Fruitland Police Department Press Release

DATE & TIME OF INCIDENT: Feb thru March 7, 2009
TYPE OF INCIDENT: Attempted fraud
LOCATION OF INCIDENT: Fruitland, Maryland
VICTIM: Theodore Willette
CASE NO.: 2009-9197
ADDRESS: Fruitland, Maryland

On Friday, March 13, 2009, your writer, Detective Taylor spoke with Theodore Willette by telephone. Willette advised that he was the victim of an attempted fraud scheme over the internet.

He advised that he posted a computer monitor on the internet thru WBOC classifieds with a selling price of twenty-five dollars ($25.00). A person using the name Patrick Anderson later contacted Willette by email from the email address pat2pman@yahoo.com. This suspect requested to purchase the monitor and offered to send a check.

The suspect mailed Willette a company check from Gac Contractors out Panama City Florida for twenty-five hundred dollars ($2500.00). The letter containing the check mailed from Southern Connecticut. Willette deposited the check in his PNC bank account.

The suspect instructed Willette to keep the sale price twenty-five dollars ($25.00), and one-hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00) for his trouble and send back the unused portion by Money Gram. PNC bank contacted Willette that the check was a fraud. Willette did not return any money to the suspect.

I contacted the business of Gac Contractors. A representative of that business advised that the company is aware of the attempted fraud, that the account has no money in it and flagged for fraud. Arrest have been made in several other states relating to this type of mail /check fraud.