By CASEY NEILL
A CONMAN is $9000 richer and on the run after pulling off a tyre swindle in Dandenong.
Greater Dandenong CIU Detective Senior Constable Jamie Cummings said a man on Tuesday 26 October offered to sell truck tyres to TCB Transport.
“The owner regularly deals with sales reps in relation to tyres and presumed this was legitimate,” he said.
“He told the offender to re-attend with the tyres and he would accept the offer.”
The swindler called Goodride Tyres in Huntingdale, said he was the TCB manager and ordered 72 truck tyres to be delivered to TCB on Thursday 29 October – a $22,800 purchase.
At 9.40am he flagged down the Goodride delivery truck driver outside TCB and climbed aboard.
Det Sen Const Cummings said the driver spoke limited English.
“The driver is in no way a suspect,” he said.
“He’s been swept up in it without realising.”
The driver pulled the truck into the property and the conman got out, told the business owner the tyres he’d ordered had arrived and requested $9000 payment.
“The owner has written out a $9000 cheque made out to cash,” Det Sen Const Cummings said.
The conman helped the driver and TCB factory workers unload the tyres, said the truck driver had no identification to cash the cheque and asked a TCB worker to accompany him to the bank.
The driver and a TCB worker went to ANZ in Lynbrook, returned and handed the cash to the conman, who left the scene in a gold-coloured SUV, possibly a Toyota Land Cruiser 2000 series.
“At no point was his actions questioned by any parties involved,” Det Sen Const Cummings said.
He said TCB had returned the tyres and Goodride had reimbursed TCB the $9000.
Det Sen Const Cummings urged anyone with information or who had fallen victim to a similar scam to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
