Theft by Deception

DATE & TIME: 06-05-2019 @ 1530

LOCATION: Rural Beatrice

OFFENSE: Theft by Deception

CASE #: 2019-2886

A businessman from rural Beatrice contacted the Gage County Sheriff’s Office to report a fraudulent transaction resulting in his losing over $1,500.00. The victim spoke with an investigator at the sheriff’s office and stated that a few months ago he placed an ad to sell two bovine on a cattle website. On 05-06-2019 he started receiving text messages from a person interested in purchasing the cattle. After numerous text message exchanges, an agreement was reached for the suspect to purchase two cattle for $2,500.00. He also arranged to have the cattle picked up at the Beatrice 77 Livestock Sales on the north end of Beatrice. 

The suspect mailed a check from The Bank of New York Mellon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the account holder being Exlean Generation Comp., in the amount of $5,200.00 to the victim. The suspect then, via text messages, told the victim the truck drivers wanted to be paid, so he had to send $1,500.00 via Wal-Mart money gram to a "Carolyn Ann Dew" to a Wal-Mart in North Carolina. The victim went to the Wal-Mart in Beatrice on Saturday, 06-01-2019 and sent $1,500.00, plus $16.00 in fees, for a total of $1,516.00 via Wal-Mart money order.

On Wednesday, 06-05-2019, he was told by bank officials in Beatrice that the check was cancelled. He has been unable to retrieve his $1,500.00 from the suspect. This is a modus operandi of this type of scam, i.e. the suspect sends a check and before it clears the bank, the victim has already sent the suspect cash or money order or some other type of payment.

The victim states the suspect is still text messaging him, stating he needs another $1,000.00 to be sent to a Brittany Bryant in order to have the truck drivers come pick up the cattle. The victim stated he understood this was a fraud and to not accept any other type of payment from the suspect, who he talked to one time and described as having a foreign accent, possibly from India.

Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson #903

Investigator T. Hanson #90310