A eBay seller have made millions from selling golf equipment made in Thailand. The problem was they were counter fitted. eBay and the Police in UK are trying to track his assets around the world but so far nothing from Thailand.
Here is the full article from the Daily Mail
A British conman living the high life in Thailand has been caught out over the ‘biggest-ever eBay fraud’, selling fake golf clubs and exploding golf balls online.
At home in Essex, north-east of London, Gary Bellchambers drove a battered Ford Escort and lived in public housing to evade the roving eye of the authorities.
However, as an expat in Thailand, Bellchambers was hailed as “The Man” – a wealthy businessman boasting a string of luxury homes and a share in a $2.7 million yacht.
Bellchambers, 46, made millions as head of a global criminal network that duped thousands of eBay customers into buying counterfeit golf clubs and balls.
Investigators are still trying to track down assets Bellchambers bought with the proceeds of the scam, which reportedly include at least ten houses in Thailand, a floating restaurant in Australia, and shares in more than 20 UK and global companies, as well as in the yacht.
The size of Bellchambers’ operation – which sold copies of nearly every top brand, including TaylorMade, Odyssey and Callaway – was “on a scale that, it is believed, has never been seen before”, Snaresbrook Crown Court in East London heard.
According to reports in the UK press, the scam ran for around four years, with clubs made across China for around $5 each, which were sold on eBay for up to $180 each.
Customers were also tricked into golfing accessories and clothing, alongside golf balls – some of which exploded when hit.
Prosecutor Adam Davis said: “Over the course of about four years, between mid-2003 and early-2008, these defendants and their co-conspirators have been responsible for the sale and distribution of hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of pounds’ worth of counterfeit goods both here in the UK and abroad – primarily through the well known auction website eBay.”
Investigators told the court that the scam ran so smoothly, that in one month $130,200 was transferred between accounts.
“This is a conspiracy of a truly global nature,” added Mr Davis.
“Conspirators are thought to have been based in the UK, Thailand, Australia, Germany, Singapore, USA, Hong Kong, China – and goods have been distributed from, or to, all those countries and more.”
“He had been living in Thailand since about 2000 and was living the high-life. He was very heavily involved in the ex-pat community and belonged to all the best golf clubs. We believe he has connections to hundreds of accounts that are selling these clubs.”
Mr Adams said millions of pounds had been transferred through Bellchambers’ UK bank accounts and was still being traced by officers.
“What we have discovered is the tip of the iceberg”, he told The Times. “He is a cool and calculating figure who has shown no emotion from day one. People referred to him as The Man and he liked being the boss figure. There is an air of menace about him.”
It is thought that Bellchambers, who will be sentenced in January, may still be making money while in prison after Mr Adams admitted that the golf clubs are still being sold.
eBay told The Daily Mail that it had worked alongside UK investigators for three years to uncover the scam.
