Family-Owned Troy Business Offers $15,000 Reward After Alleged $27,000 Trailer Fraud
- John Eads
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
TROY, Mo. — Three dump trailers are gone, a family-owned Troy business is out approximately $27,000, and now the owners are hoping their story will stop the same thing from happening to someone else.
After reaching out to Lincoln CountyWatch, Newline Trailer shared how what appeared to be a routine sale quickly unraveled into an alleged fraud case that is now under investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. The company is offering a $15,000 cash reward for information leading to the recovery of the trailers.
According to information provided by Newline Trailer, an individual purchased three TrailMax 7x14 dump trailers using identification and payment information the business now believes was fraudulent. The initial payment was later returned unpaid. After contacting the buyer, the business said it was provided with a different routing and account number in an attempt to complete the transaction, but that payment also failed.
By the time the failed payments were discovered, the owners said it was too late to recover one of the most important pieces of evidence. They told Lincoln CountyWatch they did not realize the payment had failed until roughly one to two weeks after the sale, and during that time their surveillance system had automatically overwritten any available footage of the customer.
The business also said the phone number provided during the transaction is believed to have been associated with a TextFree-style service. At this time, the only identifying information they have is a photograph of what they believe to be a fraudulent driver's license along with photographs of one of the stolen trailers. All three missing trailers are described as TrailMax 7x14 dump trailers.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Lincoln CountyWatch that a fraud report has been taken, the three trailers have been entered into the Missouri criminal database as stolen, and the investigation has been assigned to the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division.
Because the investigation remains active, the Sheriff's Office said it cannot comment on investigative details or potential suspects. Investigators also said they are not currently aware of any confirmed reports indicating the same individuals have victimized other Lincoln County businesses. Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a similar fraud or has information that could assist investigators is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office.
For Newline Trailer, the goal is no longer just recovering the missing trailers.
"As a small, family-owned business, this situation has been extremely concerning," the company said in a statement provided to Lincoln CountyWatch.
The owners also said they hope sharing their experience will help protect other businesses from becoming victims of similar scams and encourage business owners to take additional precautions during high-dollar transactions.
Newline Trailer is offering a $15,000 cash reward for information leading to the recovery of the three stolen trailers.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (636) 462-6513 or submit a tip through the Sheriff's Office's online crime tip reporting system.
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Story by: John Eads
Primary Sources
Statement and information provided by Newline Trailer
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office statement provided to Lincoln CountyWatch
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division
Photographs provided by Newline Trailer
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