More than $288,000 in agricultural property purchased by phony cashier’s checks has been recovered by authorities in Mississippi.
The Mississippi Agriculture and Livestock Theft Bureau received a report on April 30 about a tractor that had been bought in Rankin County by suspects using a fraudulent check. The alleged fraud victim contacted authorities, and law enforcement began what would ultimately become a multi-state investigation.
The assessment into the stolen tractor, according to officials, led to the recovery of additional pieces of stolen property. The suspects reportedly purchased trucks, cars, tractors and ATV/UTV vehicles from Facebook Marketplace with bogus checks in at least three states.
Arrests have been made in this ongoing investigation, with additional subjects expected to be handcuffed in the future. Authorities did not name the alleged perpetrators who were handcuffed in connection with this investigation.
The following law enforcement departments assisted Mississippi’s livestock theft authorities in recovering the stolen equipment:
- Brandon Police Department
- Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office
- Madison Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office
- Franklin Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office
- Grenada Police Department
- Amite County Sheriff’s Office
- Adams County Sheriff’s Office
- Hazlehurst Police Department
- Jackson Police Department
- National Insurance Crime Bureau
- Memphis (Tennessee) Police Department
- McComb Police Department
- Auburn (Alabama) Police Department
- Richland Police Department
Officials remind the public to verify the validity of a prospective buyer’s payment information and to facilitate the exchange of goods in a safe place, like the parking lot of a local police department, before purchasing an item from Facebook Marketplace.
