rdgreen said:
Just because they were bad at it doesn't make it less of a crime. That's called "attempted fraud and deception" here, I assume you would have a similar law. In fact if the police were serious they could charge them with numerous other offences as well. Tell him to find a copper who takes their job seriously.....not the plonker he spoke to.
Maybe in Aus; not here. I can't see what crime has been committed. I'm not saying it shouldn't be a crime, it should, but they a) didn't steal anything and b) didn't gain money under false pretense (fraud). Attempted fraud is quite rightly nigh on impossible to prove.
If you willingly (and this is the point willingly without coercion) volunteer to give someone anything of monetary value it is not a crime, unless you can prove it was under duress, which in this case does not apply.
If they had duped the chap into selling his car to them for a few hundred quid, I think he would have a VERY difficult time convincing anyone he was anything but stupid; and stupidity or ignorance is not a valid defence in this country at the moment (thank God).
Why do (some people) immediately go crying to the law because they made poor decisions? The law deals with facts and crimes, not conjecture.