By Shermain Bique-Charles
Victims of a Trinidadian man who reportedly scammed them out of thousands of dollars are appealing for help from both police and Immigration after he disappeared with their hard-earned cash.
Five residents have so far reported being scammed by the man who apparently promised them he would purchase vehicles from Japan on their behalf.
The man, who has several aliases including Jason, Ricardo, Jaheem, and Lewis, is said to have arrived in the country in April with his wife, according to his former landlord Garth Tyson.
Tyson claimed that the man disappeared with his EC$30,000 after he loaned him the money to clear a vehicle from the port.
“He was renting a room in my house. He came in April. He and his wife. I didn’t need a vehicle but he told me that he had a vehicle coming and needed to clear it.
“He told me he is a major car importer and he would repay me once the vehicle was sold. He scammed me again by transferring money from my account to his wife’s account,” Tyson said.
He said he realised the money was missing and contacted his bank which showed him a transaction from someone he didn’t know.
“He never gave me his real name it seems, because the name on the document at the bank is not the same name that I have for him. When the bank gave me the information, I went on Facebook and looked for the person’s name and his picture showed up. I couldn’t believe it,” Tyson told Observer.
Tyson went on to say that he saw dozens of bank cards in the man’s possession, which made him very suspicious and concerned.
“He showed me information with about 100 credit cards and debit cards from people. Two days after, I removed him from my house because I realised this man was a scammer and I did not want to get into that kind of stuff.
“I realised something is not right. I worked at the Central Bank in Trinidad for 30 years and I realised this was serious,” he added.
Tyson said he has since made countless reports to the police’s Criminal Investigations Department which he believes is currently investigating the matter.
“I went to the CID on September 15th, I came back to them on Sunday gone. I have also gone to the Immigration Department to seek redress. The police said they are investigating the matter.
“The police have all the information about how he scammed me and the other people here. I don’t know where he is. He has done that to a lot of people, the same thing,” Tyson told Observer.
Meanwhile, a woman who asked to remain anonymous, claimed she was scammed out of EC$10,000. She said the man promised to order a vehicle on her behalf and she has not been able to contact him since.
“I just feel so ashamed that I can believe this man. He told me he would order me a vehicle. I believed him. I asked him, how can I get a vehicle so cheap? He said it was because he liked me,” the woman said.
Police could not be reached for comment on the matter.