Things just didn’t add up for a 23-year-old Oxford man who was trying to sell his 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The man had listed his Jeep for sale in state-wide automobile trader magazine for $9,500 and was contacted via e-mail by a man from Dublin, Ireland by the name of “John Peter.” “Mr. Peter” said he saw the advertisement in the magazine, liked what he saw and would send a certified check.
According to Oakland County Sheriff Department reports, the check from the Republic Bank in Florida arrived in the mail, but was for the amount of $17,000. “Mr. Peter” told the Oxford man to use the check to purchase his vehicle and to please send a cashier’s check for the balance of $7,500, to one “Mofoken Morena.” “Mofoken” was the man who would ship the vehicle overseas for “Mr. Peter.”
The Oxford man’s suspicions were piqued when he looked at the address he was to mail the check to and at the post mark on the original envelope. While the original envelope was post marked from Georgia, the return address was to Pennsylvania.
Several calls to the Republic Bank in Florida concluded the $17,000 cashiers check was bogus and that in fact the bank had had a problem with somebody counterfeiting their checks.
The Oxford man, who did not send any check to “Mofoken” contacted the Sheriff’s Department. The case remains open as an investigation ensues.