A scam involving what appeared to be a genuine farm equipment salesman cost a Colorado farmer $20,000 and derailed plans for a long-awaited home.
Here’s what you need to know
Steve Hunt, a 74-year-old Calhan man, said the backhoe he tried to buy never showed up.
According to 11 News, Hunt sent $20,000 to a site using the name Platte Machinery Group.
“We ran into the exact backhoe we were looking for,” said Hunt. “It was the price range we wanted, $20,000.”
When the machine never arrived, Hunt said he kept in touch with the supposed seller and eventually drove to the Denver address listed on the website. “He went up there and found an empty lot,” he told 11 News.
“It’s gone,” Hunt said of the money. “The deputy said that as soon as the money reached the bank, it was immediately transferred abroad.”
He said even his bank treated the payment as legitimate.
“They thought it was legitimate until I filed the claim,” she told 11 News.
The website is now offline and a phone call to a number posted with it could not be completed.
More background
The outlet reported that Platte Machinery Group’s name resembled Platte Implement Co., a legitimate farm equipment business in South Dakota.
As they prepare to build their 37-acre property, Hunt said he and his wife have been living in an RV.
“Me and the wife have dreamed about this for a long time,” Hunt told 11 News. “… My build at this point is delayed five to seven years, maybe even longer depending on my finances.”
What can be done?
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said the case remains under investigation and Hunt said he is paying his bank.
“It hurts my heart that this happened,” she told 11 News.
Still waiting for a solution.
“If anyone knows or has heard of Platte Machinery Group, they can come to the sheriff’s office and maybe we can do something,” he said, according to 11 News.
Where can I learn more?
The following stories cover similar scams that can derail grand plans.
• In Washington, residents lost $673,000 in three days to a walk-in scammer demanding money and gold.
• Buyers can miss vacant land red flags with cheap property listings.
• In North Carolina, a man nearing retirement lost $753,000 in a crypto “pig butcher” scam.
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