Category Archives: International

City cop, 19-year-old charged after odometers allegedly altered Scam bit luxury-car buyers

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By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 04/5/2013 1:00 AM   MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSWinnipeg police Sgt. Richard Sierhuis in the 1969 Chevelle SS 396 he restored. He is now charged with ripping off customers of luxury vehicles he sold them and is on administrative leave from the police service. A veteran Winnipeg police officer was allegedly running an international luxury-vehicle scam that duped several victims, including a prominent city defence lawyer, out of thousands of dollars. Justice sources and court documents reveal extensive details of the case, which came to light last year and only became public this week. The police have released limited information other than confirming Sgt. Richard Sierhuis is facing numerous fraud-related charges. Sierhuis, 47, once worked with the Winnipeg Police Service’s professional standards unit, the department that began investigating his conduct last fall and authorized his arrest in late March. Most recently, he has been posted in the North End. He is now on administrative leave pending further review of his job status. Sierhuis made his first court appearance Wednesday, also the day when police issued a news release announcing his arrest. The case has been adjourned until April 24 and Sierhuis remains free on bail. None of the allegations has been proven and he is presumed innocent. Police have also arrested a 19-year-old co-accused on many of the offences. He is listed in court documents as a car salesman. The Free Press is not identifying him because some of his charges are youth-related, dating back to 2011 when he was 17. Five victims came forward to police last year claiming they were ripped off trying to purchase high-end vehicles from Sierhuis, a noted local car enthusiast. It’s believed most, if not all, were responding to advertisements on Kijiji, a popular online sales website. Sierhuis and the teen … Continue Reading

Ausden Clark fined £10,000 (Approximately $16,243 US Dollars)

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Following an investigation into a coach company operating as Ausden Clark Ltd, based at Dysart Way in Leicester (UK), it was revealed that maintenance records had apparently been falsified and then signed as accurate by the company director, Mr. Paul Ausden Clark. Mr. Clark was arrested with the assistance of local police officers on Tuesday the 10th of July 2012. The VOSA led investigation centred upon examining the veracity of the information contained in the periodic maintenance inspection (PMI) records required to be kept for inspection by enforcement officers with the authority to carry out such inspections. It was found that the odometer readings recorded on the PMI sheets did not correspond with the odometer readings recorded on the tachograph records and fuel log sheets bearing the same date as that on the PMI sheet. Mr. Paul Ausden Clark who appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday 20 September entered a plea of guilty to 10 counts of making a false instrument with intent that it be accepted as genuine, contrary to Sections 1 and 6 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act, 1981. In addition to this, he asked for 64 similar counts to be taken into consideration (making 74 in all). The matter was heard before His Honour Judge Hammond in court number 4 and following mitigation by his counsel was sentenced to a fine of £10,000 and ordered to pay costs in the sum of £17,800. He was allowed 12 months to pay. Heather Cruickshank, VOSA’s Operations Director said: “The falsification of these maintenance records may well have compromised the road safety of other road users in the event of a crucial component failure in relation to the brakes, steering and suspension, especially in relation to so many falsifications. VOSA is committed to detecting and prosecuting this type … Continue Reading

Dealer made £100,000 by clocking (Approximately $ 200,000 U.S. Dollars)

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A used-van dealer wound millions of miles off odometers and illegally made over £100,000 (Approximately $ 200,000U.S. Dollars)  in just 10 months, according to Trading Standards Agency (TSA) officers. Maxwell Stuart Alvey, 50, from Gedling Road in Arnold, Notts, pleaded guilty to 10 separate charges of fraud and is now awaiting sentence at Nottingham Crown Court. His then-partner Jane Louise Starbrook was cleared of any involvement in the case at an earlier hearing. TSA officers launched an investigation into Alvey’s business after receiving several complaints regarding unusual wear and tear on vehicles with relatively low mileages. In the worst example seen by the court, Alvey took almost 300,000 miles off the odometer of a Mercedes van. Clocking is one of the most widespread illegal practices found in the used car industry. The fraudulent practice involves using computers or mechanical tools to physically wind back the number of miles displayed on a cars odometer, allowing the dealer to sell the vehicle for a higher price than would otherwise be possible. Buyers of used cars are reminded that careful checking of a vehicle before purchase is a vital precaution, as doing so can allow buyers to avoid cars that are likely to break down or encounter other problems after getting the car on the road. Article found at: http://www.rac.co.uk/news-advice/motoring-news/post/2012/5/dealer-made-100000-by-clocking/

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Mileage rip-off hits thousands of used car buyers

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WIND UP: Used car buyers have been warned to beware shonky sellers who wind back odometers. Source: The Courier-Mail USED car buyers have been warned to beware of shonky sellers winding back odometers, with a report revealing tens of thousands of used cars have been “clocked”. The illegal practice is most common in South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland where one in 100 vehicles has been tampered with, according to consumer vehicle research site carhistory.com.au The site found that in the year to March, just under 1 per cent of used cars it checked had odometers wound back which, if representative of the national used car market, meant tens of thousands of vehicles were being sold under false pretences. Carhistory boss David Scognamiglio said the report indicated that every state had groups of shonky sellers who had evaded detection and prosecution for misrepresenting odometer readings. “Many sellers fail to provide statutory warranties and falsify log books and other documents to car buyers,” he said. “No one wants to buy a car to find out in the next few months that they’ve been ripped off, the warranty is void or they are having issues due to the vehicle’s extensive use.” Individual offenders face up to two years in jail and fines of $40,000 to $60,000, depending on the state, while organisations face fines of about $200,000. Two years ago, Operation Turner collected $400,000 in fines from 13 Queensland offenders detected, Mr Scognamiglio said. Carhistory’s new report uncovered dozens of shocking examples of fraud, including: A Lexus coupe found by a buyer to have been wound back 70,000km. Another motorist lost their $50 deposit after backing out of a sale when they discovered a repairable write-off that should have had a 190,000km reading showed only 125,000km during a test drive. Mr Scognamiglio warned “clocking” … Continue Reading

End-of-contract vehicle ‘clocking’ on increase

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A growing number of vehicles are being handed back at the end of a contract hire or personal contract purchase (PCP) agreement having been clocked. Fleets and individuals eager to avoid excess mileage charges are turning to mileage correction companies to clock the vehicle before they return it. And the problem is causing so much concern within the industry that the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) is calling for companies that undertake the procedure to be better regulated. A string of businesses advertise their services online from £50 and, while problems with an odometer may require the use of their services legitimately, many companies are turning to them to avoid end-of-contract charges. Used car history expert HPI says it has seen the number of used cars showing an ‘inconsistent mileage’ increase by more than 10% since 2007. It identified more than one million clocked cars in 2011 – one in every 20 it checked. An employee at a major leasing company, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “How prevalent the problem is it’s difficult to say, but we know it is happening and it appears to be a growing issue. “At the end of 2008/09 there were a lot of brokers doing two-year, 20,000 mile, non- maintained contracts on higher-value vehicles which looked very attractive from a monthly rental perspective. “It appears the problem started there with people wanting to avoid end-of-contract excess mileage charges. “I’ve even heard a guy in my local pub openly admit to clocking the mileage on vans he’s operating every year before the annual service so this clearly isn’t an isolated problem.” David Tomes, senior investigator at iCompli, told Fleet News he had analysed 16 cars believed to have been leased to an accident management company on a 20,000-mile contract. They were returned to the leasing … Continue Reading