VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies in Volusia County said they arrested a scam artist who was part of a group posing as Volusia County officials.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
Detectives said Keith Merard, 26, was arrested in South Florida after an 11-month investigation.
According to a report, Merard and others posed as Volusia County officials to con vendors out of their products.
Deputies said the group contacted hundreds of vendors to open lines of credit and make fraudulent purchases.
One company that sells Starlink kits became suspicious of a fake high-end order from Volusia County’s purchasing director, and contacted her directly, according to a report.
Deputies said the discovery led the company to realize that they previously received a very similar vendor order of 15 Starlink kits for about $48,000, which were delivered to a storage unit in Davie, and he “vendor” never paid the invoice.
Read: ‘She sounded very professional’: Tech support scam costs Orlando man $2,500
Investigators said someone eventually tried to activate one of the stolen Starlinks in October, which helped them track down the suspect.
Deputies said the money gained by selling the stolen goods would eventually be converted into Bitcoin and transferred overseas.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2024 Cox Media Group
