Sheriff’s Department warns residents about potential scammers in the area
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By Jeff Snyder
and Ken Garner
MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Department last week requested the assistance of county resident in helping to locate individuals involved in a multi-state scheme.
The original BOLO (be on the lookout), issued on January 7, identified a construction company that allegedly had been operating in the southwest Iowa, specifically in Ringgold County — as well as northwest Missouri area, starting in mid-December. The sheriffs office indicated in their inquiry that the person(s) of interest were operating under the name MG Construction or some similar name. The company members were allegedly seen driving in orange pickup trucks.
The reason for the BOLO was that law enforcement agencies throughout the region MG Construction had credible information that representatives of that company were possibly extracting thousands of thousands of dollars from area residents with fraudulent or exaggerated fees for promised or provided services, specifically tree removal services.
One such case was reported in Bethany Missouri, where an arrest warrant from Harrison County was issued on December 23 for Cory Richard Kreiling. of Lees Summit, Missouri for two counts of Financial Exploitation of the Elderly/Disabled Person with a bond of $50,000 cash only.
Kreiling is currently in the custody of the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department on felony charges of Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention with a bond of $100,000 cash or surety.
According to the BOLO, it is believed that Kreiling is working with an individual in Ringgold County and the greater southwest Iowa area who may be going by the name of Riley Culbertson, looking to engage in a similar pattern of deceit as is alleged in the Harrison County case.
While the preliminary investigation in Ringgold County did not indicate that there was a specific pattern in the deceit, it was determined that several similar cases covering two states indicated that the victims tended to be elderly residents but there is no limit as to who may be targeted, according to Chief Deputy Nathan Nickle.
“He’s been doing this for quite awhile,” Nickle said. “(They are) targeting people no matter age or gender.”
Besides asking for the public to be on the lookout for these individuals, Nickle encourages people to be knowledgeable about who is performing work for you, and even recommends asking for them to produce a peddler’s license or other documentation that shows they have checking with the county government or city hall in Mount Ayr.
“I don’t care if your 18 or 88 make sure the people who are doing work on your house have checked in,” he said. “If it sounds fishy, it is fishy.”
The sheriff’s department has not indicated that similar charges against any associated individuals are currently pending in the Ringgold County area, but they did indicate that potential victims are possible and that the investigation is ongoing.
Potential customers should always be careful in dealing with outside contractors, especially ones that are unknown in the community. There are several steps that can be taken to help protect against unscrupulous predators.
Always check to see if the contractor is licensed and bonded to perform the work. Always get a written estimate for the work to be performed from the contractor. Always check references for the contractor to make sure that previously completed work has been done to the customer’s satisfaction. Most importantly, make sure that the contractor has a verifiable business address and a tax ID number directly associated with the business.
If anyone has any information regarding this issue or who believes they may be a victim of something similar contact the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Department.
