Frenchman before court in Dinant for second-hand vehicle purchase scams
A national of northern France is appearing in court for defrauding dozens of private car sellers through recurring fraud between 2020 and 2021.
Frenchman before court in Dinant for second-hand vehicle purchase scams
A national of northern France is appearing before the criminal court of Dinant for a spate of scams targeting individuals wishing to sell their cars. The offences date mainly to 2020 and 2021 within the jurisdiction of Dinant, according to La DH.
The accused, now an international lorry driver, deployed the same tactic each time. He would contact advertisers on the internet, propose a deposit or bank transfer that was never executed, and then take possession of the vehicle. His lawyer, Me Delvallée, estimates the number of injured parties at between twenty and thirty. The illicit gains fuelled a gambling addiction.
The same defendant had previously been sanctioned for similar fraud within the jurisdiction of Charleroi. Complainants there suffered losses ranging from 3,700 to 11,000 euros. That first conviction: one year's imprisonment with suspension.
The defence invokes unity of intention and requests absorption of sentences. The public prosecutor's office in Namur, considering the scale of the harm, is seeking ten additional months in prison with suspension. Judgment will be delivered on 25 June.
Source: DHnet