Smokey and the Bandit Scam
citizen-times.com
Asheville, NC
AG: Buncombe man scammed 'Bandit' car lovers
Alleged scam centered on 1970s Trans Ams
Jun. 3, 2013
Written by
Sabian Warren
ASHEVILLE - A Buncombe County man is in trouble with the law after authorities say he duped classic Pontiac Trans Am lovers from around the world out of an estimated $2.2 million.
Robert Allen McElreath is accused of advertising auto sales and restoration work online, accepting advance payments and never completing the work he promised, according to N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper's office.
The scheme involved the classic Trans Ams made popular by the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit."
Last week, a Wake County Superior Court judge approved Cooper's request for a temporary restraining order against McElreath and his businesses - Build-a-Bandit, Pick a Pony, Pontiac Pros, Common Man Classic Hot Rods and Discount Automotive Classic Restorations - with addresses listed in Black Mountain and Fairview. Cooper is seeking to permanently ban the company from auto restoration work in North Carolina and win refunds for consumers and civil penalties.
McElreath also faces arrest on related felony charges. Twenty-six warrants have been issued against him for obtaining property by false pretenses. Investigators believe he has left the state to avoid arrest.
Family members at his home on Ward Drive in Fairview could not be reached Monday.
Since June 2012, Cooper's Consumer Protection Division has received 52 written complaints from consumers from as far away as Australia who signed contracts with McElreath for automobile restoration but never got what they were promised. Based on information gathered during the investigation, since 2009 consumers have paid more than $2.2 million to McElreath for restorations that were never satisfactorily completed.
Internet auctions
According to Cooper's complaint, McElreath advertised his "Smokey and the Bandit" cars on Internet auction sites such as eBay. Consumers who bid on restored Bandit cars at auction but didn't win got a follow-up call from McElreath offering them a car at a discounted price.
Consumers who signed a written contract were asked to wire thousands of dollars before work could begin. Once the wire transfer went through, consumers reported that they had trouble reaching McElreath and very little work, if any, ever got done. Consumers complained that they never got their cars and couldn't get their money back.
Natalie Bailey, Buncombe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said detectives from her office have been involved in the investigation, but none of the victims of the scam were from this area.
'A bucket list item'
Shortly after Ed Thompson discovered he had developed a debilitating neurological disease last spring, he decided to buy his dream car, a 1978 "Smokey and the Bandit" Trans Am.
His wife, Carol, said her husband found the restored Burt Reynolds special-edition car, black with gold trim, in an eBay advertisement and contacted the seller, McElreath.
"A Trans Am was a childhood dream and a bucket list item," Carol Thompson said. "He drooled over that car."
The Thompsons, of Acworth, Ga., paid McElreath $15,000 up-front for the car, but Carol Thompaon said her husband never got to see it. He died unexpectedly three days later of a heart ailment at age 39.
"My husband died thinking this guy was the greatest guy on Earth," she said.
After her husband's death, Thompson let McElreath know she still wanted the car for her son and father-in-law. But after several weeks went by without hearing from him, Thompson said she became suspicious and starting searching online for information about him.
Numerous complaints
What she found was disheartening. Through online message boards, she connected with up to 100 people who had lost money to McElreath, she said.
Corresponding by email because she couldn't reach him by phone, Thompson told McElreath she no longer wanted the car and instead wanted her money back. She even made a trip to his Black Mountain shop to try to see him, but he wasn't there.
McElreath finally agreed to repay the money, and in August he sent her $2,000, promising the rest soon. But nearly a year later, he still hasn't repaid the $13,000.
"It's absolutely 100 percent criminal - criminal intent from the very beginning," Thompson said.
****************************************************************
Here is the con man's web site: http://www.build-a-bandit.com/
He has 4 or 5 web sites, one is named Pick a Pony.
Asheville, NC
AG: Buncombe man scammed 'Bandit' car lovers
Alleged scam centered on 1970s Trans Ams
Jun. 3, 2013
Written by
Sabian Warren
ASHEVILLE - A Buncombe County man is in trouble with the law after authorities say he duped classic Pontiac Trans Am lovers from around the world out of an estimated $2.2 million.
Robert Allen McElreath is accused of advertising auto sales and restoration work online, accepting advance payments and never completing the work he promised, according to N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper's office.
The scheme involved the classic Trans Ams made popular by the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit."
Last week, a Wake County Superior Court judge approved Cooper's request for a temporary restraining order against McElreath and his businesses - Build-a-Bandit, Pick a Pony, Pontiac Pros, Common Man Classic Hot Rods and Discount Automotive Classic Restorations - with addresses listed in Black Mountain and Fairview. Cooper is seeking to permanently ban the company from auto restoration work in North Carolina and win refunds for consumers and civil penalties.
McElreath also faces arrest on related felony charges. Twenty-six warrants have been issued against him for obtaining property by false pretenses. Investigators believe he has left the state to avoid arrest.
Family members at his home on Ward Drive in Fairview could not be reached Monday.
Since June 2012, Cooper's Consumer Protection Division has received 52 written complaints from consumers from as far away as Australia who signed contracts with McElreath for automobile restoration but never got what they were promised. Based on information gathered during the investigation, since 2009 consumers have paid more than $2.2 million to McElreath for restorations that were never satisfactorily completed.
Internet auctions
According to Cooper's complaint, McElreath advertised his "Smokey and the Bandit" cars on Internet auction sites such as eBay. Consumers who bid on restored Bandit cars at auction but didn't win got a follow-up call from McElreath offering them a car at a discounted price.
Consumers who signed a written contract were asked to wire thousands of dollars before work could begin. Once the wire transfer went through, consumers reported that they had trouble reaching McElreath and very little work, if any, ever got done. Consumers complained that they never got their cars and couldn't get their money back.
Natalie Bailey, Buncombe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said detectives from her office have been involved in the investigation, but none of the victims of the scam were from this area.
'A bucket list item'
Shortly after Ed Thompson discovered he had developed a debilitating neurological disease last spring, he decided to buy his dream car, a 1978 "Smokey and the Bandit" Trans Am.
His wife, Carol, said her husband found the restored Burt Reynolds special-edition car, black with gold trim, in an eBay advertisement and contacted the seller, McElreath.
"A Trans Am was a childhood dream and a bucket list item," Carol Thompson said. "He drooled over that car."
The Thompsons, of Acworth, Ga., paid McElreath $15,000 up-front for the car, but Carol Thompaon said her husband never got to see it. He died unexpectedly three days later of a heart ailment at age 39.
"My husband died thinking this guy was the greatest guy on Earth," she said.
After her husband's death, Thompson let McElreath know she still wanted the car for her son and father-in-law. But after several weeks went by without hearing from him, Thompson said she became suspicious and starting searching online for information about him.
Numerous complaints
What she found was disheartening. Through online message boards, she connected with up to 100 people who had lost money to McElreath, she said.
Corresponding by email because she couldn't reach him by phone, Thompson told McElreath she no longer wanted the car and instead wanted her money back. She even made a trip to his Black Mountain shop to try to see him, but he wasn't there.
McElreath finally agreed to repay the money, and in August he sent her $2,000, promising the rest soon. But nearly a year later, he still hasn't repaid the $13,000.
"It's absolutely 100 percent criminal - criminal intent from the very beginning," Thompson said.
****************************************************************
Here is the con man's web site: http://www.build-a-bandit.com/
He has 4 or 5 web sites, one is named Pick a Pony.
0
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Consumers who signed a written contract were asked to wire thousands of dollars before work could begin. Once the wire transfer went through, consumers reported that they had trouble reaching McElreath and very little work, if any, ever got done.
Imagine that. Always investigate and get references if someone is going to do your work.0 -
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
Consumers who signed a written contract were asked to wire thousands of dollars before work could begin. Once the wire transfer went through, consumers reported that they had trouble reaching McElreath and very little work, if any, ever got done.
Imagine that. Always investigate and get references if someone is going to do your work.
+10
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