Steve Cowin, SecureTrade, Direct Auto Shippers, Jonson Gray ripoff, Secure-Trade, Steve Cowin, Acted like they had a truck for sale on ebay, then after send in the $10,000 dollars, I haven't heard from them since Thessaloniki Greece
I started out looking on ebay for a truck, and I found this 2004 Chevy Avalanche for sale, but you couldn't bid, you had to email the ebayer. The auction stated it was a 1 day auction only. So I emailed the ebayer, and he sent me all of the information, I sent him my name. Then Secure-Trade an online banking or broker sent me all the information on both of us. Me , and the seller, Steve Cowin. I took the papers to the bank, took out a loan for $10,500 dollars because the truck was $10,000 and it cost $430.00 to wire the funds. He explained to me that I would send the funds to him and then if I didn't like the truck, then I would ship back the truck, and recieve my funds back in full payment in three business days. He said it would be shipped through Direct Auto Shippers and they even sent me a tracking number. The shipment showed being shipped off November 4th, 2005 at 7:21am from Greece. I have checked it and it never moved or updated the status. I have then emailed both Secure Trade, Steve Cowin and Direct Auto Shippers and I am getting nothing. I am out $10,430.00, I have a loan through my bank, and I am sick to my stomach over the situation, and I would love someone to death if they could help me.
I have all of the information as far as emailing back in forth. I have every piece of information. The one thing that gets me, is when I sent the money, Secure Trade and Steve Cowin both said, "When you wire the money, don't tell them you bought something on ebay, tell them it is a personnal trade and you are sending it to a friend in need because I will be charged 6% to recieve the money." So I figured that they were doing me a favor by shipping it for free, so I could not tell the Western Union offices it was an online purchase. I don't know if I can get in serious trouble for lying to the Western Union office, but all I know is that I am out a lot of money, and I can't afford to be living in this kind of situation. Someone, please help me!!
Thanks
Quinn
Bluford, Illinois
U.S.A.
8 Updates & Rebuttals
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
Hmmmmmmm, sounds like a reasonable deal
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, November 10, 2005
I live a couple hundred miles from the factory this truck is made at. I can buy one that was shipped overseas to Greece for less than 1/2 the price I would pay locally. Yep...that seems reasonable to me. HUH!??!?!?!?!?!
Why do you people continue to live? Bring back dinosaurs. This scam doesn't even rate ripoff status. This one is even easier to spot than magic p***s pills and that long lost relative in Nigeria.
For the money you threw away, you could have bought an education. You still bought one this way, but only if you actually LEARN from it. The problem is, you probably haven't.
Rita
Private,Michigan,
U.S.A.
One more thing...
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, November 10, 2005
I forgot to mention this... These scammer also create their own "auto shippers" website so of course the status never changed. That site was a prop to help make the deal look kosher. You can go be sick now and have a good long cry. I would, Dang!
Rita
Private,Michigan,
U.S.A.
One more thing...
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, November 10, 2005
I forgot to mention this... These scammer also create their own "auto shippers" website so of course the status never changed. That site was a prop to help make the deal look kosher. You can go be sick now and have a good long cry. I would, Dang!
Rita
Private,Michigan,
U.S.A.
One more thing...
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, November 10, 2005
I forgot to mention this... These scammer also create their own "auto shippers" website so of course the status never changed. That site was a prop to help make the deal look kosher. You can go be sick now and have a good long cry. I would, Dang!
Rita
Private,Michigan,
U.S.A.
One more thing...
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, November 10, 2005
I forgot to mention this... These scammer also create their own "auto shippers" website so of course the status never changed. That site was a prop to help make the deal look kosher. You can go be sick now and have a good long cry. I would, Dang!
R
Hillsboro,Oregon,
U.S.A.
You have been scamed
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, November 10, 2005
This is a clasic scam on Ebay and your money is gone. You need to think, a 20 to 25K truck from overseas for 10K, what did you think. The first rule is never wire funds, it is a sure sign of a scam.
Rita
Private,Michigan,
U.S.A.
Sorry but...
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, November 10, 2005
The one thing that gets me, is when I sent the money, Secure Trade and Steve Cowin both said, "When you wire the money, don't tell them you bought something on ebay, tell them it is a personnal trade and you are sending it to a friend in need because I will be charged 6% to recieve the money." So I figured that they were doing me a favor by shipping it for free, so I could not tell the Western Union offices it was an online purchase. I don't know if I can get in serious trouble for lying to the Western Union office, but all I know is that I am out a lot of money, and I can't afford to be living in this kind of situation.
Oh boy, it seems you've been had in a veeeeery bad way and you're not alone from what I've found... They didn't want you to tell Western Union because they knew that Western Union would have warned you that this might be or was a fraud.
I don't know what the heck you should do but I know one thing for sure, you need to contact Western Union to make sure that they have the name of the person that you wired money to. You need to inform them of what happened. This way you can at least red flag them if anyone else tries to wire money to that name.
This could prove to be an extremely expensive lesson and it pains me to say this but I don't believe you'll ever see that truck or your money ever again.
You can go ahead and fight to try to recover but I don't think your efforts will take you very far as you'll see by doing a simple search...
Go to Google and type in...Secure-Trade Greece scam. You'll find many stories just like your. Good luck.
Dave
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
There is nothing you can do
#9Consumer Suggestion
Thu, November 10, 2005
You have been scammed by the oldest scam in the books. You will never get your money back. There never was a truck for sale, it was a trick.
Why did you send Western Union? Ebays specifically says DO NOT SEND PAYMENT VIA WESTERN UNION. You cannot trace a Western Union transfer. This is an expensive lesson to learn, but now you know you cant buy a 1 year old Avalanche for 10K, unless it's totalled! The reason they told you not to tell Western Union is because if you did tell them what the money was for, Western Union would've have told you it was a scam! Man, where is your brains? Didn't this whole thing send up red flags all over the place???