Car dealer who wiped odometers of eight vehicle jailed for three years

[Express]

Car dealer who wiped odometers of eight vehicle jailed for three years



EXCLUSIVE
Kelly Burke, The Daily Telegraph

12 December,2016




A SYDNEY car dealer who wiped nearly one million kilometres from the odometers of eight vehicles has been sentenced to three years jail.

Fadi Ahmad El Osman, 43, who received a 12-month non-parole period on his sentence for odometer tampering, fraud and forgery, could also be looking at further jail time when he is sentenced tomorrow over his part in organised car rebirthing.

His level of odometer tampering was staggering — as many as 207,671 kilometres disappeared off a single vehicle before it was sold to one of his unfortunate customers.

In total he wound back 974,153 kilometres off eight cars and falsified multiple warranty and service books, all over a 10-month period in 2013 and 2014.



Convicted odometer fraudster Fadi Ahmad El Osman. Picture: Supplied


NSW Fair Trading investigators sprung El Osman at VL Autos on Auburn Road in Birrong, two years after the *department had permanently disqualified his motor dealer’s licence.

They found he was buying Japanese 4WDs from car dealers or through private sales, transferring the cars into VL Autos’ name, winding back the odometers and then swapping the numberplates to cover his tracks. He would then sell the vehicles online, complete with falsified log books, using IP addresses connected to either his wife or mother.

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said the El Osman case was one of the most brazen that he had ever come across.



In total Fadi Ahmad El Osman wound back 974,153 kilometres off eight cars. Picture: Supplied


“Not only was he winding the odometers back, it appears he went to great lengths to convince his purchasers the readings were genuine,” Mr Stowe said.

“It was a pernicious and heartless act that had serious financial consequences for some people who could ill-afford it.”

Jonathan Harvell had just finished his HSC and scored himself a landscape apprenticeship when he bought a Toyota HiLux ute from El Osman in 2013.

He visited El Osman’s home in Greenacre to inspect the vehicle twice before handing over $15,000.

“He was quiet, didn’t say much about the ute but pointed out it had only clocked up about 150,000 kilometres,” Mr Harvell said.

It was when Fair Trading investigators came knocking that he learnt the vehicle had in fact travelled about 350,000 kilometres.

Mr Harvell spent almost $8000 fixing up the ute, including resetting its odometer, before selling it for the same amount, leaving the young apprentice $8000 out of pocket.

“I’ve now got a Ford and I bought it from a dealership. I learnt my lesson the hard way,” he said.


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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...f33edfcd02730b




Guildford cousins guilty of odometer tampering 4 May 2016

Guildford cousins guilty of odometer tampering



Lauren Tesolin,
Parramatta Advertiser

4 May, 2016





Cousins Mustapha Adel Ajouz and Mustapha Abdul Karim Ajouz were found guilty of odometer tampering.


TWO shifty used-car dealers in Guildford have conned multiple buyers into purchasing cars with wound back odometers.

Cousins Mustapha Adel Ajouz, and Mustapha Abdul Karim Ajouz, were both found guilty of odometer tampering within weeks of each other in April.

Mr Mustapha Adel Ajouz plead guilty on Thursday, April 21, to winding back almost 700,000 kilometres on two Toyota Hilux vehicles and a 2009 Toyota Prado.

He was convicted and ordered to pay $12,855 in fines and costs and a further $57,050 compensation to two consumers he sold the tampered vehicles to.

Cousin Mr Mustapha Abdul Karim Ajouz was placed on a two year good behaviour bond and ordered to pay $14,000 in compensation after winding back the odometer of four cars, by a total of 323,432 kilometres.

He was also ordered to pay $6,710 in fines and court costs as well.

“In this most recent case, one unwitting consumer paid $40,000 for a 2009 Toyota Prado that had supposedly clocked up only 87,000 kilometres,” NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said.

“In fact the vehicle had travelled almost 300,000 kilometres when Mr Ajouz bought it from a private seller for just $19,750 five months earlier.”

So far the agency has successful prosecuted 10 odometer tamperers this year.

Mr Stowe said the agency would continue to crack down on these types of sellers who try to deceive consumers.

“Unlawful odometer tampering is an unscrupulous act that cheats consumers and people who choose to carry it out deserve to be subjected to the law,” he said.


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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...96ec715f246943




NSW car dealers in alleged odometer scam 16 February 2016

NSW car dealers in alleged odometer scam



By Karen Sweeney

16 February, 2016




NSW car dealers in alleged odometer scam

A Sydney car dealer accused of winding back the odometer on imported used vehicles has been shut down and three more are facing sanctions.

Dream Car City had its trading immediately suspended by Fair Trading NSW officers who were waiting for the company’s director when he arrived at the Concord business on Tuesday morning.

Officers simultaneously raided two other Concord businesses, Prestige Auto Centre and Edward Lees Imports, which describes itself as Australia’s number one import dealer.

Master Cars at Blacktown was also raided.

Those three businesses are accused of digitally altering odometers on at least 100 vehicles imported from Japan and will have to show Fair Trading NSW why they should not be disciplined.

Fair Trading NSW have been investigating the dealers for two years, following a tip-off from a consumer who was concerned about their vehicle’s wear and tear, and information from police.

The four dealers are not believed to be connected.

Three licensed repairers, linked to the dealerships, were also investigated.

Officers seized evidence including de-registration certificates from Japan’s Bureau of Transportation which will be used to compare the odometer readings in Japan with those on the vehicles now.

Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said the data may uncover more affected cars.

"Our belief is the cars were received in NSW and the tampering has been undertaken by the dealers and the motor vehicle repairers that we’ve identified today," Mr Stowe said.

One of the dealers claimed the cars were tampered with in Japan before the cars were imported to Australia.

While cars suspected of being tampered with have been sold on, his customers have been notified of the dealer’s suspicions through Fair Trading NSW.

The dealer suggested Australia should follow New Zealand’s lead in introducing legislation prohibiting the importation of vehicles that have had their odometers tampered with.

A number of people are expected to be prosecuted by NSW Police and Fair Trading NSW in connection with the ongoing investigation.

Fines up to $20,000 are in place for odometer tampering, while those who knowingly sell or attempt to sell a tampered vehicle face up to 10 years jail.

A large number of Australia’s used cars come from Japan where vehicles must be de-registered once they reach a certain age.

De-registration documents, which detail a car’s previous use, are not readily available to used car buyers in Australia.


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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...bdb46e6cf84af1

[ozpacman]

Fadi Ahmad El Osman, Mustapha Adel Ajouz and Mustapha Abdul Karim Ajouz.

Who would have thought...

[frankie86]

Scumbags, only a few months ago i was scrolling through carsales and found my old BA xr6 ute with 170k on the clock... funny that i sold it in 2011 with 220k on it....

[commodorenutt]

Like all the Brock Commodores that popped up just after Brock died. Magically only covered 70-80,000km, but the trim told other stories.... Can't have that many 25 year old cars in the same "sweet spot" of odometer readings under 100K.

One had just 25K on the clock, but looked like it had been to the moon & back many times. Owner pulls out the pristine condition books to justify his claims. Problem was, the dealer stamp in the book had an 8-digit phone number. They didn't come out until the mid 1990s, long after this thing was sold and had it's first services....

[Sioso]

My old GTP 335 is still for sale on carsales and is being advertised as 1 owner, it's had 3 I know of!

[FAS33]

Lol Minchinbury Car City at it again.

[You Yangs]

Originally Posted by FAS33

Lol Minchinbury Car City at it again.

Keep your eyes open for a Bogan, CAR CITY!!!!

[bangm001]

YEah same with me guys, sold my VS SS back in the day and found it wound back around 80KKMS from where I sold it.. It was immaculate inside and out so they probably got away with it.

[Pedro]

Back in the 60's I worked for one of the biggest Holden dealers in Sydney and of the hundreds of used cars in their 2nd hand lots, every well looked after high mileage car had its speedo wound back. Low 30's (miles) was the magic number. "Dashboard Doctors" do it these days using electronic equipment or dash swaps out of write-offs.

[ebv8]

i have bought 4 dealer cars and got lied to each time
i think its part of their training

no offence to the dealers that don't lie but yet to buy a car off one of them

[kaniSS]

Not surprised with names like that.

[axe]

Originally Posted by ebv8

i have bought 4 dealer cars and got lied to each time
i think its part of their training

no offence to the dealers that don't lie but yet to buy a car off one of them

Big lies or little ones?

[ebv8]

Originally Posted by axe

Big lies or little ones?

mainly little ones
last car the books were dogied, lied about where the car came from, lied about the condition of the car before i saw it, but i knocked 30% off the ticket price so i could deal with all that
and on my second trip back to the ACT to pick the car up after he fixed the a/c he said he just filled up the tank. I drove off and the fuel light came on and i had to put $60 in the tank. then the A/C broke again and that cost me $1000 to fix so he must have just gassed it and by the time i got home the gas was gone

[.:4:.]

If they note down the kays every pink slip (probably easier on a car under 6 because you don't need a pinky for the first 5 years) I'm surprised it's not easier to police on older cars. I find any salesperson who works for commissions tends to either bend the truth or omit things.

[v8ltd]

A few years ago I was speaking to someone who knew someone that owned a Subaru WRX and they decided to do the dodgy and wind back the odo. After they removed the cluster they saw something scribbled in texta behind it,
"Been there, done that"

[commodorenutt]

^^ I repaired the non-working odometer on a VK Bluey that had texta on the back of the section you need to remove to access the odometer gears - it said "not again" and further around it had "repaired xx-xx-1995" - can't recall the exact date.

I reckon that old repair was also a short back & sides looking at the rest of the car, or that was the point the odometer mysteriously failed at.....

[XR6WGN]

500,000 on my XR6 Wagon, I could do the Ghia dash conversion and halve those !!
1. I could never live with myself if I was to do that and then pass it off to someone else, and

2. What would i do with nearly every service docket I have saved in the 16yrs I've owned it??

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by XR6WGN

500,000 on my XR6 Wagon, I could do the Ghia dash conversion and halve those !!
1. I could never live with myself if I was to do that and then pass it off to someone else, and

2. What would i do with nearly every service docket I have saved in the 16yrs I've owned it??

If you are in sydney there is a xr6 wags up for wreck at pick and payless. Its a shame really because they are a cool car. In 95 when my dad bought the then new ef Futura classic wagon I was wanting him to go for the xr6 wags. I was 8. I was probably right.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by ozpacman

Fadi Ahmad El Osman, Mustapha Adel Ajouz and Mustapha Abdul Karim Ajouz.

Who would have thought...

She says we need more of these people.

[XR6WGN]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

If you are in sydney there is a xr6 wags up for wreck at pick and payless. Its a shame really because they are a cool car. In 95 when my dad bought the then new ef Futura classic wagon I was wanting him to go for the xr6 wags. I was 8. I was probably right.

In Adelaide unfortunately. Yeah it's been a good one for me - Had a lot of plans for it a few years ago but now that I've got the FG, it's not being used as much - Still got the plans but just undecided at the moment. Storage always seems to be the problem hey??

[Tucool]

Originally Posted by ozpacman

Fadi Ahmad El Osman, Mustapha Adel Ajouz and Mustapha Abdul Karim Ajouz.

Who would have thought...

Post of the year

[galaxy xr8]

There seems to be a few past owners on here that have seen their own previous vehicles that they used to own that are now for sale with what seems to be a dodgy kilometre reading's on them, I hope that those poster’s have contacted the relevant authorities to let them know of their findings so that some poor bugger doesn’t get stung like what has happened in the OP.

[malazn mafia]

When I bought a car from a dealer, I chose the one in best condition with the highest KM's possible. Figured it was the only way after seeing the condition of the "low-km", full service history, one-owner-vehicles in stock... Didn't phase me one bit, as I removed every moving part and the whole interior and replaced with genuine low mileage items from a BA xr6 turbo wreck, and I was driving a BA xr6 turbo on P's for literally half the price at the time.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

I hope that those poster’s have contacted the relevant authorities

1. that would take effort from the previous owner
2. that would require an authority that gives a **.

too cynical?

[DBourne]

Slightly OT, but along the same lines.

My first XR5, I had for 3 or 4 years, I was the 2nd owner and I did all the usual mods + tune. Enjoyed it happily for 100,xxx k's.

Then someone joins the XR5 facebook page trying to sell it as a 1 lady owner vehicle, never modded etc haha.

Well it didn't really go too well for them to be honest.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

1. that would take effort from the previous owner
2. that would require an authority that gives a **.

too cynical?

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
― Edmund Burke

[b0son]

Would be nice if the law was a bit more even-handed in its dealings with shonky businesses. Our (ex) pool builder has taken the deposits of maybe a dozen families (us included) with no intention of doing the work, this guy isnt going to jail, he's going to declare himself bankrupt and we've been told there's nothing we can do.

[EVL BOS]

one of my friends had the same thing happen, didn't find out till he himself put the car up for sale on carsales and was sent an email from them stating it had been previously advertised a few years earlier with around 80,000km+ high odo reading. Turns out the history report he got from the person he bought it off had been doctored and they didn't put the vin on carsales when they advertised it.

He ended up getting his own report and yep there it was in black and white his car went down in value by around 8grand and kms went up. He's since decided to run it into the ground or turn it into a track car.

also for people who don't know the history reports or at least the ones in Vic also state the odo reading at each dealer service which is a good thing to have.

[2011G6E]

But I thought the wonderful age of computerised dashes and odometers was going to do away with this sort of thing???

Same as our wonderful photo and chip licences in Queensland...they're absolutely unable to be copied or faked.

Oh wait.....

[ebxr8240]

Why I buy NEW now.. There's cheap enough new models if you cant afford what you think is a decent car.. Or buy 20+ year old battler specials for under $2k ? Just to get you by... Knowing it will cost a little to keep on the road..