USNYdepot.com website - extreme caution

[Cornerlot]

The online auction site USNYdepot.com claims to be representing financial institutions in the resale of repossessed vehicles. Classic cars, boats, campers, even tractors. HOWEVER, all the ads I looked at use actual photos and text from completed BaT auctions from 2 or more years back. These completed USNYdepot LLC auctions have final sold prices roughly 1/2 the real BaT results.

Check this example: https://usnydepot.com/product/1978-porsche-911sc-targa/
The actual Bat listing: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-porsche-911sc-targa-31/

Funny, they messed up here and posted two 911 trunk VIN photos lifted from the BaT page. One had the actual VIN, and in the 2nd they replaced the '5' with a '2' in the VIN sequence to prevent fact checking but I guess they inserted both versions by mistake.

Another recent example: https://usnydepot.com/product/1970-plymouth-superbird/
BaT: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-plymouth-superbird-14/

Reviews online as far back as 2014 called the site legitimate, so maybe the domain fell into the hands of a 'black web' type. Current bidding may all be faked to make it look like people are getting real bargains.

To join they only want scans of your driver's license and a copy of a utility bill, so maybe they are establishing false credit somewhere.

[ChrisHamilton]

Seems rather sketchy to me. The number listed on the site is a cell phone number. Traces back to someone names Eithen Crespo who lives in Brooklyn.
Here is the full address. 3031 Voorhies Ave Brooklyn, NY 11235

The address listed at the top of the website is not actually a business address. Just the building.
If you go here:https://apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry/#search and and look up the business there are no results. If it was legit it would show in the NY database.
As far as I can tell there never was a USNY Depot registered in New York.

[Unobtanium-inc]

I think #2 applies here.

RANT on Scams, Advice for buyers and sellers. Flame Suit On!
First a word to sellers, there are a couple of things we can do to make it harder for the scammers.

1. It's important when you sell a car to watermark the pictures somehow. There are a million apps for this but you can also go oldschool. When someone I don't know asks me for pictures of a car, I say sure, and cover it in magnets. If they are interested in buying the car they don't care, if they are trying to picture flip or worse, just use the pictures their plans are foiled.
2. It's also why I always take pictures for ebay in the same spot in my shop, that way people recognize the place. I've actually had people call me and say someone was trying to sell one of my cars but they recognized my shop, so it works.

Next a word to buyers.
1. Be careful out there everybody, the more these things are valuable, the more risk, a wise man once said buy the seller not the car.
2. If you think you are being super clever staying up all night searching the dark corner's of the internet and found that Porsche listed on an obscure website and it's just your lucky day or you found some dealer in a small town with a slick website who just doesn't know what he has, don't send the deposit, it isn't your lucky day. If you found it on the internet the gig is up, anyone who can setup a website and take pictures of rare car, can do five minutes of research and won't put it on their site for half of it's true value.
Now if you're pumping gas in your 911 and some guy walks up to you and says he has his uncle's old Porch, do you want to come look at it, that might be real, but if you find it online and it seems like it too good to be true, it is. There was once a time when you could scan craigslist and jump on a deal, that day is long gone. I went to see a well known flipper in NYC several years ago, he had three Indian women sitting in front of computers hitting re-fresh on every craigslist, every classic car forum, and every other avenue every few seconds, that's why that dude calls you within 15 minutes of you placing an ad, trust me you can't compete with that, so if a craigslist ad has been up for more than 15 minutes and it seems like your lucky day, it isn't.
Bottom line, if you find a "super deal" on the internet there is a 90% chance that it is a scam, and if it's not, some flipper will offer the guy way more, and you'll be out of the deal. Another well known west coast flipper will always pay more, just to get people to stop trying. I once won a sealed bid estate auction for three Porsches. Once this guy found out it was me he said, "I'll pay 20% over whatever Adam bid!" Luckily, the seller was a gentleman and I got the cars. But he was willing to do anything to best me.
If you want a deal on a Porsche go out and make some friends, meet other Porsche guys, the best cars never see a for sale sign, they just quietly trade hands amongst Porsche guys. Most of the cars I buy are not advertised, people just know to call me, but all I do is make myself known. I seen some of the best deals happen between two friends, so if you are in the market for a Porsche, get out there and drive, don't surf the net, there are no deals there, but there are lots of scammers.
3. Always go see a car and put your hands on it, if you can't, arrange for someone else to put their hands on it. Scammers don't have cars, so this eliminates 95% of them.

[mepstein]

#3 above, before you hand over money. Or at the very least, due your due diligence and check them out.

[JMS935]

They claim to be an online auction house yet they have opening hours, that might be a first for the internet. I wonder how they lock it up at night and on the weekend.

OPENING HOURS

09:00 AM – 05:00 PM EDT
Monday to Friday
*Excluding federal holidays

[Mike80911]

Sounds very similar to another scam site called XDNY They were using the same MO looks like they changed the name and are still scamming. I think a fellow pelican had a bad experience with them maybe he will chime in and tell about his experience.

[NYNick]

Can't trust anybody from NY.

[Mike80911]

The addresses they use in NY are we work buildings. They do not occupy any office space there, they just use it as a front. If you call and ask to come to the office, they will come up with some excuse why you can't. Probably really operating out of a foreign country. But you are correct never trust a NY'er.

[ChrisHamilton]

They are not registered in New York as a business of any form/type. Never have been. It is clearly a scam.

[ChrisHamilton]

And here is the definitive proof that this site is a scam. The server has only been registered for 14 days! Owner of the site is from Iceland.

https://whois.domaintools.com/usnydepot.com

Whois Record for UsNyDepot.com
How does this work?
Domain Profile
Registrant Redacted for Privacy
Registrant Org Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf
Registrant Country IS
Registrar NAMECHEAP INC NameCheap, Inc.
IANA ID: 1068
URL: http://www.namecheap.com
Whois Server: whois.namecheap.com

(p)
Registrar Status addPeriod, clientTransferProhibited
Dates 14 days old
Created on 2023-02-28
Expires on 2024-02-28
Updated on 0001-01-01

Name Servers DNS1.NAMECHEAPHOSTING.COM (has 1,200,080 domains)
DNS2.NAMECHEAPHOSTING.COM (has 1,200,080 domains)


Tech Contact Redacted for Privacy
Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf
Kalkofnsvegur 2,
Reykjavik, Capital Region, 101, IS

(p)
IP Address 162.0.215.157 - 189 other sites hosted on this server


IP Location United States - California - Los Angeles - Namecheap Inc.
ASN United States AS22612 NAMECHEAP-NET, US (registered Jun 21, 2011)
Domain Status Registered And No Website
IP History 1 change on 1 unique IP addresses over 0 years

Hosting History 1 change on 2 unique name servers over 0 year

Whois Record ( last updated on 2023-03-14 )

[Cornerlot]

The power of Pelican, great work everyone. The website is sure slick, must have taken a fair bit of skill.

[porschyard]

The internet is like Fire, it can show you the light or burn you badly depending on how you use it.

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by Mike80911

The addresses they use in NY are we work buildings. They do not occupy any office space there, they just use it as a front. If you call and ask to come to the office, they will come up with some excuse why you can't. Probably really operating out of a foreign country. But you are correct never trust a NY'er.

Look at my signature. I was kidding.
Meanwhile, I have a great deal on some land in FLA for you!

[porschyard]

Originally Posted by NYNick

Look at my signature. I was kidding.
Meanwhile, I have a great deal on some land in FLA for you!

If it is swamp land I am interested 🦌

[Mike80911]

Originally Posted by NYNick

Look at my signature. I was kidding.
Meanwhile, I have a great deal on some land in FLA for you!

I knew you were I guess I should have used green. But every time I go into Manhattan someone tries to sell me a bridge

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by Mike80911

I knew you were I guess I should have used green. But every time I go into Manhattan someone tries to sell me a bridge

Bridge is still for sale.

[SalParadise]

I miss the pre-internet days for classic car buying. But I also miss the Sears Christmas catalog, answering machines, not being tempted or overwhelmed by choice, researching a classic car purchase from people who knew $hit. Sure there were the scammers and flippers as always, but at least you got to talk to them and probably meet them face-to-face for a deal and learn something on the cars backstory. This is all gone unless you're in with the right crowd of people who offer you something sweet. I remember knocking on doors when I was a teenager to inquire about cars (usually VWs). Now it's "You know what they are going for on eBay or BaT?" And then they ask that kind of money. Or as this thread started, they steal your photos.

[Cornerlot]

Looks like the word got out. Maybe it was the complaint I filed with the Federal Trade Commission. This is what the website looks like now:

[Unobtanium-inc]

Originally Posted by Cornerlot

Looks like the word got out. Maybe it was the complaint I filed with the Federal Trade Commission. This is what the website looks like now:

How did you find it in the first place?

---Adam

[Cornerlot]

The site was running "sponsered" ads on Facebook, which are still running. I also now see several of their auction links being posted on various FB group sites. The BBB site has a page for them in their Scam Tracking section, with multiple reports from this month. One guy lost $25k to them.