Scammer poses as local resident to “sell” classic cars

Scams of sorts are becoming more prevalent, but it’s not just through email or over the phone, asking for money or threatening legal action if you don’t come through. For example, one such scam operation was recently discovered in Cadott.

A concerned citizen got the ball rolling, when they called Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes, March 3, about a website claiming to have classic automobiles for sale in Cadott.

“I was unable to view the website on my county-issued device, due to known spam filter,” said Hakes.

That, of course, was a red flag, so he was able to view the website on his personal device. On that website, it claimed to be a local dealer in Cadott. There, Hakes observed several collector classic cars, at prices far below the market value, including a 1969 Camaro, listed for sale.

“I immediately noticed that in the first paragraph of the vehicle description, they state, ‘here at Skyway Classics,’” said Hakes. “The website indicated it was at a business, not called ‘Skyway Classics.’” Hakes called the business phone number listed online of 534-210-1060 and spoke with an “Andrew,” who indicated he worked for the dealership. While speaking with “Andrew,” Hakes was informed that the dealership found good deals on classic cars, then resold them to the public.

“Andrew” said the dealership would “hold” the vehicle for Hakes, for up to two weeks, if he wired them 20 percent of the purchase price ($4,000) as a down payment. If, in two weeks, Hakes did not complete the purchase of the vehicle, they would refund the deposit.

“Andrew informed me that for a mere approximately $250, they would ship me the car to an address in Illinois (I provided them with a zip code),” said Hakes.

Hakes was sent a video of what appeared to be the Camaro, running and a walk-around while the car was running.

“Andrew seemed to answer questions about the vehicle in a generic form, but when he answered specifics, it appeared to conflict with the information posted online,” said Hakes.

Hakes then notified the Eau Claire FBI field office and the matter was discussed and the website was reported to the Federal Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

“I then contacted Andrew to obtain the bank information on where to wire the deposit to,” said Hakes.

Andrew shared that the business has an account with Bank of America, with a company address in Cadott, and bank address of 100 North Tryon St., Charlotte, N.C. 28255. Hakes also notified Bank of America about the suspected fraudulent activity associated with this account.

“I then called Andrew and informed him that I knew he did not have a dealership, he assured me that he did,” said Hakes. “I informed him that I lived locally and had driven by, and I confirmed the dealership did not exist as he claimed.”

Naturally, because it is a scam, Andrew hung up on Hakes.

“I informed Andrew, via text message, that I was the local sheriff and that I was disappointed he was attempting to scam people in our area,” said Hakes. “I think it is imperative that we share this information with the public.”

Scams come in all shapes, sizes and formats. This particular scam involving the Camaro was fairly detailed, however, there are a few key things to watch for while looking for a scam:

• Does it seem too good to be true?

• Would a reasonable person, educated in the area, believe it?

• Pay attention to the details. Verify names, addresses, phone numbers.

• Ask for specific details to verify with an outside source.

• Contact law enforcement, a bank or someone trustworthy, to ask their opinion.

• Do not send money or personal information, unless it’s been verified with a trusted person.

“Sometimes, the scams happen to our residents and sometimes, the scammers pretend to reside here,” said Hakes. “Either way, our office is committed to proactively addressing public safety and grateful we could raise awareness in this matter. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office to report anything you feel is suspicious.”