Car Dealer Warns of Fraud After Attempted Scam
Nadia Adan, a popular car dealer, has spoken out after a recent encounter with a fraudster who attempted to swindle her out of two luxury vehicles. Despite the attempted crime, Adan says she harbors no ill will towards the perpetrator and hopes he receives the help he needs.
Adan, who advertises her dealership on Instagram, has issued a stark warning to other motor traders, urging them to remain vigilant against fraudsters. Her experience serves as a reminder for businesses in the industry to be cautious and aware of potential scams.
Callum Kearney, 23, was sentenced to three years in jail, with 21 months suspended, following his attempt to deceive Adan. He had tried to acquire two BMWs from her, but before that he had already stolen a car from another Cork dealership.
In Adan’s case, Kearney arranged a video call to view the two vehicles at her Ashford Motors dealership in Wicklow. The cars were valued at €89,950 and €54,950. Adan stated that remote viewings are not unusual, and she often finalizes deals in a similar way.
“It was going for about a week. He had rang initially and he viewed the two sports cars on FaceTime,” Adan explained. “It was himself on the video call with me and I showed him the cars. I spent ages with him on the phone. He came across really well. Stuff like this does happen from time to time. It doesn’t happen often but you don’t want to discount anyone because it can happen.”
Kearney told her that he’d take the cars, and Adan exchanged her details with him. However, he then sent photoshopped images of AIB bank transfers in an attempt to convince her that the funds had been transferred.
He began to demand the vehicles be delivered, even though payment hadn’t been received. Furthermore, Kearney requested the cars be delivered to an address he provided, which Adan discovered was listed for sale on a property website.
“He was getting a bit aggressive with me then, that he was going to come down,” Adan added. “I said, ‘well, look, you can come down. It’s very strange the money hasn’t hit. I think we should call the Guards to find out where this money has gone’.”
Gardai became involved after Kearney stole a different car from a Cork dealership, under the pretense of a test drive. She then became a part of the investigation.
“The Guards got in touch with me and they added it on as another charge because of the level of what he was doing to get the two cars with the fraudulent transfers and all that,” Nadia stated.
Prior to this incident, Kearney was already incarcerated for convincing individuals, including friends, to invest over €47,000 in cryptocurrency. One victim in that case lost €30,000.
Despite the potential financial loss, Adan said she bears no resentment towards Kearney.
“I think although it could have been a bad experience financially, I was lucky enough not to have been duped,” she said. “But it’s important to make car dealers and any other business aware of what lengths people would go to to dupe and scam people these days. We all have to be vigilant about it. I really don’t have anything against him and I hope he gets the help he needs.”
Kearney has a history of 41 prior convictions, and is in an enhanced prison regime. His defense described him in court as a “Walter Mitty-type” and stated that he hopes to work as a paramedic in the future.
