You’re poring over ads for a good, dependable, not too expensive car for your kid. You try Craigslist.com, or eBay, or Auto Trader. Inevitably, you’ll hit the jackpot and stumble on a deal that’s just too good to be true. Like, say, this sweet ride:
2000 HONDA Accord EX V6
LEATHER SUNROOF 200 Horse Power V6 Automatic Transmission Naples Gold Metallic Exterior Soft Plush Leather Interior In Dash CD Radio Remote Entry… Perfect CarFax History… No accidents no damage no problems…
It’s a steal at only $2960! Yes, it’s a steal. Literally. The US Department of Justice (DOJ)
announced on Thursday that it’s indicted 20 people – that includes 15 Romanians, one Bulgarian and four people from the US – for these swindling “I’m in the military and being deployed overseas and have to sell it fast” scams. In the three unsealed indictments –
here’s one, here’s
the second, and here’s
the third – prosecutors allege that the international gang defrauded US consumers out of millions through online auction fraud. They also allegedly laundered the money via cryptocurrency.
The indictments come out of a multi-year, international investigation, launched in Kentucky and led by the US Secret Service. The investigation led to a 24-count indictment, filed in July 2018, that charged 14 Romanians and one Bulgarian with RICO conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. The most recent indictment, filed on Wednesday, charges another foreign national, plus four people from the US, with 11 counts relating to alleged involvement in the crime ring. Out of the 15 non-US people charged, 12 have been extradited to the US and are awaiting trials, which are currently set for 18 June and 7 August, 2019. Here’s how it worked:
