Adam Ahmad: Greenacre truck driver in Gumtree car scam
A truck driver scammed a Gumtree user who was trying to sell his Volkswagen Golf online. But when police came looking for him he claimed he couldn’t remember the incident because he was on drugs.
The Express
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A western Sydney truck driver claims he was on drugs and can’t remember pulling off a Gumtree car scam in the eastern suburbs, Waverley court has heard.
Adam Ahmad, 22, of Greenacre appeared before Magistrate Jacqueline Trad on Tuesday after pleading guilty last month to a charge of publishing false material to obtain property.
In October, Ahmad, who works for Swift Transport as a driver and also owns a truck he uses for contract work, saw an advertisement for a silver 2016 Volkswagen Golf online.
He contacted the owner, Andrej Frenkel, under the alias “Ali” and arranged to meet him at his workplace on Oxford St, Bondi Junction the following day.
Ahmad asked to see the owner’s driver’s licence and registration papers which he photographed after Mr Frenkel handed them over.
He did not buy the car but with copies of the rightful owner’s identification documents, he was able to transfer it into his name online with Service NSW.
When a concerned Mr Frenkel got a text message from Service NSW confirming a “Notice of Disposal” had been received for the car, he was able to contact the transport office and reverse the process.
He then sent a text to Ahmad demanding to know why he had done this.
“I gave you the money for the car yesterday”, Ahmad messaged back according to court documents.
Mr Frenkel reported the incident at Waverley police station and handed over CCTV from his workplace basement carpark where the interaction with Ahmad took place.
Police caught up with Ahmad at his previous address in Punchbowl on January 12 and court documents state they received a hostile welcome.
“Get the f**k out of my property. If you need me then I will come to the station,” he said according to the police fact sheet.
Officer state he then refused to be interviewed saying: “I cannot remember anything”.
He said this was because he “may have been on drugs and suffers from PTSD and memory loss.”
Ahmad represented himself, dressed neatly in a suit and tie before Magistrate Trad.
“You told police you can’t remember what happened because you were on drugs,” Magistrate Trad said.
“One would expect a much less elaborate setup. This does suggest a level of planning.”
Magistrate Trad said Ahmad needed to deal with the consequences of his actions.
“I’m calling it a scam – that’s what it was quite frankly. You managed to obtain details from the victim and register that Notice of Disposal.”
Ahmad was convicted and sentenced to an 18 month Community Corrections Order.
He was ordered to report to the Bankstown Community Corrections Office, abstain from drug use and comply with his mental health treatment plan.