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Toronto, January 17, 2000 - Last
Friday, January 7th, 2000, a
Scarborough court fined an
unregistered car dealer $5,000
for illegally selling motor
vehicles, the heaviest fine
given to a first-time offender.
Basile Cristidis, who owns and
operates Midnight Auto, an auto
body shop on Markham Road in
Scarborough, was charged $1,000
on five counts of illegally
selling motor vehicles. Mr.
Cristidis was not registered as
a car dealer with OMVIC, a
serious violation of the Motor
Vehicle Dealer Act.
"This guy was a curbsider,"
explains Don MacAndrew, the
OMVIC investigator who laid the
charges. "He bought motor
vehicles that had been written
off as wrecks by insurance
companies, fixed them up, and
sold them without the benefit of
being registered."
Several trials had been set for
Mr. Cristidis, but he did not
appear. "Since he didn¹t bother
showing up at his own trial, the
judge imposed a stiff fine. I
hope it¹s the start of a trend."
"Curbsider" is car industry
jargon for unregistered car
dealers who take advantage of
unsuspecting customers. They may
pose as private individuals, and
often sell vehicles that are not
roadworthy.
OMVIC, the industry¹s
self-management body, has
targeted curbsiders as a serious
problem to the industry and
consumers, and makes the
identification and apprehension
of these unscrupulous
individuals a top priority.
Consumers purchasing a motor
vehicle through the classifieds
would be wise to check the
credentials of the individual
from whom they are buying, and
to have a private mechanic check
the vehicle to ensure it is
sound.
"There¹s usually huge tax
evasion in the curbsiding
industry, and we¹re relieved to
see the courts imposing
substantial fines," says Bob
Stephen, Chairman of OMVIC¹s
Board of Directors.”
"These people are hurting the
consumer, who winds up with a
vehicle requiring a lot of
service and absolutely no
recourse."
OMVIC investigators have been
very active in charging
curbsiders, with over 500
charges laid in 1999 alone.
For more information, contact
OMVIC at (416) 226-4500 or
1-800-943-6002.
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