DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — After being scammed out of $45,000, a retired Oklahoma firefighter is demanding that federal law enforcement agencies do more to protect Americans.
Matthew Hobson told News 2 that he wired the money, thinking he was buying his childhood dream car: a classic 1968 Chevy Camaro. However, it’s been nothing but a nightmare for him.
This story lines up almost exactly with that of a man from Dickson County, Tennessee, who was reportedly tricked by a Romanian crime syndicate into wiring $50,000 for a classic Ford Bronco that was not really for sale.
The 54-year-old Oklahoma man told News 2 over the phone that he is a cauldron of emotions after wiring money that he had saved up for most of his professional life. He described the situation as horrible, embarrassing, and shameful, adding that he’s angry he lost so much money.
Hobson is a retired Oklahoma firefighter of 25 years. Ever since he was a kid, he said he’s dreamed of owning a 1968 Chevy Camaro.
“I had a picture of this car on my wall since I was 12 years old,” he said.
When Hobson saw this classic car for sale online, he contacted the sellers.
“They sent me videos, they walked around the car; it was so professionally done,” he described.
Hobson said he did his due diligence investigating the car, the company, and the process for weeks. He added that the company seemed exceedingly professional, so he wired them $45,000 from his firefighting pension fund.
“I mean, it was texts, phone numbers, bill of ladings, bill of sales,” Hobson explained. “It couldn’t have been any more legit.”
After a lot of excuses about when the car would be delivered, the suspected scammers vanished. In one of his last calls to the representatives, Hobson said he voiced his extreme dissatisfaction.
“I told him on the phone I’d get him. I said, ‘You ripped me off. I promise I will find you, and I’m not going to stop until I do,'” he recalled.
According to Hobson, he called the FBI, who gave him a website to visit and won’t take his calls. He said he also called his local district attorney and sheriff’s department, but only his local police department is investigating the case.
Hobson reported authorities have traced the company to a location in Arizona, but that facility has not been in operation for some time. Like the fake Ford Bronco case in Middle Tennessee, Hobson said the feds won’t touch it.
News 2 asked Capt. Jennifer Caruthers with the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office about the lack of federal involvement. She said her investigative team would welcome an outside agency like the FBI or Homeland Security to get involved.
“Wouldn’t the FBI or ICE or Homeland Security be interested in a guy like this ripping off Americans?” News 2’s Andy Cordan asked.
“I would think so because he’s not by himself, and we would love for one of the federal agencies to pick up interest in this case,” Caruthers replied.
Caruthers showed News 2 evidence discovered in the phone of alleged syndicate member Vasile Suprovici, 28, who is accused of being involved in the scam of the Dickson County victim. He reportedly had close to 10 identifications and passports that even appeared realistic when passed under a black light.
Hobson said he is surprised federal agencies are not interested since the perpetrators appear to be syndicate members in this country illegally, passing forged documents and stealing easily millions of dollars from hardworking Americans like him.
“It is so hard to get anybody to care, to try, to investigate,” he said. “It’s no wonder they get away with this. It is so simple to do and absolutely almost impossible to get them. You don’t get any help.”
Hobson told News 2 he knows of at least 10 other victims scammed the same way.
News 2 reached out to the FBI on Wednesday, Dec. 18 if they plan to act on this case, but we’re still waiting on a response.
