After several reports in recent weeks, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office continues to warn residents about an online scam using rural Franklin County addresses to advertise boats, heavy equipment and other high-dollar items at attractive prices.
Sheriff Aaron Dodd tells RadioOnTheGo News residents need to stay vigilant as scammers continue to advertise items online that appear legitimate on major platforms.
“In this instance, it was a boat. This rural residence owner did not own a boat. He did not list a boat for sale,” Dodd says. “But what had actually happened is they had just copied part of his business name, used his address, and then phone number to make it look legitimate. They were requesting funds, which were sent to a different location to finalize the financial transaction. They were using a different phone number. But what made this unique is in one of the first that we’d heard of this scam is someone had shown up to this person’s residence and simply ask, ‘where’s my boat?’ The boat didn’t exist, but the funds had already been transferred and the crime was committed.”
Authorities say the listings have appeared on websites including Equipment Trader and Facebook Marketplace, but potential buyers are directed to professional-looking cloned websites designed to look like legitimate dealerships.
Items advertised have included boats, tractors and trailers, often at prices meant to attract quick buyers. In one reported case, a victim transferred more than $20,000 to a fictitious seller.
The Sheriff’s Office has received at least ten calls from concerned buyers across multiple states, including Texas, Montana, Indiana, Wisconsin and Florida. Some callers were verifying the business before purchasing, while others had already sent money. Dodd says this is another scam the public needs to be aware of, and that they should know how it works.
“For residents here, it does have a local connection to it, but what I really want to warn people is be careful what you’re purchasing, be careful who you’re wiring money to,” Dodd says. “I can sit back and kind of say to myself like, ‘oh, I would never do that. I would never fall for that.’ I would make sure I’m shaking your hand and putting the money in your hand and I have already previously looked at the item. It just kind of goes back to like this boat, it’s priced right. It’s priced probably 75 % of retail value. So it is something that somebody may advertise for this amount, but it’s just a little too good to be true. So we just have to be so wary of what we’re doing online.”
Dodd adds that buyers should independently verify sellers, avoid wiring money and contact local law enforcement before completing any high-dollar online transaction.
Full interview below
