Indiana Car Sellers Beware
GARY, IN - On December 6th, Indiana State Police Detectives Scott Krueger and Alva Whited arrested a Gary man for bilking unsuspecting car sellers out of their vehicles.
The Indiana State Police received information in September 2007 of a man who had contacted someone from the Sellersburg area who had put his personal car up for sale on an on line auto sales web site. They exchanged e-mails and eventually phone numbers. A meeting place and price of $24,000 for the vehicle was given. The seller was given a cashier's check in exchange for his 2005 Chrysler 300. The seller later found out that the check was fraudulent He also found out that the information given to him by the buyer was not his but that of an unsuspecting individual from Lowell, Indiana.
In October 2007 a Hebron, Indiana man was contacted by e-mail by this same individual after listing his 2003 Hummer on an on-line auto sales web site. This time the buyer came to his home and gave him a cashier's check for $35,000 for the vehicle. That check too was found out later to be fraudulent and the information given was that of the unsuspecting Lowell man.
Upon talking to the identity theft victim from Lowell, Detective Scott Krueger discovered another victim. This victim was from Jackson, Michigan and had contacted the Lowell man because his cashier's check for $26,000 for his 1998 Lincoln Navigator was also found to be fraudulent. Krueger notes that the Navigator has some very distinguishable markings on it as described by the seller.
Another victim from Chesterton, Indiana reported that in November 2007 he too was taken for $9,800 for his 1998 Mercedes ML 320. All the victims describe the same individual, black male, very well groomed and dressed, always driving a high end vehicle. He always made his transactions over the week-end or holidays when the banks were closed. He also gave each seller their asking price for their vehicle never negotiating a lower price.
Through the course of the investigation Krueger discovered that this same person was making fraudulent purchases through a particular web site and having those purchases delivered to an abandoned house on Johnson Street in Gary. Krueger and Whited while canvassing this area discover a 1998 Lincoln Navigator matching the one described by the victim in Michigan. This vehicle was parked across the street from the abandoned house. There was also a 2006 Lincoln pick-up with Ohio plates in the driveway that was later discovered to be involved in these same scams.
The residents of this home were identified and one of those matched
the description of the buyer. A photo line-up was conducted and BRANDON J. MOODY, 24 of Gary, Indiana was identified as the buyer.
A search warrant was conducted on December 6th, 2007, and Moody was arrested and charged at the Porter County Jail for 2 counts of Forgery C Felonies, 2 counts of Auto Theft D Felonies and one count of Identity Deception D Felony.
During the course of the warrant more fraudulent cashier's checks were found already made out with people's names and dollar amounts on them. Hand written notes were also found listing information from past and future victims. It is believed Moody may have been involved in at least 20 of these fraudulent vehicle buys since September 2007. It is also believed that his victims came from not only Indiana but Illinois, Ohio and Michigan.
It is not known at this time what Moody did with these vehicles or where they went after purchasing them.
Detective Krueger stated, "Anyone who is selling their vehicle on-line needs to realize that there is no fool proof method of conducting business. If you need to sell your vehicle this way plan ahead. Meet the buyer at the bank during business hours, hopefully this will help in ensuring that the check is legitimate and will clear. Also if someone is contacting you about purchasing your vehicle and does not negotiate an asking price, be wary if it seems too good, it probably is. Also try to verify the buyer's information, his address and telephone number."
If anyone knows or believes they may have been a victim of this individual please contact Detective Scott Krueger at 219-696-6242.
This is an on-going case and further charges are pending.
Source: Indiana State Police
