Athens resident who wanted to purchase tractor online faces possibility of losing $23,000
The 46-year-old man, who said he recently moved to Commerce, filed a fraud complaint with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department on May 2.
The report shows the man, who at the time lived in Athens, had on April 1 located a 2022 Kubota tractor offered for sale by a man in Orlando, Florida. Before agreeing to the sale the victim reported he carefully searched and found the man's business on the Florida Division of Corporations.
The suspect sent him a bill of sale on April 3, but the victim waited until April 7 to initiate the wire transfer of the money, which he conducted at his personal bank in Athens. The Florida man told him the tractor should arrive at his home on April 11, according to the report.
But on that day, another bank handling the transaction for the Florida man reached out to the victim's bank to 'share suspicions and concerns about the recipient of the $23,000.'
Upon hearing this, the victim reported he immediately wanted to cancel the transaction and the Florida man's bank gave him seven days to cancel the transaction while they held the funds, the report shows.
On the same day, the victim completed the documents and sent it to the bank, but when the victim went to his personal bank on April 18, he discovered his money was not in his account.
He made inquiries, but the other bank didn't respond until April 29 and then only to notify him that the money had already been released to the Florida seller.
In an interview Wednesday, the man, who asked his name not be used, said the two banks are no longer communicating with each other.
'I have filed a Better Business Bureau complaint,' he said.
As far as the suspect, he said he had checked the background on the Florida man, who recently had his LLC (limited liability company) renewed. However, he has been unable to reach the tractor seller through e-mail and numerous telephone calls.
The man is disappointed in the bank's behavior as he said he completed all the information they requested to have the transaction stopped.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Man hoping banks in Athens can recoup his $23,000 in tractor scam
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