoin, the leading website for transactions between private individuals. The advert listed a Yamaha 125 YZ motocross bike for sale.
Two individuals from Belfort quickly showed an interest in the advert. They immediately contacted the seller. Without too much negotiation, the two buyers and the seller reached an agreement and made an appointment to hand over the car in person.
Counterfeit money scam takes shape
After a few exchanges between the two parties, the Yamaha motocross took its place in the buyers' van. In exchange for the machine, the two buyers from Belfort handed over the full amount of €5,400 in cash, in denominations of €50 and €100.
Very soon after the two buyers had left on their motocross, the doubtful salesman approached a service station, which is equipped with counterfeit note detectors, to check the authenticity of the notes he had just received. He was shocked when the employee there confirmed that all the notes were counterfeit. None of the notes were genuine.
A chase that pays off
Following this bad news, our victim rushed to the motorway in the hope of finding his two swindlers. Unexpectedly, he ended up spotting them at the toll booth. The Marchaux resident hurried to call the nearest gendarmerie and tell them about the problem. The police, who were also very responsive, managed to intercept the two suspects in time and take them into custody. To date, an investigation has been opened.
Finalise your transactions between private individuals with Obvy
Counterfeit money scams are unfortunately very common on classified ad sites. The success of this scam is based on the fact that victims take a long time to realise that they have been tricked, which gives the scammers enough time to get away.
To avoid counterfeit money scams, simply refuse to pay in cash and opt for a secure online payment method such as Obvy.
Our payment method allows you to avoid all possible scams between private individuals. When you find a buyer, or vice versa, the funds to pay for the transaction are kept safe in a secure account until the buyer confirms that the product is genuine. So whether you're a buyer or a seller, you're protected from all kinds of scams.