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Sounds suspect. If I was certain it was a scam I would consider stripping the bike and left it for collection in the thames..
BigH-
I’m 80% sure it wasn’t a scam having spoken to the bloke on the phone, via email and having completed the cursory stalking on social media. Bike Register were also helpful although I reckon it may have been them that suggested a payment as a makeweight.
I reckon:
higher probability - someone didn't report bike as stolen on bike register until they'd inadvertently been informed it had been 'found'.
lower probability - someone asked to transfer ownership thought they'd get the bike or a payout if they reported it as nicked.
SlimCharles
It was £50's worth of hassle either way and I very much doubt I would be able to find a police reference number 5 years after a bike was nicked.
I think the odds are pretty low of him banking on being able to get back a bike he'd sold 5 years ago by lying to bike register. On top of that, his response was what I'd expect: elation when he thought he was getting his bike back, indignance when I'd explained the parts attached to the bike belonged to me and grudging acceptance when I sent him photos of the bike compared to when I'd originally bought it. We're only talking a stock langster here btw, I'd be more suspicious if he was looking for £50 if the bike was worth £1000.
Anyway, maybe I'm a mug but tbh I couldn't be arsed to strip the bike and I'm fairly sure, whether he was the rightful owner or not, it's highly unlikely he'd bother to contact the police or transfer ownership if I started demanding crime ref numbers. Because I probably would think fuck it at that point if I was him.
Moral of the story appears to be don't purchase a second hand bike without the owner transferring the bike register details when you buy it if you don't want to be held hostage for £50.