Witte Associates - WARNING!!!

bazooka

Hi All,

Just thought i would give a heads up about this scam. I was contacted by "Jason" from the netherlands looking to buy 4 laptops for his company "Witte Associates Ltd" who were setting up offices here. I duly sent quotation and they responded with a purchase order, saying my company would be paid by bank draft COD, he originally offered credit card, but I am not set up to accept visa...so I order laptops from distributors, and make delivery to "Paul James", collect the bank draft for correct amount. all seems well...

then last friday morning i got a call from the bank to tell me that the bank draft was a forgery and had been doctored, oh ****! so I leg it back to delivery address and get the landlord of the building who of course knows no-one by the description. So I call the cops and they arrive like lightning to search the place. We find another invoice from a company in donnybrook who had sold 4 3M Projectors to these scum, turns out that they had paid them by stolen credit card.

This is a highly organised gang according to the Garda, it also took AIB three stages of cheque clearance for the problem to be spotted, so please be warned about this guys!

If you are contacted by anyone from Amsterdam, Netherlands, Holland etc, looking for 3/4/5 pieces of high price equipment then please contact Kevin Street Garda station and ask to speak to someone in the detective unit...they will know what to do next...

Thanks for reading...and yes I lost nearly 6 grand on this little adventure...lets not let is happen to anyone else...

Bazooka...

spongebob

This is not the first time that stolen AIB drafts have been mentioned on Boards.

Obviously they are still out there . Even worse They are
AMONG us too.

Any AIB drafts offered , wait till they clear fully unless you see it handed out over a counter in the bank . Sorry AIB, you have been quiet about this matter rather too long. See where Dawntreader finally found out the truth from the Fraud Squad , the bank job where they were stolen happened Last Year it seems.

M

eth0_

Originally posted by bazooka

but I am not set up to accept visa....

That's a common misconception, I found out recently that anyone can accept credit card payments, the card holder just needs to ring their issuing bank and ask for a transfer to the bank account of the person they're paying.
The card holder is still covered against fraud etc.
I think it takes about a week for the money to clear.

Hand thing to know!

mayhem#

They didn't give you any Dutch contact details by any chance?
I'm over there now and will gladly check it out for you...

E.

De Rebel

I wouldn't have thought that thet bank should be able to wriggle out of honouring the draft quite that easily. Might be worth a call to the IFSRA http://www.ifsra.ie/contactus.html They are the new boys on the block and seem eager enough to please and make a mark. Worth the price of a telephone call anyways.

spongebob

Good point De Rebel

I would ask the Financial Services mob how the AIB have gone so long without having a proper procedure in place to deal with these drafts that are in circulation....

Victor

Originally posted by Muck
I would ask the Financial Services mob how the AIB have gone so long without having a proper procedure in place to deal with these drafts that are in circulation....

Indeed. Presumably the drafts were in a certain block number or date that should be pointed out to other banks (or indeed everyone).

There should also be advertising to say drafts aren't the same as cash.