What a twist: Moscow uncovered a scheme to cheat buyers of cars from abroad
More than ten people who ordered cars through the car selection company "Avtopodberu" have not been able to receive their purchases for several months. People were left without cars and without money, the victims told Izvestia. Some of them have already won claims against the company in court, while many are just preparing to go to the police. The purchase scheme was as follows - after full payment, the company transferred the order to a Georgian intermediary company, and the latter transferred the money for the vehicle itself and its transfer from the U.S. to Georgia. Since April 2024, representatives of Avtopodberu have stopped contacting the company. The experts interviewed by Izvestia noted that the actions of ferrymen can be qualified as fraud, and in order to protect themselves, customers should specify in the contract the terms of delivery and return of money.
How people bought
According to the "Autopodberu" website, the company offers to order cars from the U.S., Japan, Europe and other countries, noting that the purchase will be "with a 40 percent benefit." Avtopodberu has offices in Moscow, Kazan, as well as in Tbilisi and Alma-Ata.
One of the victims from Ufa told Izvestia that before signing the contract, she and her husband spent quite a long time discussing all the points with the manager of the firm.
- We clarified questions about additional payments after the contract was signed," she said. - The representative of the company assured us that the cost is final and they will not ask us for more money for additional expenses. And the car will be delivered without any problems and on time.
The total amount paid to "Avtopodberu" by the interviewee amounted to Br1.3 million for the car itself and another Br100 thousand for the execution of documents.
- According to the contract, the car was to be delivered in a month," said the victim. - When the deadline came, the manager fed us with promises. We decided to cancel the contract and get our money back. The manager referred us to the assistant to the general director of the company - supposedly he solves such issues, as he is a lawyer.
After that, according to the woman, the assistant general director sent her an additional agreement, which stated that now the company would have to sell the car they had bought and then return the money. However, the value of the vehicle in the contract was already twice lower than the original one - 600 thousand rubles. The document did not specify a timeframe for the return of the money.
- The lawyer convinced us that if we did not sign this document, we would not be able to return the money at all," said the victim. - Now we are still writing to him, but he stopped contacting us.
The car, as the company assured, could not be brought quickly through Kyrgyzstan - the car was allegedly not allowed at customs. Then they said that they had found a way to bring the car through Belarus, but demanded another half a million rubles from the buyers. They refused, and were offered an additional agreement.
- We filed a lawsuit against Avtopodberu and won," said the victim. - The writ of execution is already with the bailiffs. After that we realized that we were not alone. Now there are more than ten victims.
How not to become a victim of fraudulent sellers
Alexei from Moscow decided to order a car from the USA through Autopodbera. He met with the manager, described his wishes and signed a contract.
- The manager said that we needed the full amount for the car right away," he said. - We were given a check and told to wait. Three months passed, and the car never arrived. When I asked where the car was, I was told that the company was having temporary difficulties. First they said that the documents had been lost, then they were waiting for the car to be transported, and then they stopped contacting me altogether.
According to Alexei, there is a girl in the group of victims who ordered a car in the fall of last year and has not received it yet.
As "Izvestia" found out, after concluding a contract with the client, "Avtopodberu" transferred the order to the Georgian company ZENA LTD, which paid for the car and its transfer from the USA to Georgia. From there, representatives of the Russian company transported the cars to the territory of the Russian Federation.
According to the victims, the last batch of cars to Avtopodber was paid 20%. Some cars were brought from the USA, but they remained in Georgia.
The general director of Avtopodberu is Nona Matiashvili, according to Rusprofile. There are three court cases against the company, one of which is related to the protection of consumer rights and one - enforcement proceedings. According to open data, the intermediary company ZENA LTD is owned by Irakli Kacharava, a businessman and head of the Georgian diaspora in Ukraine.
The victims plan to collectively apply to the police with a statement. "Izvestia" sent a request to "Avtopodber" to clarify its position on complaints from customers, but received no response.
The main flow of Western cars now goes through Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, auto expert Ilya Ushaev told Izvestia. According to him, cars from the U.S. and EU countries are delivered from Georgia.
- From there, they are still transported to Russia through Belarus or Kyrgyzstan," he explained.
To find a good company-car picker, you need to pay attention to several factors, said lawyer Igor Stremousov. In particular, the duration of its presence in the market, legal entity, founders in case of bankruptcy.
- It is better to choose an individual entrepreneur who has a turnover - this must be checked, - added Ilya Ushaev. - And the contract should stipulate full financial responsibility, terms of delivery of the machine and terms of refund for delays.
If a criminal case of fraud is initiated, the investigation will have to establish the roles of each of the participants in the crime, reminded "Izvestia" lawyer of the Yurtsentr Bar Association Alexander Vasiliev.
- Fraud on a particularly large scale is recognized as the amount of more than a million rubles," he said. - This article presupposes punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to ten years with a fine.
The safest way to buy a car is through official dealers, emphasized Igor Stremousov.
