Kennesaw police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man allegedly involved in an eBay fraud.
The victim, a man from Ruskin, Fla., told Kennesaw police that he had bid on a 1969 Dodge Charger on eBay Motors from a seller going by the name of Linda Caragan.
After placing the winning bid of $12,860, the victim was contacted by a George Hallmatt, who told him he was Caragan’s attorney, Kennesaw police spokesman Scott Luther said.
“Mr. Hallmatt explained to the victim how and where to wire the money for the final purchase,” Luther said in an e-mail.
Luther said the victim was instructed to wire the money to a SunTrust account in Hallmatt’s name.
“The victim did just as he was advised to do and hasn’t seen the vehicle he purchased and all correspondence has stopped with Mr. Hallmatt,” Luther said. “After the initial investigation, it was determined that the bank account was opened with a fraudulent passport.”
Police on Monday released a bank surveillance photo of a white male in his late 50s to early 60s, 5 feet, 9 to 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing about 190 pounds.
“Detectives are asking for the public’s help in identifying this person and where he could be located,” Luther said. “It is believed that the male in the picture is ‘Mr. George Hallmatt,’ but at this point of the investigation we are unsure.”
He asked that anyone recognizing the man in the photo call investigators at 770-429-4533, ext. 3031.
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