No suspects identified as of Oct. 30
“Detectives with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) successfully shut down a fraudulent website used to scam unsuspecting horse buyers,” the agency announced on Friday, Oct. 30.
The investigation began on July 9, a news release says, “when a Colorado man reported losing thousands of dollars after attempting to purchase two horses from a business advertising online as Horse Adventures in Sarasota.”
The release adds that the “victim initially paid $5,000 for the horses and traveled to Sarasota to retrieve them, only to be told the seller had a family emergency and could not complete the transaction. The victim returned to Colorado without the horses.
“The seller later agreed to ship the horses for an additional $1,000,” the release continues. “When the horses failed to arrive, the victim was told they were in Louisiana and that another $3,000 was required for delivery. Suspecting fraud, he contacted SCSO detectives,” the release points out.
“Detectives discovered the website was fraudulent,” the release says, though it was “using a legitimate Florida business registration number and owner information to deceive buyers and solicit payments for horses that did not exist.
“Working alongside the Florida Attorney General’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement,” the release adds, “SCSO detectives successfully seized the fraudulent website domain, shutting down the operation and preventing the site from being used to victimize others.”
“This investigation highlights our agency’s commitment to protecting citizens and holding those who exploit unsuspecting victims accountable”, said Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman in the release.
While no suspects who could be tied to the website had been identified as of Oct. 30, the release continues, “detectives are still actively working the case and looking to identify additional victims.”
The release encourages any member of the public who has been a victim of the website scam to contact Detective Vinopal at 941-861-4900.