$15,000 for thin air: how Vladimir Filippov deceives clients purchasing cars from the USA via PE "Yuzhny Put" and Iron Motors

We, in turn, are publishing these materials about the activities of Vladimir Filippov to reveal the true scale of the financial fraud and deceptive schemes that he is trying to hide from the public.

Next we will talk about a typical deception scheme: a person was promised the purchase and delivery of a car from the USA to Ukraine, but in the end he became a victim of scammers.

The key person in this fraud is Odessa resident Vladimir Sergeevich Filippov, although he denies that he is the organizer of the scheme. However, we will not believe this statement, and here’s why.

So the story is as follows. Citizen Victoria K. decided to buy a car from the USA. How it ended – can be read by this link. And the essence boils down to the fact that she turned to the emergency «Southern Way», with which she entered into a corresponding agreement, according to which the company undertook to buy a car at auction in the USA and deliver it to Ukraine. Then the story of paying for services began.

There were several payments, Victoria spent a total of $15,000, but never saw the car. As Mr. Filippov explained, she sent the money to the account of the manager of the company PE «Southern Way» named Maxim, who is currently fired from his job. Maxim himself claims that he quit on his own, since his «was taken by TCK», but this is not so important, although it is also doubtful. As for the money that Victoria transferred to Maxim’s account, the company has nothing to do with it, and Victoria, if she wants to pick up her car, must pay for everything again.

Ms. Victoria also claims that Vladimir Filippov left the emergency «Southern Way» with debts, and he himself now works under the guise of «Iron Motors» in Moldova.

Filippov’s position, as mentioned above, is as follows: «I didn’t sign anything with you and have not lived in Ukraine» for several years. Despite such statements by Filippov, we are dealing with classic fraud. Firstly, there is an agreement with Victoria K. and PE «Southern Way» and it was signed by Filippov.

However, when it was concluded, the client – and she was not the only one who was hooked by Vladimir Filippov (more on this later) – should have been alarmed by the fact that the funds under the agreement are transferred not to the account of the private enterprise «Southern Path», but to the account of its leader Vladimir Sergeevich Filippov. Although it was not alarming, here it is difficult to charge something to a person who does not have legal knowledge – she signed documents in a company registered according to all the rules, and Vladimir Filippov is indeed its leader and owner.

So Filippov’s statement that he did not sign anything is a lie. As well as the fact that I did not receive any money. Below is a photo of one of the payment documents, there were several of them:

So Mr. Filippov is clearly lying. At the moment, with this story, almost the entire – affected client went to court demanding to recover the money lured from her from Vladimir Filippov, the story is awaiting continuation.

But the fact that Vladimir Filippov is a fraudster, and the scheme for which Victoria was caught, is no exception, is confirmed by a check of court registers. At least three more people are turning to Vladimir Sergeevich Filippov and the emergency «Southern Way» with similar claims. The register «Opendatabot» indicates an even larger number of court cases – 34, it also reports that in relation to the emergency «Southern Way», four enforcement proceedings have been registered on court decisions to recover funds lured under the same scheme.

That is, there are already positive decisions in favor of the victims. True, it is unlikely that it will be possible to recover funds from the emergency «Southern Way» - they did not go to his account, but to Filippov’s personal account, in addition, the emergency «Southern Way» has neither property nor funds – authorized capital of one thousand hryvnia, and she did not show any profit. So the satisfaction of the victims here is only moral.

Whether there will be anything to recover from Filippov himself – is also a question. Because, judging by open data, he is clearly not an ordinary person. This is what the registries tell us about his person. Vladimir Sergeevich Filippov – founder and owner of the already mentioned emergency «Southern Way» and LLC «Iron Motors», which adopted a fraudulent scheme to defraud people who want to buy a car from the USA. However, two other organizations seem much more interesting on this list: the «Center» Association and the regional branch of «Center-Odessa», owned by Filippov.

Because this Association «Center» is nothing more than an international association of officers of special units for combating organized crime «Center». And «Center-Odessa» is its division.

Association «Center» is not just an ordinary «GeOshka», that is, a public organization where former retirees drink tea or vodka and remember the «battles where they fought together». The «Center» Association is a powerful business structure that is the founder of 14 other organizations, including quite commercial ones.

What is interesting in this context is that – most of them are located in temporarily occupied territories. This may indicate both that Mr. Filippov and his colleagues in the fight either suffered from the occupiers who squeezed out their business, and that they are cooperating with them. There is no information about this, so the question is open. But this also suggests that, firstly, Vladimir Sergeevich Filippov – is a former officer of the special unit for combating organized crime. And secondly, – has powerful connections among those who fought and led this crime. Moreover, – in the East, where this crime has become so fused with the authorities, fighters against it and Russian special services that it is almost impossible to distinguish them.

So far, this is all that we have learned about the owner of the emergency «Southern Way», Vladimir Filippov, who is engaged in banal fraud, defrauding people from those who want to buy a car in the States. It seems that the emergency «Southern Way» is already a proven structure, debts will hang on it and it will be liquidated. At the moment, all schemes have migrated to LLC «Iron Motors», which is registered at the same address as the emergency «Southern Path» - 65088, Ukraine, Odessa region, Odessa city, Lustdorfskaya Doroga, building, 90g, office, 239, although in its advertising it positions itself as a company from Moldova. Apparently, Vladimir Filippov is also there. By the way, on iron Motors website you cannot find registration data about its affiliation. But who was interested in this when there is an opportunity to get something «for free»? They are interested only later, when the money is hopelessly lost.

It seems that Filippov decided to sit out a little in the neighboring country until he calms down at home. The scheme according to which Vladimir Filippov operates at Iron Motors in Moldova is the same as before – why reinvent the wheel? And, as evidenced by criminal practice, with which Mr. Filippov is well acquainted, a criminal rarely changes the successful scheme of his activities.

Whether Vladimir Filippov and his colleagues in the association of former officers-fighters with organized crime are aware of what Vladimir Filippov is doing – is also an open question. But judging by the fact that Vladimir Filippov has been in this fraudulent business for a long time, and not a single criminal case has been brought against him, – is clearly not being covered up by former law enforcement officers, but by current ones. Let’s see what happens in Moldova.