Pair use fake checks to steal ATVs worth $15K

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A Miami-Dade man is offering a warning after a couple of crooks got away with the ATVs that he was trying to sell.

What Mike Aguiar thought was going to be a legitimate sale of his two ATVs turned out to be anything but.

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“In total, it was $15,000,” he said. “That’s what it totaled at both checks. It did set me back.”

Aguiar told Local 10 News’ Roy Ramos he first posted the ATVs on Facebook Marketplace and got what he thought was an interested buyer.

That’s when he said a man and woman showed up to his home in Homestead with a U-Haul truck.

Home surveillance video from a neighbor shows one man test driving the 4-wheelers up and down the street before Aguiar and a friend helped the couple load them into the truck.

Not long after the two took off, but it was when Aguiar went and deposited the cashier checks that the crime came to light.

“The bank called me and said I had to come in, and they thought I was doing fraud,” he said.

Fortunately, he was able to reopen his account after filing a police report, but by then his vehicles were gone.

“Hopefully we get to catch these guys,” said Aguiar, who offered advice to future sellers. “Cash only. It doesn’t matter if they are old, young, whatever they look like cash only.”

Miami-Dade police said the crime wasn’t a trend, just another avenue for thieves.

They also said when dealing with checks, it’s also best to meet your buyer at the bank to make sure that check clears and is legit.

As for Aguiar, he said he also should have done the deal at a secure location, like a police department.

Anyone who recognizes anything from the surveillance video that could help authorities is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.


About the Author
Roy Ramos headshot

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School, Homestead Senior High School and graduated from St. Thomas University.

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