The Warsaw police broke up a crime group dealing with car rental, forging documents, and then selling vehicles as their own. The case reveals a complex pattern of fraud and shows how easy it is to fall victim to specified a crime, especially in the automotive market.
Method of action of criminals
According to the findings of the Police Capital Command, members of the crime group rented cars from various rental shops. They then forged vehicle papers specified as invoices, time permits and registration documents. False papers were like first ones, which made it much harder to separate them from the real ones by ignorant buyers.
One of the key members of the group was the man liable for removing the rental symbol from the vehicles, which could uncover that the car is not the property of the sellers. The ready to sale the cars then went to the partners who arranged meetings with possible buyers. “In 1 case, they collected advances from a group curious in buying the same car, and then sold them to respective people at the same time, agreeing to receive it for the next day,” reports the junior aspirant Jakub Paciniak, a spokesperson for the downtown police station.
Attractive Price Trap
Cars were displayed for sale on popular announced platforms on the Internet, where cheaters tempted possible buyers with very attractive prices. This maneuver aimed at attracting as many stakeholders as possible, which increased the chances of fast vehicle sales. A advanced interest in acquiring a car at an occasional price made buyers seldom fishy irregularities, which made them easy victims.
Activities of the group
Although the main activities of the group took place in Warsaw, the scale of their operations besides included another regions of Poland. 1 of the cars recovered by police was found in Małopolska, which shows that the group's activities were of a supra-regional nature.
Arrests and charges
As a consequence of intensive operational activities, in the last fewer days, the Warsaw police have detained 7 persons associated with fraud. Six of them have heard allegations of fraud and counterfeiting. Among those arrested was a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen and 39-year-old Pole. Both of them were temporarily arrested. Under current laws, they are facing up to 8 years imprisonment.
Police have besides reported that the case is developmental, which means that the investigation may uncover further threads and persons involved. It is estimated that the sum of losses can scope up to respective 100 1000 zlotys.
Legal implications for fraudsters
Persons active in specified offences may be convicted under the provisions of the Criminal Code, in peculiar Article 286, which concerns fraud. According to him, “who, in order to get a property benefit, leads another individual to an adverse regulation of his own or of another person's property, is subject to imprisonment from 6 months to 8 years”. In the case of counterfeiting, the provisions of Article 270 of the Criminal Code, which provides for imprisonment from 3 months to 5 years for a individual who ‘for usage as authentic, forging or rewriting a document’, shall apply.
How can we avoid akin deceptions?
Police call for peculiar care erstwhile purchasing utilized cars, especially in situations where the offer seems besides attractive. Before making a acquisition decision, it is worth carefully checking the past of the vehicle, comparing VIN numbers with the data in the papers and contact the rental company in case of any doubts as to the origin of the vehicle. Buying a car from an uncertain origin can lead to serious legal and financial consequences, which is why this kind of transaction should always be treated with large care.
Summary
The fact that a criminal group active in hiring cars and selling them as its own shows how crucial it is to stay vigilant in the automotive market. Thanks to the actions of the Warsaw police, further fraud has been prevented, but the case remains open, and investigators are working on revealing further details of the activities of this group.
Continued here:
They sold not their cars – 7 people detained. In the composition of evidently ‘sisters’ from Ukraine
