Samir Ayoub defrauds Macarthur locals of $90k using fake cheques

An unemployed western Sydney man duped three people out of $90,000 with a second-hand Facebook Marketplace car scam to pay off his own debts.

An unemployed Macarthur father fraudulently bought three cars off Facebook Marketplace using valueless cheques before trading one of them to a used car dealership and used the money he made to pay off debts.

Samir Ayoub, 33, faced Campbelltown Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

Documents tendered to the court detail how Ayoub, who is a father of two, is unemployed and receives Centrelink benefits, contacted the victims online after they put their vehicles up for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Samir Ayoub pleaded guilty to scamming three people of $90k in a Facebook Marketplace scam. Picture: Facebook

On three different occasions from April to May, Ayoub contacted the victims on Facebook Marketplace and made negotiations to buy the car.

On April 21, he met the first victim at Edmondson Park McDonald’s where he inspected a black 2012 Range Rover and negotiated a price of $34,000 before handing over a personal cheque in his name in exchange for the keys.

When the victim went to deposit the money, the cheque was declined as Ayoub had insufficient funds. He made multiple attempts to contact Ayoub but he couldn’t get through as his account was deactivated.

The victim reported the incident to police and on June 8 saw his car being sold on Facebook Marketplace under the name of Ayoub’s partner, according to court documents.

Police tried to set up a meeting at Narellan Shopping Centre to purchase the car but the advertisement was removed. The car was pulled over a week later at Harrington Park, being driven by Ayoub’s partner, where it was seized and returned to the victim, according to court documents.

Samir Ayoub posted a photo to the defrauded cars online. Picture: Facebook

Ayoub contacted the second victim in April over Facebook about a Mercedes A250 for $29,500, where the victim requested he pay for the car via an OSKO payment as it would be immediate.

According to court documents, Ayoub claimed he had no idea what an OSKO payment was and wanted to pay with a cheque, sending a photo of a cheque with the victim’s name on it.

The pair met at the Campbelltown KFC car park where Ayoub inspected the car before handing over the cheque and driving off.

The victim attempted to deposit the cheque on June 4 but it was declined and he was unable to contact Ayoub, who changed the registration and number plates immediately.

The incident was reported to police, who found the car on July 1 near Ayoub’s Elderslie home and towed it away before returning it to the victim.

Samir Ayoub is an unemployed father-of-two on Centrelink benefits. Picture: Facebook

On May 28 Ayoub contacted a woman about a 2015 Audi A3 sedan on sale on carsales.com.au and Facebook Marketplace for $29,000.

The pair agreed to meet at a Lugarno home, where Ayoub inspected the vehicle and handed over a cheque in his name for $29,000, according to court documents.

The following day, the victim tried to deposit the cheque but it was rejected due to insufficient funds and reported Ayoub to police.

After duping the woman, Ayoub sold the car to Best Buy Autos at Liverpool for $17,000 before going to his bank and withdrawing the full amount, which was flagged as suspicious by the bank.

The car was seized by police from the car yard and returned to the victim, according to court documents.

Ayoub was arrested by police at his Elderslie home and charged with three fraud offences, before telling police he knew the cheques were valueless when paying for the cars.

Samir Ayoub (centre) outside Campbelltown Local Court with his partner and lawyer. Picture: Lauren Ferri

He confessed to spending the entire $17,000 to pay off debts and no longer has the money.

Campbelltown Local Court on Tuesday heard a compensation order is being sought by police for Ayoub to pay the $17,000 back to the business.

Magistrate George Breton described the offences as “serious” and said the 33-year-old father-of-two could face 18 months behind bars.

However, he is yet to decide whether it will be served in custody or by way of Intensive Corrections Order.

Ayoub will reappear in court for sentence on September 29.