14 farmers victim of a wooden cheque scam
On Wednesday 14 October 2020, an investigation by the Hautes-Pyrénées gendarmes led to the arrest and subsequent indictment of an individual, a livestock dealer, presumed to be the mastermind of the scam. He is suspected of being behind a trafficking operation between France and Belgium, which is believed to have claimed 14 victims. He is currently being held in Tarbes prison. The victims include farmers from several departments in the Occitanie region. However, the individual did not act alone. According to the president of the group of farmers who were victims of the scam, some of their alleged accomplices are still at large.
Suspect already known for fraud and animal theft
Investigators from the gendarmerie in Vignec, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, have been conducting an investigation for 3 months now, and in the process have put a stop to a vast trade in ruminants, sheep and cattle, between France and Belgium. It all began this summer, on 14 July 2020, when a collective complaint was lodged by François Vichard, the current president of the collective of swindled farmers. On 20 August 2020, La France Agricole reported on livestock sales scams.
Two months later, on Wednesday 14 October 2020, Denis. C, a livestock dealer, was arrested and taken into custody. The septuagenarian is suspected of being the mastermind behind this vast livestock purchasing scam. The individual, who had already been convicted in a similar case in 2015 for swindling and stealing animals, was arrested and then remanded in custody at the Tarbes prison.
The investigation, led by the Tarbes public prosecutor's office for several weeks, targeted the company, which is believed to be based in the Oise region. According to the Tarbes deputy public prosecutor, investigations are continuing with the aim of identifying all the victims of the scam, of whom there are many.
Fake livestock buyers on ad sites
In this case, the scammers found their victims on online ad sites. Their target was livestock farmers from several departments in the Occitanie region. For example, cattle and sheep farmers in the departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Ariège and Cantal. In all, there were around fifteen victims.
The trafficking of animals to livestock markets in Belgium was planned down to the last detail. Starting with a payment scam. After spotting their victims on websites such as Leboncoin or Agriaffaires, the scammers contacted them by telephone, pretending to be professional buyers. This was done via the company in question in the Oise region, Paris Bétail. Once the initial contact had been made, the swindlers would visit the farm to begin negotiations for the livestock transaction. During the negotiations, the swindlers put forward a purchase price higher than the market price. Using the pretext of having an order to fill, they were in favour of the farmer's price. Attracted by the purchase price offered by the bogus buyers, the breeder fell for the scam.
Animals stolen and farmers never paid
And it was at the end of the transaction, when the cattle were loaded, that the farmer received a false payment. A wooden cheque. For your information, a bad cheque is a false means of payment because the buyers pay with a bad cheque, i.e. without having the funds in their bank account. This means that the seller never receives the money. The victims of the scam therefore found themselves in this delicate situation, where it was impossible for them to turn around.
With the help of accomplices, the cattle were stolen and transported to Belgium, where the farmers were not paid. According to the victims' collective, the amount stolen from them during the affair could reach €180,000. The group represents around fifteen victims, but there are still many who do not wish to come forward for fear of reprisals, as the swindlers are said to have been threatening towards them.
The president of the collective of farmers who have fallen victim to fraud has announced that all types of animals (horses, cattle, sheep, etc.) were involved in the case. If you have been a victim of this scam, contact your local gendarmerie and they will tell you how to lodge a complaint.
Beware of cheque scams
These days, bank cheques are unfortunately easy to forge. They are therefore a means of payment regularly used by fraudsters for transactions between individuals. That's why it's so important to be careful and choose a secure payment method to avoid any scams! Obvy is a secure payment solution that acts as a trusted third party to ensure that transactions between private individuals are carried out with complete peace of mind. You can buy and/or sell on classified ad sites such as Leboncoin using Obvy as your secure payment method, which guarantees protection against fraud and the possibility of recourse in the event of a problem.