The Columbia Police Department’s (CPD) Property Crimes investigators have outstanding arrest warrants for a 43-year-old man accused of swindling two victims out of thousands of dollars.
Once arrested, Bradley Donald Smith (DOB: 1-22-1975) will be charged with Obtaining Goods/Property Under False Pretenses.
The pending charges stem from two incidents that occurred last month. During a phone conversation, Smith allegedly convinced the victims that they could purchase cars for a lower-than-retail-price.
One victim wanted to purchase a 2018 Honda Accord for $7,800; the other victim, a 2017 Volkswagon GTI for $5,320.
In each case, Smith is accused of convincing the male victims to deposit money into his bank account in exchange for the vehicles. In the end, Smith failed to deliver the vehicles as promised and instead kept the cash.
Police Chief Skip Holbrook would like to offer these following tips to prevent scams:
- Don’t pay upfront for a promise / guarantee
- Consider payment with fraud protection
- Don’t deposit a check to a stranger’s bank account
- Be skeptical of ‘too good to be true’ offers
- Report suspected scammers to police immediately
Citizens with information about the crime are encouraged to contact Crimestoppers in any ways:
CALL toll-free, 888-CRIME-SC.
LOG onto: www.midlandscrimestoppers.com, and click on the red “Submit a tip” tab.
DOWNLOAD the new P3 Tips App for Apple or Android devices.