Dealers and Mail Order Co's BEWARE !!!

[APIDavid]

A word of warning to the possibly already wise. We have just recently been taken for nearly a £1000 on a mail order scam. An asian gentleman called ' *** ******* ' called and ordered an exhaust system for an 05 imported Impreza. He gave the correct address, the correct card number, the correct chip and pin details and all matched through the Barclaycard checking system that we use. We double checked the address and did everything possible to make sure this was a genuine call. { as we always do } We even called him back on his mobile number [ which we still have and have passed to the Police ] He answered ' Ali ' when we rang. The goods were despateched and signed for by *** ******* the next day - here's the rub, ' *** ' told us that as he worked all day could we ship the goods to his mothers house? as she would sign for them as she stays at home all day. We checked the 'mothers' address given, it exists - so as we get this almost 60 % of the time with mail orders, we accepted the reason. 2 days later ****** ******* is on the phone wondering why she has been invoiced for a Subaru exhaust when she doesn't own a Subaru. We explained and the quickly realised that some ' honest type ' that she has ordered mail order goods from previously has sold all her card details and address into the black market for someone to use. *** ******* was told to cancel her card as soon as possible as it had been compromised. Due to the charge back system in place with card issuers we are out of pocket the nearly £1000 with no possibility of getting it back. We did bend the rules by allowing goods to be shipped to a different address to the card holders stated address. For that we are out on a limb. What appears to have happened is that the thief has waited in a car at the shipping [ mothers] address and when he has seen a courier van arrived has rushed up and claimed the goods without the courier ever going to the address. As far as the courier is concerned [ the driver is lying of course ] he delivered the goods to the house. We know different of course but cannot prove differently. The courier has an *** ******** signature. On that basis they are out of the equation. Never again will we ship goods to an address that is not the card holders', unless that person is well known to us. I reccomend that any traders out there take heed and my advice is to do the same. David Api Impreza / APi Engines www.apiengines.com