Blackberry Twp. resident reports his identity was used to buy a Mercedes

Congratulatory letter alerted man to fraudulent car purchase

Mercedes

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – A Blackberry Township resident reported his identity was stolen and used to buy a 2019 Mercedes Benz GLE in Tennessee, according to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.

The resident of the 0S500 block of Preston Court, Blackberry Township, told deputies on March 3 that he received a letter from Ally Financial congratulating him on the vehicle purchase, the report stated.

The vehicle has a value of $40,000 to $90,000, according to an email from Sheriff Ron Hain.

“The victim never suffered any financial loss, he just received a congrats letter for buying a new car – without a loan amount on it – from Ally (Financial) Bank and began the dispute process,” Hain’s email stated.

The resident called the bank to tell them the purchase was fraudulent. The bank told him to obtain a police report, which is why he called the sheriff’s office.

The resident also called the car dealership in Tennessee, which sent him a photocopy of the driver’s license used to make the purchase. The license was also fraudulent, according to police. The man provided the photocopy to deputies.

The resident called credit reporting agencies to freeze his credit. According to police, the man had visited Nashville in July 2021.