Back of van scam

By Bridget Brady
BEWARE of back-of-a-van hawkers.
This is the message from Dandenong traders who say they have been swindled by a group of travelling salesmen.
Managers of car hire companies in Dandenong say they have been caught up in a nation-wide “scam” by a group of men peddling goods from the back of rented vans which they did not return.
Manager of Avis in Dandenong Niroshan De Cruze said the men visited his car hire business about 13 September and hired vans.
Two of his vans were later recovered in Queensland and one in Sydney, he said. The men had also accumulated various speeding and CityLink fines.
“This has been very costly for us,” Mr De Cruze said.
“They seemed to be genuine and we treat all of our customers the same and try to be as helpful as possible.”
He said a group of about 20 men had hired six vans. The company had managed to return two to the business but found some interstate or badly damaged.
“We couldn’t contact them, and then the payments were not going through. That’s when we heard about this group doing this.”
Manager of Europcar in Dandenong Debbie Ross said the men also visited her store during the same time.
Mrs Ross said the vans the men hired from her company went missing, and one had not yet been found.
“They paid for the first couple of weeks, then nothing after that,” she said.
“We found one of the vans in Alice Springs.”
Mrs Ross said the men had now left the country.
A spokesperson for Honda Motorcycles and Power Equipment (MPE) said the “scammers” scouted the streets selling fake electrical goods from the back of the vans at discounted prices.
These included copies of Honda generators and pressure cleaners, the spokesperson said.
Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson said the traders had also been identified in regional Victoria.
Mr Robinson said he advised people to be wary of such groups.
“Buying goods out of the back of a van is always a dangerous proposition,” Mr Robinson said.
Those allegedly involved in the scam had distinct Irish accents. There were no guarantees about the quality of the products because there were no warranties, and the traders moved on quickly.
“And they are not around to make repairs or provide refunds when things go wrong.”
The Honda MPE spokesperson said a sure way of identifying a genuine Honda product was through a serial number stamped on the crankcase on the side of the engine.
“Beyond the attractive facade, consumers are getting nothing more than inferior quality Chinese copy products,” he said.