A Tasmanian woman lost $10,000 after buying a van on Facebook Marketplace
Liann Roni, a resident of the town of Port Sorell in northern Tasmania, lost about $10,000 after purchasing a Fiat Ducato van on Facebook Marketplace, which was later impounded. According to ABC News Australia, she paid $9,000 for the vehicle in April and spent an additional $1,000 on registration and modifications.
Before the purchase, Roni checked the vehicle’s registration status in Tasmania. The records showed that the van was registered to the seller, 41-year-old Michael John Bowerman, and had not been reported stolen. After a test drive, she purchased the vehicle, but, according to her, after just one trip, error messages appeared on the dashboard and the van broke down.
Two days later, according to Roni, a representative from the asset recovery company Derwent Mercantile came to her home and informed her that the van belonged to Asset Rental Group. The company had provided the vehicle to Bowerman as part of a lease-to-own program. Roni tried to prevent the vehicle from being repossessed, but about two months later, it was towed away.
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Asset Rental Group stated that the vehicle, which the company had reclaimed, had been illegally resold by one of its customers to a third party. Under the company’s model, vehicles are registered in the customer’s name so that payments for tolls, fines, and other obligations are billed to them. As ABC notes, it was precisely this registration that led to Roni’s audit finding no issues; the company is reviewing this practice.
In June, Bowerman pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining financial gain. The court ordered him to pay $97 in court costs, imposed a 12-month community service order, and sentenced him to six weeks of probation. At that time, no restitution was sought from Ronnie.
After ABC contacted the police, law enforcement officials apologized and filed a restitution claim with the court. The hearing is scheduled for August 24. Stephanie Tonkin, director of the Consumer Action Law Center, called for Facebook Marketplace to be included in the new federal anti-fraud mechanism, while government spokesperson Daniel Mulino stated that authorities could expand its scope to additional sectors.
