MANALAPAN – A Manalapan resident who believed he was purchasing a vehicle through an online transaction wound up being defrauded out of $24,500, according to police.
Police said that on Aug. 11, the 35-year-old male resident visited police headquarters to report that he attempted to purchase a vehicle online and was defrauded out of $24,500.
According to Capt. Thomas Barstow, the man initiated the sale with an individual and wired money through United Teletech Financial Federal Credit Union in Tinton Falls to a TD Bank account in New York.
Barstow said the transfer was made in mid-July and the vehicle was scheduled to be delivered to the Manalapan resident during the first week of August. The vehicle was never received by the resident and an attempt to contact the seller went unanswered, according to the captain.
In other incidents reported by police:
• On Aug. 8 at 1:40 p.m., a 47-year-old male resident of Manalapan reported an incident of fraud. The man told police he was defrauded out of $1,448 from the sale of a batting cage through Craigslist. He said he sold the batting cage for $500, but received a check from the purchaser in the amount of $1,950. The resident sent the overage ($1,450) back through a wire transfer, only to realize the original check subsequently bounced and that he had lost his money.
• On Aug. 11 at 9:44 a.m., a 33-year-old male resident of Manalapan reported an incident of bank fraud to police. The man said unknown individuals used fraudulent checks to remove about $12,000 from two of his bank accounts.
• On Aug. 11 at 2:53 p.m., Patrolman Ross Dessel responded to a Wickatunk Road residence for a theft report. A resident reported that jewelry valued at approximately $7,850 was stolen from his home between May and Aug. 11.
• On Aug. 12, police were informed that during the overnight hours of Aug. 11-12, two vehicles that were parked on the same driveway on Terence Drive were entered and items valued at $560 were removed from the vehicles. Terence Drive is in a residential development off Tennent Road.