CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man who, they said, used cars as part of a social media scam.
According to the Coral Gables Police Department, 71-year-old Pedro Horta is a professional con man who scammed at least three victims in the city.
Detectives believe there are more victims, extending into Broward County.
Lucy Rodriguez, one of the alleged victims, said she met Horta back in January.
She said they connected at first because he reminded her of her grandfather, but she would soon learn that trusting him was a bad decision.
“He was just a sweet old man, like my grandfather,” said Rodriguez.
But Horta wasn’t a sweet old man.
“He was very convincing. Very convincing, and I just fell for everything he said, unfortunately,” Rodriguez said. “Like I knew him from a long time. We connected very well.”
Horta met Rodriguez at her waitressing job at Fritz and Franz Bierhaus in Coral Gables and offered her a job as his driver. He could even help her buy a newer car, and it was a deal.
“He said he knew the owner, and I was like, ‘OK, sure.’ It was five grand for a used vehicle, a nice used vehicle,” Rodriguez said.
They met one more time before Jan. 29. That’s when Rodriguez handed Horta the $5,000 for a new car.
“He left after that with my money, and I never saw him again,” she said.
But it didn’t stop there. Horta is accused of stealing two cars, focusing his attention on the sellers posting on Facebook Marketplace.
In one case, he pulled up to the Coral Gables Marriott during the test drive and told the seller he was surprising his daughter who worked inside with a new ride. He even convinced the owner to participate.
When the seller goes inside the hotel to get Horta’s daughter, officers said Horta sped off. There was no daughter, and when the owner came back outside, no Horta.
A few days later, Horta was picked up by Sunny Isles Police in that stolen car.
“I felt cheated. I felt dumb,” Rodriguez said.
As Rodriguez and Horta’s other alleged victims learn from their mistakes, police hopes this serves as a reminder to others.
“We know you need to exchange some kind of information to meet up with people, but always meet in a public place. If you’re going to do a large transaction, do it at a bank. That way, there’s cameras there and you can verify that the funds are pulled immediately and you won’t get scammed,” said Coral Gables Police Sgt. Alex Escobar.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of Horta is urged to call Coral Gables Police.
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