The Glen Rock victim told borough police he thought he had an agreement to purchase a 2004 Cessna 182T for $200,000 through a website called planecheck.com, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said.
As part of the deal, he told police, he sent the purported seller a $10,000 non-refundable deposit.
The “seller” was to have flown the aircraft from Georgia and to Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford for delivery, Ackermann said.
When it never arrived, he said, the victim contacted the “seller,” who “indicated that there was an incident” that led to a crash during takeoff in Georgia.
The scammer promised a refund of the deposit, which Ackermann said also never arrived.
The victim investigated and discovered, of course, that there was no crash. Nor was there any kind of record of that particular plane having ever been at the Georgia airport, the chief said.
Glen Rock detectives were reviewing the case. The victim also filed a fraud claim with his bank.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Elizabeth and receive free news updates.