TV Scammers Strike Again, Providence Man Out $4,200 in Scheme at Sears

A Providence, RI man paid $4,200 for what he believed was a deal on six 60-inch Samsung televisions only to have the supposed seller ditch him at the South Shore Plaza and take his money.

In what has become a fairly common scheme at the Plaza, and specifically at Sears, the victim told police that last Friday, July 20, he met a man purporting to be a Sears shipping manager, gave him the money and never received the promised TVs and accessory packs, Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said in a statement.

A man known only as "Steve" approached the victim at his Providence auto body shop last Friday and told him about the supposed deal. "Steve told the victim that his brother was the shipping manager at Sears at the South Shore Plaza and had an abundance of Samsung televisions that he was looking to sell for a good price," Jenkins said. 'The victim agreed to call Steve's brother and ultimately agreed to meet him in the lower level of the parking garage by the Sears auto center."

The "shipping manager," known to the victim as "Carl," gave him what turned out to be a fake receipt in exchange for the money and walked away to get the TVs. He never returned and loss prevention at the Plaza could not locate him on surveillance footage, Jenkins said.