zrepo.com & adesa.org

Last update: August 2020

There are often lots of pro cars (hearses, limo's and flower cars) listed on craigslist/ebay at any given time. A lot of these are from private sellers looking to unload a personally-owned vehicle, or reputable dealers trying to make a living.

However, there are often lots listed (originally in the in the NC/SC/VA area, now across the entire US) that are listed by someone of dubious morals. This individual is known to buy the older/lower-spec cars that have been turned in by funeral directors to dealers when they upgrade and resell them. (The dealer knows they often can't sell these vehicles, and is happy to get them off their books).

They are also known to advertise vehicles that they might not even own, on the assumption that if you buy the car from them at the inflated price they're offering it for, then they'll be able to sweet-talk the actual owner into selling the car to them at a lower price and thus pocket the difference. The process works like this:

Person A advertises a vehicle for sale for $20k. He doesn't actually own it - it's owned by Person C, who doesn't know it's been advertised for sale.
Person B agrees to purchase the vehicle from Person A. For the sake of this example we'll say it's $19k
Person A approaches Person C (the actual owner) and offers to purchase the vehicle for a lower price than Person B offers to buy it for. (Lets say that's $15k). Person C agrees, and sells the vehicle to Person A
Person A sells the vehicle to Person B, and pockets the profit ($4k) without actually having done anything.

Technically not illegal, but certainly dubious from a moral/ethical perspective. I'm sure Person B doesn't like overpaying for a vehicle, and Person C doesn't like selling it for less than they could have sold it for.

The individual in question previously owned zrepo.com, adesa.org and hearselimo.com. Hence the many warnings posted on facebook regarding zRepo as a potential scammer. Obviously the zrepo.com domain is now in the hands of someone else, hence these warnings.

Contact phone numbers to be wary of include:
336-528-2476 (Verizon wireless cellphone from Greensboro, NC)
404-430-1270 (Verizon wireless cellphone from Atlanta, GA)
404-662-6263 (Cingular wireless cellphone from Atlanta, GA)
305-968-5099 (Verizon wireless cellphone from Miami, FL)
843-290-3296 (Cingular wireless cellphone from Atlanta, GA)
706-301-8965 (Atlanta, GA)
502-262-9246 (Cingular wireless cellphone from Louisville, KY)
678-313-4462 (Cingular wireless cellphone from Atlanta, GA)

Ebay sellers to be wary of include:
lionsgate2020
benne-sand
davhar_wholo
robail-0
jacus_xo4ads56j
sandmakndkfh5ab
sandbund
jerr_benso
catholic2020-3
blainmoor-0
lent2099_7
sandbechte-0
wilconno-0

With the advent of Facebook Marketplace that's now another place for them to peddle their scams. Facebook sellers to be wary of include:
Jay Smith, who has been kicked out of multiple FB groups for advertising cars he doesn't actually own (see above)

Here's a prime example of the things you have to pay attention to:

zrepo.com

zrepo.com is the former web address of an organisation named "Members Credit Union Services". Despite the name they appeared to be a reposession service who also sell professional service cars (hearses, flower cars, funeral limousines etc).

You can view what the website used to look like via the Wayback Machine at archive.org: http://web.archive.org/web/20101201122500/http://zrepo.com/index.cfm

Vehicles were advertised on eBay, Craigslist (inc Winston-Salem & Charlotte NC and Augusta SC) and Hemmings often with the same contact information but different prices listed. If you called and expressed an interest in any vehicle they had for sale they would never explicitly state the history or location of the car, always being very vague on how they came into it's possession.

zrepo.com was originally registered with GoDaddy in 2009 by James Louis of Denver, NC

adesa.org

adesa.org is a former website listing a number of different items including property, high-value sports cars, professional cars, classic cars and everyday vehicles (box vans, 4-dr sedans etc). There is no indication whether 'adesa' is an acronym or what it stands for.

You can view what the website used to look like via the Wayback Machine at archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20160625235144/http://www.adesa.org:80/

As with zrepo.com, vehicles were primarily advertised on Craigslist & eBay.