FACEBOOK Marketplace - a warning re "The Rotwalt Group"

[Vista]

Those of you who have been here a while will know that we work hard to keep scammers off our forum and also that we act quickly when any are brought to our attention that have slipped through the net.

A measure of our success in keeping them out is that someone has gone to the trouble of creating a replica forum thread to try and promote and authenticate his own scamming activities. I copy the message I received below from someone who was almost taken in by it.

You can see that the thread he has posted a link to looks very authentic as an Old Skool Ford page, right down to replicating some of our regular user's profiles. Needless to say, this is fake and the Rotwalt Group are not genuine. Please beware, if it seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. NOTE the subtle difference in the website address at the link below.

 

"Nearly got ripped off for over £3k by this guy that seems to have scraped your forum for a convincing scam page:

 

https://www.old-skoolford.co.uk/view-forum/topic-threads/H1Mszoycg9-is-it-safe-to-do-business-with-Rotwalt-Group/

 

Top google hit for Rotwalt group, that page. All part of a clever facebook marketplace scam to part people with their cash. Found the guy involved and reported to actionfraud. Just thought you'd want to be aware your name being used for this nasty scam.

 

Found a car of interest on Facebook marketplace, messaged seller. "Selling for a friend" and got given an email. Lots of really great pictures back, FSH etc, but "car is handled by an ESCROW company that will deliver it to you - Rotwalt Group, they have a good reputation, just Google them and call their number if you have any questions about the process. At first glance it all looks ok, money back guarantees within 10 days of delivery, these forum posts from people supposedly having success with this company. But it's all a scam run by a dodgy a Romanian dude that has filed a company with company house and got a bank account with the company name in to appear legit.

I bet he rips a lot of people off this way. I found a previous scam of his using the same mechanism, different company name, another car forum clone with good reviews.

I guess the old adage about "if it looks too good to be true, it is" applies well."

 

 

[DT36]

Hard to tell the good from the bad on some Marketplace ads. This Caddy looked good and came up as "Local".  Seller was messaged and alarm bells started ringing from the reply:

 

[sierraforever]

Hiya I'm that chap from the first post.  Still fuming at getting as far as nearly making a bank transfer before spotting the scam.

@dt36 just to say that e-mail given above for shipping-auto-office.co.uk is registered 25th May 2023 (IE, also recent) and also by namecheap.com, same as rotwaltgroup.co.uk and old-skoolford.co.uk so highly likely to be the same scam in action.

Of course now I've seen it once it's obvious on Retards Club marketplace, if you find a bargain car the seller invariably is also selling 8 others at the same price.

I've never bought a car sight unseen before but the temptation for such a good deal lured me in and nearly got me.  I bet they regularly get payments from hopeful purchasers like myself.

"Drive it before you buy it" has to be the golden rule here, regardless of how legit the company seems or how good the deal is.

This thread is now #2 google hit for "Rotwalt Group" so great job spreading awareness.

Edited June 16, 2023 by sierraforever

[BaileyMex]

They are out there people, horrible bastards 

Glad you spotted before it was too late

[Vista]

Unsurprisingly, the original page that the link in my opening post goes to is now dead. 

Forrtunately however, @sierraforever saved a copy of it. Now printed to PDF and uploaded here. A few well established members on here will be surprised to see their names and profiles being ripped off! @PeteRS8084 @Rally Pack 2000 @colr6 @RWL81P @Monza @notenoughtime

Is it safe to do business with Rotwalt Group_ - CHIT CHAT - Old Skool Ford.mhtml Is it safe to do business with Rotwalt Group_ - CHIT CHAT - Old Skool Ford.pdf

[BaileyMex]

Oh jeez, the wording of the posts on that fake site, we all speak like we are being asked a survey or in a job interview in the replys hahaha

 

[colr6]

1 hour ago, BaileyMex said:

Oh jeez, the wording of the posts on that fake site, we all speak like we are being asked a survey or in a job interview in the replys hahaha

 

I can make up some good stories but that exceeds the realms of my capabilities 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

makes me even sound intellectual 🤔🤔🤔🤫🤫

[katana]

Say it ain't so ! 🫣

[Miniliteman]

[Rally Pack 2000]

Oi! Ive been replicated! Shows how much they know me, I would never buy a car off Ebay! One endorsement after an other does come across as very staged and fake. We never do that. If a service is the opposite and crap though we will give one warning after another! Do you think we are all cynical pessimists? 🤔

[PeteRS8084]

" my primary concern" they should have seen I was an essex boy, hardly my tone lol

[Paul RS]

Wow!

[colr6]

May not have anything to do with this topic, but since this I’m getting repetitive emails as in pic. At least one a minute!!!!!!!!!!! So would appear the email account attached to the site has been got. I’m up to about 8k and counting 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[BaileyMex]

Can you block them or the IP address sending them

[colr6]

5 hours ago, BaileyMex said:

Can you block them or the IP address sending them

If you block it, it sends the emails into your junk file. When it’s getting nearly a thousand a day it’s pissing me off to say the least. My settings already send most of the mail into junk so I have to trawl through them all to see if there’s anything of interest. Seem I may have to close the account due to some arshole with nothing better to do.

[BaileyMex]

It may stop after a few days, sit it out for a bit and see if they get bored after no 'Clicks' on their dodgy links.

Tossers

[Rally Pack 2000]

On 20/06/2023 at 20:34, BaileyMex said:

Can you block them or the IP address sending them

 

21 hours ago, colr6 said:

If you block it, it sends the emails into your junk file. When it’s getting nearly a thousand a day it’s pissing me off to say the least. My settings already send most of the mail into junk so I have to trawl through them all to see if there’s anything of interest. Seem I may have to close the account due to some arshole with nothing better to do.

Can you mark it as phishing instead? Usually it doesnt send to a junk mail if the system thinks its a full scam, which at a thousand a day it most definitely is.

[Vista]

On 19/06/2023 at 21:31, colr6 said:

May not have anything to do with this topic, but since this I’m getting repetitive emails as in pic. At least one a minute!!!!!!!!!!! So would appear the email account attached to the site has been got. I’m up to about 8k and counting 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

It won't have anything to do with this site Col, and whoever created the fake post claiming to be this site won't gave hacked your email address from here.

[sierraforever]

They're back at it again, same non existent business address used.

UNIT 18, PILOTS VIEW, HERON ROAD, BELFAST BT3 9LE, UK

0800 707 4265

This time the site is https://sellyomagroup.co.uk/ with exactly the same template to look like a genuine escrow company. Almost certainly also registered with namecheap... again.

Since this thread ranks so high for the last one let's say the name again, Sellyoma Group - if you find this by googling, keep your money safe in your bank account and DON'T pay them, it's a scam for a car I bet you've not personally seen.

Again, a Google finds a forum of faked positive reviews, following the same formula as the Rotwalt Group scam.

Bunch of shysters!

[sierraforever]

Here's the forum they scraped this time:

https://www.detailing-worlds.co.uk/forum-view-topic/topic-community/products-detailing/threads/does-the-sellyoma-group-have-a-working-connection-with-ebay.fl186jx6/

Click around, it's a single page and not the genuine forum of detailing-world.co.uk

[sierraforever]

And another

https://www.bimmer-forums.co.uk/view-topic-forum/general/motors/discussions/view/is-it-safe-to-purchase-from-sellyoma-group.f91j29r3a/#

Not bimmerforums.co.uk, the real forum.

This is a well oiled scam.

[Johnny Boy]

That's frightening how easy someone could be scammed .