WATSONVILLE – A woman using a bad check and a phony ID purchased a $5,500 van from a used car dealership last month, police reported.
Police are considering the incident a stolen vehicle because the van was obtained through false pretenses, Sgt. Saul Gonzalez of Watsonville police said.
The woman went to Gary Auto Sales on Freedom Boulevard on Valentine’s Day and bought a 1999 Dodge Caravan using a fictitious check for $2,000, a fake California ID that said she was 33 years old and phony personal references, police reported.
The dealership reported the fraud Monday morning.
“Maybe when they cashed the check they realized it was fictitious,” Gonzalez said. “ It seems like these people accepted everything and checked it later.”
The van has been listed as a stolen vehicle. If caught, the woman could be charged with burglary, vehicle theft, forging an ID and passing a bad check, according to police.
Gonzalez recommended businesses and people selling items be cautious when dealing with large transactions.
“They just have to check out all the references and the banks,” he said, adding that those inquiries should be made before the sale is complete. “If they have any doubts they should contact us.”
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2 responses so far ↓
Carl bendix // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:35 pm
That’s how long it took for the bank to realize that the check was a phony. Would “telecheck” have helped? Maybe, if she had a negative history. Otherwise, maybe not.
Wescruz // Mar 3, 2009 at 4:08 pm
She is probably in Mexico by now.
With all the trouble they are having I’m sure they aren’t going to be looking for a stolen van from gringo land.
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