Fake car dealership site costs Iowa man $25K
GILLETTE (WNE) — Another victim is out thousands of dollars, after falling for a duplicated website that’s posing as a used car dealership in Gillette.
A 73-year-old Iowa man told Sheriff’s deputies Monday morning that he tried to buy a Chevrolet Corvette for $25,000 from Wild West Enterprise, Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds said. The man said he wired the money to the company through a bank transfer but never received the car.
He found the website was a scam that’s using the name of a real used car dealer in Gillette named Wild West Enterprise. Deputies told the man to report the fraud to his local law enforcement in Sioux City, Iowa, as well as the FBI fraud division.
Similar fraud reports have been made to the Sheriff’s Office in the last month.
About a month ago, someone reported a duplicate of the company’s website with a phone number directing callers to a scammer. A week later, an 80-year-old Washington man lost $56,000 when he paid for what he believed would be two vehicles from the fake site.
In early April, a 61-year-old South Carolina woman nearly lost $56,700 when she tried buying a Chevrolet Chevelle from someone she contacted through the duplicated website. The woman wired the money but had her bank cancel the transfer before it went through.
The business has posted scam alerts on its Facebook and reports of each incident have also been made to the FBI.
This story was published on April 16, 2024.
