# Garage BIG POWER... Fraud?



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

Hi everyone,

If you have any experience with this company, please let me know. I've just been cheated from Mamiana Trading, and I can see that GARAGE BIG POWER: LIGHT-HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS, all the FULL MODIFIED or HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS EXPORT has a lot of the same cars.

Maybe it's the same guy who's behind both companies. Hiroshi Muramatsu, Yoshiyuki Fujikawa or what his name really is.

I'm of course trying to get my money back, but also help preventing other to get cheated the way I did.

So let's join to get these scammers behind bars! :chairshot 

Take care!
/Claus


----------



## Moff (Sep 27, 2004)

Apologies if I come across as harsh..

Both of your posts on here have been to slate the company ?

This is a public forum, how do we know you are not in competition with said company and just trying to damage their reputation ?

Moff


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

Sorry to hear that! You are one out of many..
I bet this "company" is the same company to: DRIFT MACHINE, GT CARS and MODIFIED CARS EXPORT from JAPAN :chairshot 

Want your money back?? Stand in line.. I know at least 10 people that wait before you..


----------



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

Moff - Point taken! 

I can forward documentation (by e-mail) for everything I've written, to anyone who may be interested.

And I'm from Denmark... how should I be in competition with this, or any other company in UK?

I'm just trying to warn other people, so they're not cheated like me.
/Claus


----------



## Moff (Sep 27, 2004)

Supercharged said:


> Moff - Point taken!
> 
> I can forward documentation (by e-mail) for everything I've written, to anyone who may be interested.
> 
> ...


Thats ok, I take it back  All too often you see people come on forums to slate others witout proof.


----------



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

MrLeone said:


> Sorry to hear that! You are one out of many..
> I bet this "company" is the same company to: DRIFT MACHINE, GT CARS and MODIFIED CARS EXPORT from JAPAN :chairshot
> 
> Want your money back?? Stand in line.. I know at least 10 people that wait before you..


Thank you for this link. Have you, or other you know, been in contact with the person behind this site?

Maybe you could invite the people you know has been cheated like me to join this thread/forum?

I've contacted the Japanese Embassy in Denmark, the Interpol, my bank, and made a deal with a local guy i Tokyo to contact Hiroshi Muramatsu... or what his name is :lamer: 

/Claus


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

Google Mamiana Trading and you will find many forums that has allot pissed guys! He a is a huge cheater and runs many websites under many names..


----------



## Adam_Glanza (Mar 9, 2008)

hello supercharged,

im actually from the toyota starlet forum Toyota GT Turbo.com Forums - Powered by vBulletin

was just scouting around and saw that you have been stung by this guy,

well on the starlet forums we also have a fella that was stung by him.

but hes taking it all the way and trying to get him done for fraud.

he actually did end up getting a car sent to him because he prolonged with it but i dont think its anything like the one he had been advertised!!

i would definetly inform the police and claim fraud because your definetly not the first or last person who will be stung by him!!


----------



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

Adam Glanza; Could you maybe ask him to tell me what he actually did to get Hiroshi Muramatsu (or whatever...) to react?

I'll PM you with me e-mail adress.

Thanks you for joining this forum to write to me! Great!!!
/Claus


----------



## iceager (Dec 23, 2004)

I'm still amased that people still don't do research before they buy stuff. there are so many forums and google for that matter.

"er da surt, håber da du får dine penge tilbage, husk det koster ikke noget at spørge"


----------



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

icager: I actually did search for information about this company when I first got in contact with this guy... And I didn't find anything. I also serach for the pictures that I received from him through Google Image Search... still without any result. But I found one guy who actually got the car that he ordered.

I still wonder if he was a associate to Hiroshi Muramatsu...

"Men tak for lidt salt i det åbne sår" 
/Claus


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

Most cars Mamiana and these other sites has listed are picked from tuners of Yahoo in Japan.. Scam all the way..


----------



## johnnycoo1 (Mar 19, 2008)

it appears i too have been a victim of GARAGE BIG POWER aka Akio Asakura using the website http:///www.modifiedcars-export-japan.jp

I paid for a 930 porsche turbo in early feb and he has been sending a constant string of excuses on e-mail as to why i have not go the car ..... sometimes he disappears for a week with no reply , there is no answer on his phone to skype or fax ! 

any help appreciated i am now getting the police involved ......

help !

Johnny


----------



## johnnycoo1 (Mar 19, 2008)

sorry typo in last e-mail i think ,website is LIGHT-HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS, all the FULL MODIFIED or HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS EXPORT


----------



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

First of all I'm very sorry that you have experienced the same as a lot of other poor bastards (like me). The one I've been cheated by is Mamiana Trading/Mr. Hiroshi Muramatsu. Mamiana Trading - Scam operation!

But I think it's the same person behind both names and websites. Someone says that it's the Japanese Mafia...

I've put the Danish Embassy in charge of the hunt for either the car I bought, or the money I've paid him. And they're actually in contact with him, although he calls himself Mr. Fujikawa...

So I'll recommend you to contact your own Embassy in Tokyo for a start.

Cheers,
Claus


----------



## johnnycoo1 (Mar 19, 2008)

the websites do have some striking similarities .......... although the big power one looks likea much newer version .....

have the embassy given you any feedback as to what is happening ? what has the response been ?

thanks

Johnny


----------



## johnnycoo1 (Mar 19, 2008)

also 

JAPANESE USED CARS EXPORT / USED VEHICLES EXPORT FROM JAPAN

looks like the same guy again !


----------



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

johnnycoo1 said:


> the websites do have some striking similarities .......... although the big power one looks likea much newer version .....
> 
> have the embassy given you any feedback as to what is happening ? what has the response been ?
> 
> ...


I'll answer you by e-mail...
/Claus


----------



## xst (Jan 21, 2008)

Hi Supercharged(Claus)!

I am in the same trouble like you,
what is your email adress?

cheers


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

They are all the same guy! And they advertise cars that are on YAHOO and GOO Net auctions.. Its SCAM!


----------



## steve0000 (Oct 30, 2007)

Hey guys, so sorry to hear that shit. I brough a car off this guy too before doing any research. When I started gettng dicked around with excuses I actually did research his name etc and went through a month of hell thinking I had been ripped off. Amazingly, the car I ordered turned up as promised, as did my parts he removed after I emailed him everyday for weeks on end. It seems I am the only one who has ever had this happen?? The name he uses on the Big power site is a Japanese cartoon car racer. Hiroshi is a bogus name, his real name is Yoshiyuki Fujikawa. I emailed his at the bigpower site and threatened him before my car had turned up, and he returned two emails, one from Garage BIG Power denying any affiliation with Hiroshi and threatening to sue him for using cars off their site, and one back from Hiroshi saying that he is not connected with them... go figure. 
Hope you guys can bring the piece of shit down, I know I'll definitely be spending a good few months in Japan tracking him down to show him exactly why you dont **** people over...
Best of Luck guys, if I can be of any help to anyone let me know.


----------



## steve0000 (Oct 30, 2007)

That last link 
JAPANESE USED CARS EXPORT / USED VEHICLES EXPORT FROM JAPAN
is definitely him too. DEFINITELY. At the bottom of the page it reads "GARAGE CRIFF" is what my Bill of Lading had written on it. "Hiroshi Muramatsu, Garage Criff" And check the BIG POWER Site, everything on the shipping page is copied and pasted.


----------



## steve0000 (Oct 30, 2007)

SOMEONE NEEDS TO MAKE A PAGE THAT POPS UP FIRST ON GOOGLE INFORMING GARAGE CRIFF AS A SCAM, HE'S GOING BY THAT NAME ON CAR FORUMS NOW DOING IT ALL AGAIN. **** THIS GUY


----------



## Lono9885 (Apr 11, 2005)

Just a note, my mate Mark bought a Starlet off Yahoo auctions that was from that Mamiana company. He did actually receive the car so that must of been one of the few good ones. I'll mention this thread to him to see if he has any input.

Cheers
Ad


----------



## nightSpirit (Jan 31, 2006)

Hmm...sorry to jump on the thread here. And sorry people are having problems  I've been there before....Adam (lono) will tell you that.

I import cars and parts from Japan all the time (not a plug honest) I recently purchased a modified EP82 Starlet from this company and had no problems...

The car was listed on their site (I'd NEVER use a company like that directly) but was also on Yahoo.co.jp for substantially less. I bought the car via Yahoo and shipped it with my own agents in Japan.

I'm not sure what to suggest, I can try and contact them via our Japan office if that's any help to you? might get nowhere but I can try. Don't want to rub salt in your wounds but sending a random Jap company a ton of money is asking for trouble..best bet is to contact a UK buyer like myself, lots of companies offer the service, allow them to buy the car on your behalf as they're actually in Japan so can go to the garage and pick up the car and drive/trailer it to the ship (as I did).


----------



## steve0000 (Oct 30, 2007)

These are all him. *All Scams*
D1, street legal, modified cars export from Japan :: Japanese-D1cars-export.jp
Japanese used car exporter/ modified used car sale from Japan
LIGHT-HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS, all the FULL MODIFIED or HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS EXPORT
JAPANESE USED CARS EXPORT / USED VEHICLES EXPORT FROM JAPAN


----------



## steve0000 (Oct 30, 2007)

Heres a message for Yoshiyuki Fujikawa, who I know reads this forum. 
You want these posts removed because they are ruining your business, then maybe you should refund the people you have ripped off and you wouldn't have half a dozen people in Japan looking for you, your Thai bride and your children. Start using your real name, do honest business, and maybe you would sleep better at night and could drop your heavy smoking habit. You will be caught, and I hope for your sake its the law who get to you first. Be warned.


----------



## Barrie (Jan 31, 2006)

*Well i will add to it ,*


*I'm going to keep it simple and dont know about any other company's invoved etc etc BUT one thing i do know Mamiana Trading will pinch your money/ send you wrong cars/ not send you de-reg docs/ etc etc etc - I know of 3 people/dealers who he has had serious amounts of money off them and never seen the cars *

WARNING - DO NOT EVER EVER BUY OFF THIS BLOKE 

Ps- it is very rare i will say anyhting like this on forums but i dont wont anyone to suffer , as we have been part of it before but got away lightly unlike a lot of his other victims


----------



## steve0000 (Oct 30, 2007)

Just a note that Since putting these posts up on the forum, Mr "Hiroshi" of MAMIANA TRADING has completed his business with me. He has sent me the parts that were missing from my vehicle when it arrived. 
As was our deal I am putting up this post to say we have completed our business, and I have no further issues with them.


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

They still owe me 1,3 mill YEN!!! So they are SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## zell (Nov 23, 2007)

I know a guy who bought a car from this site:
DRIFT MACHINE, GT CARS and MODIFIED CARS EXPORT from JAPAN
and actually got it. The car was an ex-INGS+ D1 SL S15. All those sites look similiar, I wonder if the guy can't decide wheter to be good or bad guy or there's something else going on about it.


----------



## bartdrift (Mar 30, 2008)

Hi

Some news from Poland:

Yes ,I get my S15 without any problems .
driftinGO - Driftcars - Nissan Silvia S15
I get this car from here : www.drifcars.jp

I know he is also owner of DRIFT MACHINE, GT CARS and MODIFIED CARS EXPORT from JAPAN , so its same, but the rest is not same company. 
The owner is Tomoki Harada,and I have contact with him all time,and never any problems. 
Before I get my s15 I send 3 mln. Yen ,so if they wont to take some money ,then it was good moment. 


Regards
BartDrift
=>BartDrift.pl - News


----------



## bartdrift (Mar 30, 2008)

I also send quetions to Tomki ,and just get replay :



> About your informed website, sorry but its not ours.
> Actually I got same questions by another buyer before. The web design company is
> same then they sell this kind of website to few persons I heard from them.
> 
> ...


----------



## PRO20T (Jul 16, 2008)

Hi Guys. I to have recently bought a car from one of these web site. 
DRIFT MACHINE, GT CARS and MODIFIED CARS EXPORT from JAPAN with out doing any rechearch. I only found this link gtr.co.uk because another person told me that there was awhole page on the seller and his scam.

I have sent and received well over 80 emails of the last 3 weeks. I have made payment and received a copy of a de-registration but thats it. I have asked for all of the other import documents but im yet to receive any.

My question is for the people that say they got there cars: did you get all of the document quickly? or did the seller put it off for as long as he could????

And for the person that had parts missing, were the parts replaced with sh..iter parts or were they missing completly?


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

Everything went well for a while, then it all started to slow down and all the promises came up! Today a year later he still promises me my money back.. Or another car.. Nothing happens... 

HE IS SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## binjoau (May 30, 2008)

This is why when I import a car an R33 GTR to Canada it will probably be through Newera or somebody highly recommended on this forum. There are so many cheating gits out there! I hope you guys get your money back!


----------



## PRO20T (Jul 16, 2008)

Im curious to know how far people got with their transaction?
So far I have a emailed copy of the de-registration paper with a chassis number. I was told the car was at the port and would be shipped with in 2 weeks. I was told on the 14.7.08 that the car was shipped on the 13.7.08 so the car has been at sea now around 5 days. I have been told it takes 10 days to land. At this point I do not have any documents, bill of lading, Commercial invoice, or Export certificate. With out this I can not get import approvel for the car to land.

Has anyone that has been scammed got as far as being told the car has been shipped?

I guess in 5 days or so I will know when no car turns up.


----------



## zell (Nov 23, 2007)

When I was importing car from USA I got all documents with the car, when it landed. Before that I only had a written agreement with the importer.

As far as I know a 40ft container with 4 cars is coming from Drift Cars JP to Poland. Bartdrift got his car from them. They seem to be legitimate.


----------



## pupsi (Aug 29, 2006)

PRO20T said:


> Im curious to know how far people got with their transaction?
> So far I have a emailed copy of the de-registration paper with a chassis number. I was told the car was at the port and would be shipped with in 2 weeks. I was told on the 14.7.08 that the car was shipped on the 13.7.08 so the car has been at sea now around 5 days. I have been told it takes 10 days to land. At this point I do not have any documents, bill of lading, Commercial invoice, or Export certificate. With out this I can not get import approvel for the car to land.
> 
> Has anyone that has been scammed got as far as being told the car has been shipped?
> ...


A bill of lading is usually dispatched when the vessel has been at sea for 3 days, thats the earliest when they start issuing whats on the ships manifest.


----------



## PRO20T (Jul 16, 2008)

pupsi said:


> A bill of lading is usually dispatched when the vessel has been at sea for 3 days, thats the earliest when they start issuing whats on the ships manifest.



Ok, This sounds promissing  

I really dont know if i have been scammed. Im praying I havent, :bowdown1:


----------



## binjoau (May 30, 2008)

Anybody ever used japan auto direct . com???


----------



## Gazmo1 (Jul 30, 2001)

What is it with Danish guys getting ripped off right now? In the past few weeks I've heard 3 different people getting ripped off, 2 for parts and now one for a car?

Do the Japanese see the Danish as easy pickings?


----------



## mistyblue (Jul 25, 2008)

*garage criff*

i am so sorry to hear about other people in similar situation as me. I too have been promised a car. I paid money over 5 months ago, kept getting excuses after excuses. About a month ago, lost all contact. This guy Hiroki Murata or Yoshiyuki Fujikawa or whatever his name is seem to have dissapeared, doesnt reply to my email messages..no nothing for the longest time. Until...i started posting warnings on forums...and just about instantly i get a reply. How magical...i get some sob story about his pc not working..he was in america...blah blah blah.... Anyway, he wants me to stop posting as it is hurting his business...and he promises to ship my car in two weeks time. Wow...this is good news. Did he care that he was hurting me for ripping me off for over 5 months. Well I shall wait and see...because i have time and energy to post at every single forum he goes on.


----------



## Taiquri (Jan 15, 2007)

My friend has r33 gtr which is imported from mamiana. It has broken engine when it arrived to finland.

And another friend got s14 endless racing drift / fast street car. 
It has broken gearbox (6speed) (imported from mamiana)


----------



## 832ark (Aug 7, 2008)

Me and a friend have been stung by Garage Criff JAPANESE USED CARS EXPORT / USED VEHICLES EXPORT FROM JAPAN

We ordered two cars from him, both of which took ages to arrive and were not the correct cars. They were nowhere near the condition as the cars in the pics. Stay away from this guy!


----------



## matty32 (Dec 18, 2005)

out of interest why do you guys choose importers like this? why not from us or any of the others on this forum?

is it because of the "price" which in effect is for a broken or non-runner / or infact for a car that does not exist

its really sadto hear of these stories 

when you ship money over seas for a car youve never ever seen in real life to someone youve never met, it takes alot of trust


----------



## PRO20T (Jul 16, 2008)

*** UPDATE UPDATE ***

Ok guys. I bought a car from this website.
DRIFT MACHINE, GT CARS and MODIFIED CARS EXPORT from JAPAN

I have received the car in perfect working order.
From start to finish Mr Harada was fantastic. Always replying to emails and answering questions. The only time i was worried was after I find this link.

I contacted bart drift and he received his car too in perfect working order.

I truly believe Tomoki Harada in not a part of garage griff or mamina trading.

If any body has questions about d1cars-export please contact me.


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

It is so strange that there are always a happy customer that are new to this board!
All the guys that has been scamed are old guys on this board.. I still say these sites are scam! All the pics of cars they show is cars that I find on Yahoo acutions.. And even some of them has been sold earlier..

SCAM!!!!


----------



## PRO20T (Jul 16, 2008)

MrLeone said:


> It is so strange that there are always a happy customer that are new to this board!
> All the guys that has been scamed are old guys on this board.. I still say these sites are scam! All the pics of cars they show is cars that I find on Yahoo acutions.. And even some of them has been sold earlier..
> 
> SCAM!!!!


Dude you can contact me on [email protected]

I am in australia and if you need I'll take pics on the sydney harbour bridge. 

This is the original link for the car.
NISSAN SILVIA K'S D1 FULL MODIFIED 450HP S13 1991

YES i know people have been scammed, but NO ONE has said they were scammed directly from this site.



PS. Yes this car was found on yahoo auction.


----------



## weeh (Jul 30, 2009)

DEAR SIR


i am AYUB HASHIM CHAIRMAN OF THAZIN NYING TRADING CO LTD FROM MYANMAR I buy one car from.

Japanese Used Car Exporter
GARAGE CRIFF

1-28-13 Higashi-shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku 140-0002 TOKYO JAPAN
TEL&FAX: +81-3-3472-1556 
+81-3-6659-4811 

I paid money over 1months ago, kept getting excuses after excuses. About a month ago, lost all contact. This guy Hiroki Murata whatever his name is seem to have dissapeared, doesnt reply to my email messages..no nothing for the longest time. Until...i seethe web from this guy . Well I shall wait and see...because i have alredy send TT FROM SINGAPORE U O B BANK

I bought car from you as following : -

I offer this car on 03 june 09

confirmed me on 07 june 09.

I send T T on 11 june 09

confirmed me on 20 the on june after 9 days but I silent

Keep waiting for response . but now AfterONE MOUNTH days fast now and I am still don't know when will be ship out 

My car when I am going to received it in Thailand even I request so many time 

pl advice me what can i do?

thankyou 

best regd



AYUB HASHIM
***************


----------



## bkvj (Feb 13, 2006)

weeh said:


> DEAR SIR
> 
> 
> i am AYUB HASHIM CHAIRMAN OF THAZIN NYING TRADING CO LTD FROM MYANMAR I buy one car from.
> ...


why do I get the feeling I don't believe you (PRO20T). This Tomoki Harada guy sounds an awful lot like the guy who 'ran' another scam site, god knows the name of it. Looked similar to the 'japanese-d1export.com' site etc. The fact that you both have a low post count aren't doing you any favours and you could well be the same guy defending your company.


----------



## cleethorpes (Sep 30, 2008)

weeh said:


> DEAR SIR
> 
> 
> i am AYUB HASHIM CHAIRMAN OF THAZIN NYING TRADING CO LTD FROM MYANMAR I buy one car from.
> ...


odd how a google of that trading name brings zero responses...


----------



## *Shane* (Jul 21, 2009)

How is this fella still catching people, i remember stories from this crowd years ago, still cant believe people are buying (well thinking they are) cars from him


----------



## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

If you send one good car for every three orders then you can continue to take advantage of the confusion, perhaps?


----------



## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

sorry to hear about these cases before buying from a business you should fully check them out if they are based in the UK you can run a check using companies house

Companies House

i also obtained references from other business regarding the importer i wanted to use. i used Autoadvan who are based in leicester.

Home [Japanese car imports and Jap Car Auctions Specialists. Information on car importing.]

there are other trusted car imposters on this forum which are highly recommended


----------



## Supercharged (Sep 28, 2007)

I wrote this post to tell other JDM entusiast to be aware of scammers, and POSSIBLE scammers. I don't say, that all dealers mentioned in this thread is a scammer, but explore all references, and search all you can on google etc.

The only thing I can tell for sure is, that Mamiana Trading still ows me a car (or some money). This is two years ago.

But I expect that the same person runs other similar websites, and I wouldn't be surpriced, if this was the case with Garage BIG POWER and the below listed sites:

JAPANESE USED CARS EXPORT / USED VEHICLES EXPORT FROM JAPAN
LIGHT-HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS, all the FULL MODIFIED or HEAVILY MODIFIED CARS EXPORT
Japanese used car exporter/ modified used car sale from Japan
D1, street legal, modified cars export from Japan :: Japanese-D1cars-export.jp

Good luck to all...
Claus


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

You are not alone.. He/Them owes me 2,5 mil yen! Its gone 2 years now..
Still nothing.. Keep the treads alive so people find this when they google..


----------



## weeh (Jul 30, 2009)

*reply me*



weeh said:


> DEAR SIR
> 
> 
> i am AYUB HASHIM CHAIRMAN OF THAZIN NYING TRADING CO LTD FROM MYANMAR I buy one car from.
> ...


mr hiroki murata reply me my email he were out of town for 2 month he could not cheak his much email but he promises to ship my car in one weeks time.it is good news for me


----------



## dan-hipgrave (Nov 22, 2008)

weeh said:


> mr hiroki murata reply me my email he were out of town for 2 month he could not cheak his much email *but he promises to ship my car in one weeks time.it is good news for me*


No, its only good news for you if it actually arrives. Im sure he's promised to ship many other peoples cars in the past..


----------



## MrLeone (Sep 13, 2005)

Same shit, different website! Stay away, he has promised me a car for 2 years now....:nervous:


----------



## totasupra (Mar 21, 2010)

*stung by same garage criff*

hi guys

i am from the clubaristo. i saw a nice modified aristo on the garage criff website asked him if the car is still available he confirmed and called me on my mobile. i send him the money straight away in ocotober 2009. at first he kept saying he didnt get the money for 2 weeks which i found strange as this is not the first time i got the car from japan. anyhow finally he confirmed that he got the money and very soon he will be contacting owner and getting the car ready for shipment. waited 3 weeks i emailed him guess wat he disappeard not answering my mail and mobile is off as well. after so long kept emailing him i get a email from someone name masa telling me the hiroki is in hospital and he is dealing with this now. i told him what is happening with my car and he said they can not locate the owner.after few email exchange i told him be honest and let me know what is the real problem if you cant provide me this car can i choose another one from your website. he agreed and as there went any good aristo i thought let get car for my brother so i told him which subaru i want. two days later i get email that the car is located in some province of japan and arranging car to be delivered to port. later i asked him what is happening and he tells me the owner of the car hasnt paid some kind of tax and wants them to pay for it so they are negotiating with him. i kept my cool and waited after few weeks i told him if he cant get the car send me my money back and the reply i got is strange that hiroki got my money. i told him but the money was sent to the compnay back account not his perosnal, he hasnt replied to me.his last mail which was in febuary and i am still waiting to hear from him about the car. 
i have sent him several emails and still no reply what so ever. today i just google his company garage criff and this comes up so i though i will share my experience with this company. i do not know what to do i have got few ppl in japan but i dnt know if that will be any help what so ever. basically the person i know is my brother in law cousin who lives and work there so if anyone can advice me from here what to do as i have lost hope of getting the car or money back.


----------



## JD74 (Oct 7, 2008)

I just went cross-eyed reading that post......

It sucks that there are people like this out there that are willing to take someone's money and basically, RUN with it, without providing anything in return.

What I can say is, I buy, or have bought about 99% of my car part purchases (over $25,000 USD in just under 2 years) online and have NEVER had an issue (that couldn't be solved quickly in my favor).

I NEVER pay Cash, Bank Transfer or an untraceable means of payment.

I ONLY pay using either Mastercard or AmericanExpress, most times through Paypal, where I STILL DON'T USE money from my bank accounts, but rather charge EVERYTHING to my Credit Cards.
This gives me 2 lines of defence. #1 being Paypal and in worst case scenarios, my Credit Card Company. I let them fight my battles for me, as they are able to resolve things quickly.

Anyone who is 'unable' to accept a secured form of payment, such as a Credit Card Payment, regardless of the amount of money (whether small or large) is full of crap and will most likely try to scam you.......think about that.


----------



## totasupra (Mar 21, 2010)

i have just sent him email telling him i know his real name and i got few contacts in japan also spoke to a law firm there waiting for my signal to deal with this matter. send the car asap and if u cant send the money back.
let see what reply i get if i do get. will let you guy know the outcome


----------



## muster (Jun 21, 2010)

if there is anyone here, who wants a chanse to get there money back from Garage big power, we are now starting to hunt him down with an ambasy in Japan, and an japanese laywer. We are now waiting for his bank to give us some information.
There is a american guy who is in charge of this "operation", but you can PM me here, the more we are, the better!!!

He is fraud all the way!


----------



## R5 Trinidad (Jul 19, 2010)

Please send me information so that I can contact the American PM or Lawyer who is trying to track down and prosecute this guy from Garage Big Power. I can be reached at [email protected]


----------



## master_328 (May 14, 2010)

We just bought a domain and started our website to get this bastard, we are already in contact with japanese police. When you can provide information to us, we will forward your data:

*car-export-japan.com​*


----------



## ziperr (Aug 31, 2007)

Anyone solved this problem?
I was trying to buy modified R32 GTR in 2008, but still haven't seen the car.
In early 2009 Tomoki said that there is a crisis and postage will be very expensive.
Now the argument is that the port have accounted a large fee for parking the car.
I don't know what to do, they don't want to pay fee or give me back my money.


----------



## GrantRS4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Folks, please beware of anyone who offers to get your money back for you, or asking for information on your case so they can help!

Serious potential for a double scam! Next thing you know, they will be asking for money towards legal costs, and even if they did get the money back.... Will you receive it??

All these random newbies offering help makes me weary!! :nervous:


----------



## GrantRS4 (Oct 31, 2008)

ziperr said:


> Anyone solved this problem?
> I was trying to buy modified R32 GTR in 2008, but still haven't seen the car.
> In early 2009 Tomoki said that there is a crisis and postage will be very expensive.
> Now the argument is that the port have accounted a large fee for parking the car.
> I don't know what to do, they don't want to pay fee or give me back my money.



And just to add - don't trust anyone who says they will "post" you a car!! :runaway:


----------



## altaaf (Oct 20, 2010)

*THANKS loads i came across this site*

Hi guys.. I think I was going to commit the biggest mistake of my life by buying a car online.. I was being offered a Mugen RR for 2,300000 yens CIF.. it was unbelievable.. but then when something seems too good to be true, most likely it isnt true  .. I am so happy I came across this thread.. To all those who have been cheated, I sincerely hope that justice be made.. Good Luck guys..


----------



## altaaf (Oct 20, 2010)

*contact number*

Hi.. I do not know if this may be helpful, but I have contacted the fictitious Akio Asakura on this number today +81-90-4123-7311.. Try your luck .. or maybe the US or Japanese Feds can track this number.. Hope it helps you people..


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

altaaf said:


> Hi.. I do not know if this may be helpful, but I have contacted the fictitious Akio Asakura on this number today +81-90-4123-7311.. Try your luck .. or maybe the US or Japanese Feds can track this number.. Hope it helps you people..


Hi guys. Guess what? I just got scammed by the same guy! Doesn't look like he's going to send me my car so, I want my money back. Has anyone had any luck getting what they deserve??


----------



## Euroexports (Dec 14, 2011)

This is unbelievable, this guy needs a beating. Can't believe he's stolen so many people's money it's ridiculous.


----------



## freakazoid3 (Jan 19, 2008)

I can't believe people still fall for the; send me all your cash and you'll get the car scam 
USE GOOGLE FIRST before sending loads off cash abroad for gods sake!

I've bought several cars and parts abroad but most off them I went to pick up myself or I made sure I had some kind off insurance it wasn't going to end up leaving me broke!


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

freakazoid3 said:


> I can't believe people stil lfall for the; send me all your cash and you'll get the car scam
> USE GOOGLE FIRST before sending loads off cash abroad for gods sake!
> 
> I've bought several cars and parts abroad but most off them I went to pick up myself or I made sure I had some kind off insurance it wasn't going to end up leaving me broke!


You're right about that. You were fortunate enough to have done this before - as for first timers like me, we get taken advantage of by serpents out there. Never again. WHEN i get the money back, I will personally go to Japan to hand pick a car and see it board the ship...


----------



## freakazoid3 (Jan 19, 2008)

I know what you mean mate, I truely hope you can get it sorted but I fear a long and painful journey is ahead...


----------



## roadie (Feb 6, 2006)

I always found this thread kinda strange as the bulk of the people getting scammed have less than 10 posts, and have never contributed anywhere else on this forum....


----------



## MIKEGTR (Jul 8, 2005)

roadie said:


> I always found this thread kinda strange as the bulk of the people getting scammed have less than 10 posts, and have never contributed anywhere else on this forum....


It's because they have googled this guys company and the post on here has brought it up in the results, therefore they sign up in the slim hope that somebody knows something


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

MIKEGTR said:


> It's because they have googled this guys company and the post on here has brought it up in the results, therefore they sign up in the slim hope that somebody knows something


Exactly Mike. Thing is, I'm a thoroughbred Supra fan and since this is a GTR site, naturally I wouldn't sign up here just to chat, lol. Nothing against the GTR (my favs are the 32 and 34) but, just to shed some light on why I didn't formerly join this club. As Mike said, after I had doubt in my mind, Google led me here...only wish it was sooner. Very hard lesson learned but, a lesson that will benefit me in the future nevertheless.

I didn't let it rest though, no way! Busy sorting out as we speak. Praying for the best outcome.


----------



## cleethorpes (Sep 30, 2008)

I think this supralegend is a hoax.. " my favs are the 32 and 34 " 
Clearly this cannot be genuine !


----------



## Mookistar (Feb 5, 2004)

Why didn't you google it before you handed over the cash?


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

cleethorpes said:


> I think this supralegend is a hoax.. " my favs are the 32 and 34 "
> Clearly this cannot be genuine !


Why would you say that?


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

Mookistar said:


> Why didn't you google it before you handed over the cash?


Didn't have a reason to think he would scam me. If I was doubtful at first, then I would have found this thread but, I had no clue it was a trap to begin with...


----------



## cleethorpes (Sep 30, 2008)

It was a little joke, perhaps not funny, but a joke all the same !


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

cleethorpes said:


> It was a little joke, perhaps not funny, but a joke all the same !


Lol, I thought so! You had me going for a minute there  What would you do (about this scammer) if you were in my shoes?


----------



## cleethorpes (Sep 30, 2008)

I would look into the applicable contract laws in Japan first, it could be that it's not a criminal act...then contact the embassy for advice. I'm sure this kind if thing is common for a wide range of items. There's a guy in Scotland who does pretty much the same, well I think it was Scotland, stole all the parts photos from rhdjapan if memory serves.


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

cleethorpes said:


> I would look into the applicable contract laws in Japan first, it could be that it's not a criminal act...then contact the embassy for advice. I'm sure this kind if thing is common for a wide range of items. There's a guy in Scotland who does pretty much the same, well I think it was Scotland, stole all the parts photos from rhdjapan if memory serves.


Hmm, I see. Approaching the embassy also occurred to me. It should probably fall under theft laws or "Advance Fee" scam with no goods being received/sent to the paying party, right? How about an international policing group that deals with such crimes? Sounds like there are lots of scammers out there


----------



## cleethorpes (Sep 30, 2008)

I'm sure the embassy know what avenues you should take. It could be he advertises cars that arent his at inflated prices and. If it sells cheap you get it, if it don't, he screws you


----------



## freakazoid3 (Jan 19, 2008)

If you buy a lot a cars you'll get a hunch easier about things looking like a scam 

Tried to buy a car in Spain recently but it was a hoax for sure 
I said give me an adress and I'll pick it up and pay cash on collection, but apparently he didn't have time for that and he insisted on having it shipped to my door after me sending a deposit...:chuckle: Yeah right!


----------



## Carfiend (Aug 13, 2009)

Selling a couple of cars at the moment. Enjoy these scam mails:



> I came across of your item,i really appreciate it,i am an oceanographer and am currently on the sea at the moment, i am buying the item as a gift for my son,i want to make it a surprise gift for him,he won''t know anything about the gift until they get delivered to him.So i want you to reassure me that the Item is in good condition as you have described. I can only pay through PayPal. So please kindly get back to immediately so i can proceed with the payment and after the payment has been done,i have a pick up agent that will come around to pick the item up immediately after payments.I''ll like to let you know that the shipping fee for the pick-up of the item we included with the payment. Instruction on how to get the fee to the shipper who will be responsible for the pick-up we also enclosed along with the PayPal payment. I''ll like to know if you can be entrusted with the fee in your possession. Get back to me immediately. Looking forward to hear from you soon.





> thanks for the swift response and do as well advise on the least
> amount you will like to give it away as i am buying this for Dad and
> due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come
> for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i
> ...


They seem rather similar


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

cleethorpes said:


> I'm sure the embassy know what avenues you should take. It could be he advertises cars that arent his at inflated prices and. If it sells cheap you get it, if it don't, he screws you


You got a point there - that may actually be his method. I asked if he could get me a lower price on a similar Supra to the one I inquired about...he told me he could give me the one I looked at for the price I proposed.
He could also just be using pictures from other dealers and uploading them to his website for show - that's how he traps people because ,he doesn't actually have the cars...

Another interesting point - his website does not "exist" in Japan...I asked someone in Japan to try it and they said, nothing came up...


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

freakazoid3 said:


> If you buy a lot a cars you'll get a hunch easier about things looking like a scam
> 
> Tried to buy a car in Spain recently but it was a hoax for sure
> I said give me an adress and I'll pick it up and pay cash on collection, but apparently he didn't have time for that and he insisted on having it shipped to my door after me sending a deposit...:chuckle: Yeah right!


Man, if only I had the experience beforehand! Good job seeing thru that scam! Thing is, my desire for the Supra MKIV was so strong that, I was basically oblivious to caution which I usually exercise so well in all things...my love for the car remains but, I'm looking at it in a more wise way now - know what I mean? Not expecting unusually low prices, sending full amount beforehand, using a dealer that doesn't have any references, etc. for the future...I'm gonna make sure everything on my side is 100% honest and scrutinise the future dealer to see if they are honest - just a Google search away to double check that, lol. Perhaps I'll go to Japan later on and personally hand pick a car after this issue has been sorted out :squintdan


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

Call me crazy but, do you think the culprit is a registered user here and is 'eavesdropping' on our conversation? Apparently he is/was called midnight on another forum...


----------



## Mookistar (Feb 5, 2004)

Got him email address. I can have a look


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

Mookistar said:


> Got him email address. I can have a look


Thanks man :clap: It doesn't allow me to post e-mail addresses because of my low post count - I'll PM you in the meantime and you can reply back here...


----------



## Mookistar (Feb 5, 2004)

He's been banned years ago based on that email with no further ip matches. Sorry


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

Mookistar said:


> He's been banned years ago based on that email with no further ip matches. Sorry


Thanks boss opcorn: Good thing he's banned!! You reckon there's no way to know if he registers as a completely new user from a different IP?


----------



## Mookistar (Feb 5, 2004)

no way i'm afraid


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

Mookistar said:


> no way i'm afraid


Then we'll just have to be discreet in what we discuss about him...


----------



## star32 (Jun 1, 2008)

Almost got cheated out of my hard earned, by Akio Asakura, but thanks to this thread i made a purchase directly from the Japanese auction through a representative. So the R35 gtr spec v should be on the boat in the next few days and on its way to Hong Kong. Again thanks to all of you guys and gals for posting here your experience with this individual, hope you guys get some of the vehicles, but it will also be satisfactory if this individual is brought to justice and put in the slammer for the next 10 to 20. Thank you again. 

star32


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

star32 said:


> Almost got cheated out of my hard earned, by Akio Asakura, but thanks to this thread i made a purchase directly from the Japanese auction through a representative. So the R35 gtr spec v should be on the boat in the next few days and on its way to Hong Kong. Again thanks to all of you guys and gals for posting here your experience with this individual, hope you guys get some of the vehicles, but it will also be satisfactory if this individual is brought to justice and put in the slammer for the next 10 to 20. Thank you again.
> 
> star32


good for you man. I'm not letting it rest so, I will post here about the outcome once I know. Were you communicating via e-mail? If so, did you tell him you found out about his scam? How did he respond to that?


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

So what now guys? Has anyone made any progress in getting there money back??


----------



## star32 (Jun 1, 2008)

Once I found out about the scam, we ended up calling Japan to find out if this place was an actual dealer and to see if they would agree to an inspection, car dealer name he was using was IS Motors, so someone picked up the call but would not tell us the address and if we could send someone to inspect the vehicle, so I got so mad and send the idiot a nice email stating what I thought of him and his business and what he had been doing to all here, put it this way if he can translate half of the email he would be pissed. Never heard of this clown since. Hope you guys catch this excuse for a human being and teach him a lesson. I got the Spec V a week ago, awaiting hkg ergo.


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

star32 said:


> Once I found out about the scam, we ended up calling Japan to find out if this place was an actual dealer and to see if they would agree to an inspection, car dealer name he was using was IS Motors, so someone picked up the call but would not tell us the address and if we could send someone to inspect the vehicle, so I got so mad and send the idiot a nice email stating what I thought of him and his business and what he had been doing to all here, put it this way if he can translate half of the email he would be pissed. Never heard of this clown since. Hope you guys catch this excuse for a human being and teach him a lesson. I got the Spec V a week ago, awaiting hkg ergo.


IS Motors? Haven't heard of it...what was the name of the guy you spoke to? Did you actually get your Spec V from them?? HKG ergo?


----------



## star32 (Jun 1, 2008)

This was the website that had the spec V advertised and all of the photos I received were of the white GTR they have on that website. 
is-group.jp

I was not the one who was on the phone with this individual, we had a Japanese representative that would inspect the cars for my HKG dealer i was using to import this car. So I am not aware if and or what name he was going by.

I got my GTR on the Japanese auction with the help of our Jap rep. 

Spelling error on the last bit there, it should read rego (registration) lol


----------



## .::TopSky::. (Nov 4, 2010)

I simply cant understand. Why do people go to dealers that arent 100% reliable? Our cars cost alot of money and usually mean alot to us so why take any risks?

I`ve imported many cars from Japan including two Skylines my last buy was an R34 GTR and you know how much they cost these days. I never had any problems. There are so many good dealers out there for example Newera and HJA.


----------



## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

I doubt they would've used the dealers if they new they were unreliable :wavey:


----------



## TheD (Aug 25, 2008)

I quite like the idea of travelling over and importing a car myself if inwas in the market for one. A friend of mine did that with his RX7. Ended up costing him a little less than buying through a dealer here and he got to spend time in Japan.


----------



## JGTJP (Mar 17, 2011)

About 6 years ago I flew over to Japan to meet this guy, I visited auction houses and dealers with him in order to find the right car. I ended up buying a heavily modified glanza and it arrived promptly in uk soon after. Then, around 6 months later people were popping up left right and centre with fraud complaints. I guess i got lucky! But there was no way I was buying from a random guy off the internet without seeing what im buying.


----------



## [SupraLEGEND] (Jan 24, 2012)

Yeah guys, as mentioned by myself and others - None of us would've went through with the transfer if we knew we were being trapped! He used my burning desire for a Supra to fool me into buying from him...when I am ready to buy an import, I will never make the same mistake again. I'll be far more objective and USE TRADECARVIEW NEXT TIME!!

Anyone try Tradecarview's dealers? I got a good reference from a fellow car fan who got an R33 Skyline GT-R from TH Auto...

BTW, check out this link and tell me what you all think of it:
Beware of Yoshiyuki Fujikawa. Export of japan cars"

Apparently, he's the guy behind our problems...

What do you guys think of this link??


----------



## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Before anyone says anything about the IS group, they are a huge national used-car chain in Japan so it may be better to clearly suss out any relationship first.


----------

