BBB CSAL Warning: Investigators dig into heavy equipment scam after consumers report fraud

Being clever is nothing new for a scammer, but the degree of cleverness is not static. Scammers can steal someone’s identity to open credit cards or file taxes, but they can also steal the identity of a business to defraud people of their hard-earned money. Better Business Serving Central and South Alabama learned of scammers doing just that in what BBB CSAL officials say is one of the craftiest scams they have ever seen. 

After receiving numerous BBB Scam Tracker reports and customer reviews, BBB CSAL officials opened an investigation on a business claiming to be Stephens Truck & Equipment in Millbrook, AL. According to the business’s website, they sold used equipment such as Bobcats, tractors, bulldozers, and other heavy equipment. Consumers who left reviews on the business’s BBB Business profile and made BBB Scam Tracker reports said they purchased items listed on the company’s website and wired the money, but they never received the product they ordered. 

One victim reported the following: “We were dealing with Kazem. They took our 15k wire transfer for the tractor we were supposed to buy on 6-7-22, and it was supposed to be here on 6-18-22. No call, no show. They don’t respond, and if we call on a new phone, they hang up on us.”

Customers also reported that the items for sale on the website were legitimate products, but businesses were selling them in other parts of the country. Some also added that they received threatening communications from the company after sharing their experience online.

“Kazem Jawad, listed as sales manager on the website, has published my cell number. I am now flooded with robo messages every one to two seconds. It is blowing up my phone. I was out of town and just came back (no cell service) and got a text asking me to rescind my question to BBB here or he would publish my info. When I texted him that I had done nothing to him and to stop, he called me a liar. My phone is now useless, and I must spend hours trying to salvage it. Is this the behavior of a legitimate businessperson? I was out of town and away from internet and cell service. No effort was made to resolve this issue before he published my personal info.”

After further review, BBB CSAL officials learned that there used to be a Stephens Truck & Equipment in Millbrook, which was confirmed by the owner of that now-closed business. It has been closed for multiple years, and the website scammers created is pretending to be that company.

The website was created in April of 2022 and is registered in Malaysia. BBB CSAL officials attempted to contact the business by telephone and email. The President and CEO of BBB CSAL even made a trip to the addresses on the business’s website and did not find a functioning business. BBB officials eventually did speak with the ‘business’ while they were attempting to have false positive reviews submitted on bbb.org.

Garet Smitherman, BBB’s former Operations Director and current VP of Communications and Marketing, said, “The number of components involved in this fraud is impressive. Not only did they find a trustworthy business that is permanently closed to impersonate online, but they were also able to obtain and falsify regulatory licenses, find products listed by other legitimate businesses around the country to lift and offer as their own, they then submitted information update requests to BBB in an attempt to pawn off the fraudulent activity onto another local business that was not involved in any way, all while convincing unsuspecting customers around the country to wire-transfer them tens of thousands of dollars for tractors and other heavy equipment.” 

Recently, BBB CSAL officials received another Scam Tracker report from a consumer searching for a piece of heavy equipment. When they went to Craigslist, they found a listing from what they thought was a reputable dealership. The consumer contacted the dealer, who told them they could have the item delivered to them, but they needed to send a wire transfer of $17,500.

“There is a new scam, very similar, and I believe that it is the same person. They got our money and never delivered the piece of equipment. I think they changed the name to CLEBURNE TRUCK AND EQUIPMENT and the new website is cleburnetruckequipment.com.”

The delivery date came and went, and they did not receive the piece of heavy equipment they ordered. Since then, all attempts by the consumer to get in touch with the business have gone unanswered. Upon receiving the Scam Tracker report, BBB CSAL Officials went to the website the so-called dealership was using for Cleburne Trucking and Equipment. 

BBB determined that the scammers have repackaged the same website as the Stephens Truck and Equipment scam, using the same equipment photos but changing the name, phone, and address. They’ve also lifted images from a real estate agency and listed those unrelated people as staff for their ‘business.’

BBB CSAL officials want to urge the public and business owners to remember the following:

• Never send money to someone you have never met face-to-face
• Take caution when buying items online
  • Wiring money and gift cards for payment are major red flags
  • Physical location - is there one, and is it legitimate?
  • Don’t shop on price alone
  • Don’t buy unless it is a secure website
  • Remember that scammers can easily mimic websites by stealing fonts and graphics
  • Use secure and traceable transaction methods
  • Does the website have contact information that is more than just an email address
• Make sure that a business has the appropriate competency and trade licensing requirements

UPDATE 8-1-2023: BBB has been informed of another fraudulent heavy equipment imposter that has committed corporate identity theft of another legitimate Alabama business. The website is https://blackstruckandequipment.com and is operating as BLack's Truck & Equipment Sales.