I think I just got scammed

dj1980

Went out for lunch and picked up a subway on Belgard road in Tallaght.
Came back to my car (01 Golf TDI) and car wouldn't start.
Radio, lights, fans worked but the engine wouldn't even crank.

Did a quick check on my phone and said it could be the earthing wire for the battery so had a look and everything looked ok. Checked the battery connections and they were fine.

Shut the bonnet and sat in my car with the door open and a fella comes over asking if I need jump leads or anything.
I tell him it's completely dead and he said he was a mechanic himself so tells me something about the key not being read correctly and holds it in the starting position for 60 seconds to see if that makes a difference.

He has me turn the key while he has a look under bonnet and says it's most likely the EPC unit (?) and he makes a phonecall to [redacted]. He says he'll be back in a few minutes as one of the lads was bringing it down so he disappears for a few minutes. Comes back with a little circuit board and goes under the bonnet again.

I was out of the car looking at him by this stage and while he appeared to be doing something he asks me to go into the car and turn the ignition but don't try to start it. He comes back, takes the key out. Waits and puts it back in and turns it and it starts.

Then says he'll give me the part for 65 ex. vat.
Needless to say I was over the moon that I didn't have to call to get it towed. He said he actually worked in [redacted] and his name was Tony (can't recall the second name he gave) and that he was the owner. He looked about 55-60 with a beard and glasses.

God, even typing this out, it reads like a scam. I feel like an absolute numpty to have handed over the cash so easily but I was anxious because I was on lunch from work and was late.

So did I get scammed or was this guy legit?

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Not a breeze. Ring tallaght auto parts and ask for Tony. Is the voice the same? If yes you probably weren't scammed. If no then you were. Simples.

BGozIE

There are people on here who, based on mechanical knowledge, will no doubt tell you how valid this sounds.

My own opinion is it sounds very weird, but in the time you were getting your lunch, how likely is it he was able to

a. Gain access to your engine/under the hood.

b. Remove a part/disconnect something that stops the engine turning over?

I don't think its that easy/quick to get under the bonnet of a car...could be wrong tho.

I think you may have been in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time

PS in order for a scammer to take the risk, would they not ask for more?

thegreatiam

Your car broke, someone offered to help on the spot, gets a part over the phone for you, fixes the problem and your car works now.

What part do you think is a scam?

dj1980 wrote: »

Needless to say I was over the moon that I didn't have to call to get it towed.

Sounds like this guy saved you a lot of trouble,

If youre in doubt follow up on where he said he worked, or google the cost of the part he replaced. Add on an hourly fee for repairs+call out charge/tow to garage, and see which is cheaper.

username123

Its kind of small money for a scam - 65 quid? Surely if you were going to scam someone like that youd go for more money?

Matt Simis

Sounds a bit like magic beans... though the magic beans in the story were real.
Personally, I wouldn't be paying strange men for fixes to problems I dont understand with parts I dont know the names of with nothing more than his first name and no invoice or receipt.

PS: The quick check on your phone should have revealed it could be earth on battery or on starter motor. Starters are known to sieze too, requiring a bit of a smack to get going.

166man

Sounds like a very decent bloke tbh...

jhegarty

So €65 and your car is working now ?

Must be the worlds worst scam artist.

dj1980

BGozIE wrote: »

There are people on here who, based on mechanical knowledge, will no doubt tell you how valid this sounds.

My own opinion is it sounds very weird, but in the time you were getting your lunch, how likely is it he was able to

a. Gain access to your engine/under the hood.

b. Remove a part/disconnect something that stops the engine turning over?

I don't think its that easy/quick to get under the bonnet of a car...could be wrong tho.

I think you may have been in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time

PS in order for a scammer to take the risk, would they not ask for more?

This is what I was thinking too. Right place, right time. I was hoping someone with mechanical knowledge of the mk4 golf might know if it's plausible. I was literally gone for less than 5 minutes.

I think it's the skeptic in me that doesn't believe in coincidences and if something is too good to be true, it normally is.

Matt Simis wrote: »

Sounds a bit like magic beans... though the magic beans in the story were real.
Personally, I wouldn't be paying strange men for fixes to problems I dont understand with parts I dont know the names of with nothing more than his first name and no invoice or receipt.

PS: The quick check on your phone should have revealed it could be earth on battery or on starter motor. Starters are known to sieze too, requiring a bit of a smack to get going.

He actually tried that before making the call.

To be fair, IF it was a scam I think I got off lightly

thegreatiam

from the scammer pov its not a sure thing.

IF they can spot a likely car at that car park over the course of a day
IF they can get under your bonnet
IF they can break a vital part and make it look like it wasn't done deliberately
IF they don't get spotted doing so
IF the owner turns out to be not 100% clueless about cars
IF they don't have a breakdown recovery or another option
IF the owner allows them to take a look and fix it
IF the owner pays them without telling them to do one
all they get is €65.
If you phone up where they said they work then someone will be checking out their patch (police or the garage named), so they might get one or 2 marks before they have to move elsewhere.

Matt Simis

thegreatiam wrote: »

from the scammer pov its not a sure thing.

IF they can spot a likely car at that car park over the course of a day
IF they can get under your bonnet
IF they can break a vital part and make it look like it wasn't done deliberately
IF they don't get spotted doing so
IF the owner turns out to be not 100% clueless about cars
IF they don't have a breakdown recovery or another option
IF the owner allows them to take a look and fix it
IF the owner pays them without telling them to do one
all they get is €65.
If you phone up where they said they work then someone will be checking out their patch (police or the garage named), so they might get one or 2 marks before they have to move elsewhere.

Scams are rarely (if ever) "a sure thing" and most of the above seem like reasonable "long con" component parts. Only the OP can get to the bottom of this by finding the guy and asking what was fixed.

thegreatiam

Matt Simis wrote: »

Scams are rarely (if ever) "a sure thing" and most of the above seem like reasonable "long con" component parts. Only the OP can get to the bottom of this by finding the guy and asking what was fixed.

Scams are usually more reliable than this tho.

and this would blatantly be a short con, If it were a scam I would expect to see more hard sell on the fix rather than the plentiful chances the OP had to back down or get away from the offers. There seems to be no pressure to buy the part.

If it is a long con then this Tony guy is working in the garage, the car will develop more troubles and due to the part being ropey and tony will offer to fix it again for a reasonable up front fee at the garage. A week or so later the car wont be fixed and tony will be gone and there will be several car owners standing around looking broke and PO'd

Matt Simis

thegreatiam wrote: »

Scams are usually more reliable than this tho.

and this would blatantly be a short con, If it were a scam I would expect to see more hard sell on the fix rather than the plentiful chances the OP had to back down or get away from the offers. There seems to be no pressure to buy the part.

If it is a long con then this Tony guy is working in the garage, the car will develop more troubles and due to the part being ropey and tony will offer to fix it again for a reasonable up front fee at the garage. A week or so later the car wont be fixed and tony will be gone and there will be several car owners standing around looking broke and PO'd

I figure I could sit outside a shopping center, pick the rubes out, filter down by cars with easy to access parts or known "tamper spots" or bonnets that open easily without setting off alarms then proceed exactly as above. I would claim to work somewhere vague and generic enough to apply to all marques, have a bag full of EUR65 PCBs with wires on them "delivered to me". Cost of Scam.. EUR1? There is no real manner of reporting to the Gardai unless you catch them sabotaging it in the first place and the overwhelming majority of people will be "happy" their car is now "fixed" without having to pay that much or call anyone.

Im not saying this was a scam, Im just agreeing with the OP regarding the scammish feeling.

Jimdagym

Thinly veiled "I had subway" thread :pac:

Kenny Logins

Matt Simis wrote: »

I figure I could sit outside a shopping center, pick the rubes out, filter down by cars with easy to access parts or known "tamper spots" or bonnets that open easily without setting off alarms then proceed exactly as above. I would claim to work somewhere vague and generic enough to apply to all marques, have a bag full of EUR65 PCBs with wires on them "delivered to me". Cost of Scam.. EUR1? There is no real manner of reporting to the Gardai unless you catch them sabotaging it in the first place and the overwhelming majority of people will be "happy" their car is now "fixed" without having to pay that much or call anyone.

Im not saying this was a scam, Im just agreeing with the OP regarding the scammish feeling.

I agree. My cynical side would sway towards scam rather than luck...

thegreatiam

Matt Simis wrote: »

Im not saying this was a scam, Im just agreeing with the OP regarding the scammish feeling.

Not saying it isnt a scam, but its a lot of effort and risk for only a possible pay off. at any point after its fixed the owner can drive off. There seems no pressure to pay the man.
Plus the risk of being spotted fiddling with a car. (admittedly you could probably talk your way out of this)
Seems to me a very low pay off too.

If I owned tallaght autoparts and received more than one call about a fake employee working at my place in one day then Id send someone to take a look.
(unless it is a scam and tallaght autoparts are using it as some marketing exercise)


edit: of course it all hinges on the elusive Tony. Should he work where he claims or not.
Looking forward to finding out.

Id be more suspicious if he tried "I can fit this part for you but i need 65 to go get it from my garage round the corner"

Hellrazer

If memory serves me right there is a lad called Tony in Tallaght Autoparts.

CiniO

After reading this my imagination tell me something like below:

A guy spots the parked car, crawls under it to unplug starter wire.

He waits around for the owner, and when owner tries to start the car, the guy passes by offering help.
He makes some phonecalls and brings some fancy circuit boards, but in fact all what he does is to plug in the starter wire back.
Car works great, owner happy so he pays cash to the scammer.

I'm not saying that's the case.
It's just what I imagined after reading OP's post.

L1011

Sounds like a lot of work and time for 65 quid when you could be over in The Square selling loafs of bread in laptop bags in the carpark for a few hundred like most of the other scammers.

0ph0rce0

Ring Tallaght Auto Parts ask for tony cause you want to say thank you again and if he comes to the phone or not then you'll know, cant see him scamming then giving his name and place of work, worst scammer ever if he did :pac:

CiniO

MYOB wrote: »

Sounds like a lot of work and time for 65 quid when you could be over in The Square selling loafs of bread in laptop bags in the carpark for a few hundred like most of the other scammers.

If I understood OP rightly, then it took less than an hour.
65 quid per hour job with 15 minute preparation beforehand is not bad.

fox_1973

There is a tony in tallaght auto parts, a decent guy, sounds like he just saved you a lot of bother

Presuming it is him of course

tayto lover

65 euro is not a lot for a scam. If it was a scam i'd say he'd want a bit more from you. Sounds like a good lad.

Chuck Stone

What did you get in the sandwich?

ShadowHearth

Jimdagym wrote: »

Thinly veiled "I had subway" thread :pac:

I want a sub now. Maybe its a Subway international scam where they mention subway and makes us want one?

OP, do you work for subway?

the great purveyor of mediocrity

Chuck Stone wrote: »

What did you get in the sandwich?

I was reading through all of this thread, from the first post on, philosophising to myself about how trust is gone and how paraanoid we all are now and then........bam........that........hilarious, I nearly choked on my biscuit.

ironclaw

Stick up a photo of what he 'fixed'?

Kenny Logins

ironclaw wrote: »

Stick up a photo of what he 'fixed'?

Allyall

€65 is the perfect amount, you don't query it.

Sound like this?

4. Engine Trouble
Pulling into a parking space, a senior exits his or her car and enters a store. The scammer, who has been waiting and watching specifically for elderly drivers, swiftly approaches the car after its owner is out of sight and disables it, typically by detaching a spark-plug wire. The scammer then waits -- nearby but not so nearby as to look suspicious -- for the senior to return. When the car doesn't start, the scammer poses as a helpful passerby, fixes it, then demands a large cash reward. "They literally get into the car and go to the bank with the elderly person," says economic-crime detective Joe Roubicek, who works with the Florida State Attorney's office and covers such scams at his website and in his book, Financial Abuse of the Elderly (Ruby House, 2008).

http://www.alternet.org/story/147585/10_of_the_con_artists%27_favorite_ways_to_scam_the_elderly

My Mother got caught by it. She was asked for €85 and he reduced it to €60. She didn't have €85. No 2nd guy came though (maybe he was backup in case you copped it)

Kenny Logins

I don't think it was a scam at all Allyal. ..but can fully understand the OP's concern.

the great purveyor of mediocrity

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Brilliant.

Tazium

Aren't most scams seemingly plausible? Is there a jammer of sorts that would remotely stop the key from working?

One phone call answers your question though.

Allyall

Kenny Logins wrote: »

I don't think it was a scam at all Allyal. ..but can fully understand the OP's concern.

Maybe not, but i googled it last month after it happened to my mother, and found that. She was told he was from advanced pitstop in Swords.

Still never checked further into it, but found it weird that the car just ceased to start after she was just in a shop for a minute. She has a VW Polo.

smemon

If it's not a scam, it's a bloody fantastic idea. The reason €65 is the price is because most people would have that in cash on them or could easily get it quickly if they're near their house or place of work etc... (borrow it from someone they know).

10 cars = €650/day cash in hand. Venture around different cities / towns, switch cars and stagger your days out and nobody would ever know. You could even say you're Bob from Advanced Pitstop in Mayo or something up for a job and create your own fake ID

richiet

Similar thing happened a friend of mine in town a couple of years ago. Stephen's Green SC car park, Golf MK 4. He went to start his car and nothing happened, a man walking by came to help and said it was a coding issue with the key. He rang his "son", a mechanic, who was nearby. The son came and fixed it. They asked for €50, and my mate paid up.

I remember thinking at the time it sounded a bit suss.

OldmanMondeo

I though a guy called Mick owned Tallaght Auto Parts. Then again, since Tallaght Auto Parts and Finglas Auto Parts are the same company, Mick could be just the Tallaght manager.

Kenny Logins

Allyall wrote: »

Maybe not, but i googled it last month after it happened to my mother, and found that. She was told he was from advanced pitstop in Swords.

Still never checked further into it, but found it weird that the car just ceased to start after she was just in a shop for a minute. She has a VW Polo.

You know, having read this thread again I'm really not sure... Need to know what part was replaced..

Markcheese

the great purveyor of mediocrity wrote: »

I was reading through all of this thread, from the first post on, philosophising to myself about how trust is gone and how paraanoid we all are now and then........bam........that........hilarious, I nearly choked on my biscuit.

Mmmmmm biscuits....

pippip

I'm leaning towards scam.

But what a scam, for one it leaves the question of doubt over whether it even is a scam in the first place.

Then it's leaves unaware people thinking they just got lucky and probably saved themselves money.

It's a routine that not many, if any people would even bother reporting the Gardai.

I'd also say it carried out within sight of an ATM.

johnnydeep

I remember leaving work years ago there was an old woman trying to start her car but the battery was flat. I spoke with her she said somebody must have stole her battery. I said at least they put another one in

the great purveyor of mediocrity

Markcheese wrote: »

Mmmmmm biscuits....

It was a Toffy Pop before someone asks.

Tea 1000

richiet wrote: »

Similar thing happened a friend of mine in town a couple of years ago. Stephen's Green SC car park, Golf MK 4. He went to start his car and nothing happened, a man walking by came to help and said it was a coding issue with the key. He rang his "son", a mechanic, who was nearby. The son came and fixed it. They asked for €50, and my mate paid up.

I remember thinking at the time it sounded a bit suss.

Kenny Logins wrote: »

You know, having read this thread again I'm really not sure... Need to know what part was replaced..

Seems to be a VW thing of the Mk4 Golf vintage. 2 Golfs and a Polo? There must be a handy way of disabling them temporarily, be it via an easy access earthing wire or something else. I'm firmly in the scam camp. €65 is the perfect amount so people won't question it. No part is replaced, so people asking what's replaced and might that go wrong too are missing the point of the scam. He didn't even allow you to see what he was doing with his "try it now" crap. Ringing Tallaght auto parts and asking for Tony is no guarantee. Tony in Tallaght auto parts might be a scammer anyway.

MadsL

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Seems to be a VW thing of the Mk4 Golf vintage. 2 Golfs and a Polo? There must be a handy way of disabling them temporarily, be it via an easy access earthing wire or something else. I'm firmly in the scam camp. €65 is the perfect amount so people won't question it. No part is replaced, so people asking what's replaced and might that go wrong too are missing the point of the scam. He didn't even allow you to see what he was doing with his "try it now" crap. Ringing Tallaght auto parts and asking for Tony is no guarantee. Tony in Tallaght auto parts might be a scammer anyway.

Ring for a quote on a part - whose that? Tony. Right-so. Now have valid name.

newmug

Tell the Guards. Maybe they'll say they heard of this before and its defo a scam, or maybe they'll say they never heard of it, but if it starts happening on a regular basis, they'll know something's up.

dj1980

I'll ring later on today and find out.

I think what convinced me it wasn't a scam might have been down to pure luck on his part as my immobiliser acts a bit funny sometimes and I actually have to take the key out and put it back in to get the car started so what he said the issue was didn't seem that far fetched.

Going over the conversation on my head last night and there were a few points that should have had alarm bells ringing.

He actually said he worked at Tallaght Auto Spares (parts?) and I simply thought it was a mistake.
When he mentioned the part he said it was the same one in the Skoda and I was thinking to myself "why skoda?, surely he means Seat?"

He went into Smith's toystore after so I was thinking I could get the time I used the ATM from the bank and work back from there. I might ask Smith's if they have cctv of the carpark and claim someone hit my car while it was parked.


I had hoped that posting this on the motors forum, that someone familiar with Golf's might have heard about this EPC unit before?

Gone Drinking

I'd do two things here..

I'd ring and speak to my mechanic about it, see what he thinks about the fix.

Then I'd ring Tallaght auto parts and and ask to speak to Tony the owner. If he's there, tell him you're the guy he helped this morning, you rang to thank him and that just so he knows you'll be using his place for parts from now on..

Seems odd if it was a scam that he gave you a price before VAT.

dj1980

Gone Drinking wrote: »

I'd do two things here..

I'd ring and speak to my mechanic about it, see what he thinks about the fix.

Then I'd ring Tallaght auto parts and and ask to speak to Tony the owner. If he's there, tell him you're the guy he helped this morning, you rang to thank him and that just so he knows you'll be using his place for parts from now on..

Seems odd if it was a scam that he gave you a price before VAT.

Would a scammer normally sell you the part incl. Vat? :P

I'm actually kicking myself that I didn't ring Tallaght Auto Parts 'while he went to pick up the part' and check his story out. I need to use my damn smartphone more efficiently :mad:

joehig

thata an awful lot of work for a scam just to get €65, id say he was genuine.... just ring tallaght auto part asking for tony to get a receipt or thank him or some excuse to make sure he is who he says he is

RustyNut

Gone Drinking wrote: »

I'd do two things here..

I'd ring and speak to my mechanic about it, see what he thinks about the fix.

Then I'd ring Tallaght auto parts and and ask to speak to Tony the owner. If he's there, tell him you're the guy he helped this morning, you rang to thank him and that just so he knows you'll be using his place for parts from now on..

Seems odd if it was a scam that he gave you a price before VAT.

Might have been a good idea to check if tony is for real and just a decent guy before naming a person and company on the net in relation to a scam.

pippip

RustyNut wrote: »

Might have been a good idea to check if tony is for real and just a decent guy before naming a person and company on the net in relation to a scam.

No one is claiming they have anything to do with the scam, only possibly their name being used. Cant see how any damage is being done their name.

Yawns

The parking area is an open area across the road from a garda station. Tallaght Auto Parts is about 30 seconds walk away and a lad named Tony does work in there, afaik. There's a security station at the side of Subway who monitor cameras in the area and do patrols around on foot. They clamp so usually do keep an eye out for non payers. If someone was tampering with your car, it's a risky spot to do it there tbh. Sounds like you were in the right place at the right time for this to happen and Tony was nearby.