An Arnold man was the victim of an alleged scam artist who reportedly used a fake cashier’s check to buy a pickup from him. Then, the suspect allegedly resold the pickup to a Park Hills man who ended up with a stolen vehicle that had to be returned, according to Arnold Police.
Police first became aware of the scam when an Arnold man, who lives in the 2700 block of Missouri Meadows Court, reported on Nov. 30 that a week earlier he had sold a 2014 Ford F-150 through Craigslist. However, the $26,000 cashier’s check the suspect used to buy the pickup turned out to be fraudulent, the police reported.
The suspect then met up with a 61-year-old Park Hills man in the parking lot of the Pear Tree Inn, 1201 Drury Lane, and sold him the pickup. For payment, the Park Hills man gave the alleged scammer his 2002 Ford F-250 and $3,400, the report said.
When the Park Hills man went to register the 2014 F-150, he discovered it had been reported stolen. The F-150 was recovered and returned to the Arnold man who had received the fraudulent cashier’s check, according to the report.
Authorities were able to track the Park Hills man’s 2002 F-250 to a construction company, which had purchased it from the same alleged scam artist for $6,000. The construction company paid the Park Hills man for the pickup, the report said.
The alleged scammer has also been linked to a similar incident that began in Washington and ended in Illinois. Because it is believed the suspect crossed state lines to fraudulently buy and sell vehicles, the crime is considered a federal offense, Lt. Clinton Wooldridge said.
Wooldridge said Arnold Police have turned over the case to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit membership organization created by the insurance industry to address insurance-related crimes, working closely with law enforcement agencies.