A Texas man allegedly used Instagram to recruit individuals to hire automobiles for him, however the automobiles had been pushed to Mexico after which bought
- A Houston-man has been charged in reference to a scheme to steal greater than 25 automobiles.
- Kenneth Westbrook allegedly used Instagram to recruit individuals to hire automobiles on his behalf.
- As a substitute of utilizing the automobiles, Westbrook allegedly despatched them to Mexico the place they had been bought to cartel members.
Social media is rife with scams and rip-offs, however the newest seems to have netted Mexican drug cartel members greater than 25 automobiles. A lot of them had been apparently Jeeps and so they’re mentioned to be price greater than $1 million (£797,550 / €928,280).
In line with the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of Texas, 29-year-old Kenneth Dwayne Westbrook was behind a scheme to steal automobiles in America after which transport them to Mexico. The feds didn’t go into many specifics, however mentioned Westbrook used Instagram to recruit individuals to hire automobiles on his behalf.
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As soon as he had the automobiles in hand, Westbrook allegedly had them pushed to Mexico the place they had been bought to cartel members. The victims had been left excessive and dry as Westbrook is claimed to have “ignored renters’ calls and messages imploring him to return” the automobiles.
Whereas the scheme was comparatively easy, it seems over two dozen individuals fell sufferer as greater than 25 automobiles had been stolen. Nonetheless, Westbrook is now going through as much as 20 years in federal jail and a doable $250,000 (£199,420 / €232,057) most high quality for every rely within the indictment.
Westbrook allegedly recruited people through Instagram and paid them to hire automobiles for him. As a substitute of returning the automobiles, he allegedly had them pushed to Mexico and bought them to alleged cartel members.
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) May 6, 2024
Particulars are hazy, however authorities routinely warning in opposition to falling sufferer to on-line scams. Minnesota’s Attorney General notes money-making schemes are a number of the hottest scams on social media and so they sometimes promise a giant payout in trade for a comparatively small upfront price. That appears to be the case right here as victims had been promised cash in trade for renting automobiles for another person.
That’s by no means a sensible concept and it is best to at all times be cautious when coping with strangers on-line. On the finish of the day, if one thing sounds too good to be true, then it in all probability is.
