ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Couple ripped off Car Buyers by selling them Deathtrap Vehicles
A couple were found guilty of being part of a “dishonest scheme”, selling dangerous second-hand cars to unsuspecting buyers.
Sajad Hamid and Aisah Rashid used misleading adverts on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Gumtree and Auto Trader, describing cars as “stunning”. But in reality, many were unroadworthy.
The couple operated from their home in Yardley, Birmingham, using fake names, businesses and addresses.
They gave customers fake documents like service histories with forged stamps.
Customers who complained were met with aggression and excuses while their refund requests were rejected or ignored.
Hamid and Rashid were convicted of conspiracy to defraud and two counts of money laundering.
They will be sentenced on January 17, 2025.
Their son Mohammed Sajad was jailed in 2023 for two years and 11 months after pleading guilty to the same offences for his own involvement.
Mark Jackson, prosecuting for Birmingham City Council, said:
“Between at least May 1, 2018, and January 30, 2021, a dishonest scheme was being run out of a residential property at Vibart Road in the Yardley area of Birmingham.
“That property, owned by Sajad Hamid, was the family’s home address so both defendants and Mohammed Sajad lived there.
“The dishonest scheme was a criminal operation concerned with advertising and selling second-hand motor vehicles, many of which were unroadworthy and dangerous, with literally dozens and dozens of second-hand vehicles being sold using false business names, identities and fake or forged documents including false service histories and, in some cases, clocked odometer.
“With advertisements being placed online, in the main, prospective customers’ or victims’ initial contact was made via email, or via the telephone.
“Advertisements made false representations about a vehicle, and when a victim made contact to ask further questions and or to arrange a viewing, or a sale, over and over again they were given wholly dishonest and misleading information about the vehicle that had been advertised and that they were enquiring about.”
Birmingham Crown Court heard the family used business names Yew Tree Cars, Sam Harrison Cars, James Harrison Cars and Lee Hudson Cars.
Customers were usually met by a salesman on the phone or at the address named ‘Adam’.
Around a dozen accounts from victims were heard in court.
One of the most serious cases involved a Ford Ka bought by a man for £900 which had been advertised as “maintained to a very high standard” with the bodywork and interior being in “excellent” condition.
But after driving the car back to Lancashire, he discovered that the petrol tank was rusty and corroded, so he took it to a garage.
Mr Jackson added: “In short, he was told he was lucky to be alive given he had driven the car from Birmingham and that the car could have blown up at any time.
“He was told the car was too dangerous to drive – he walked home.”
“The car was a timebomb on wheels and was a danger to anyone driving it, to anyone travelling in it, and to other road users.”
Other “deathtrap” vehicles were bought for thousands of pounds.
One customer purchased a Land Rover Discovery for £4,250. But when he complained that the main frame was severely corroded, he was told “tough luck”.
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