Complaint Review: Joseph Mullen - McKeesport Pennsylvania

 Joe responded to a Craigslist ad for tractor report (obviously my first mistake).  He picked up my tractor on Thursday March 16, 2017. He asked for cash up front to cover the cost of the delivery and materials needed (mistake #2).  Joe contacted me the next day and sounded very knowledgeable about what the tractor needed.  He explained what parts were needed and came by to pick up additional cash to get the parts he needed (OK, I really screwed up).  He promised to have the tractor back to me within 2 weeks.

On March 29, 2017 (when tractor was due back to me) I contacted Joe several times. From this point forwarded, we exchanged multiple texts (which I saved) in which he made several promises and then subsequent excuses regarding why he could not get my tractor back to me. We continued to text for the next few months and he continued to promise to deliver the tractor and then never show.  At this point I was very suspicious and asked Joe to text me a picture of my tractor and even offered to rent a trailer to pick up the tractor myself.  Joe became defensive and said he did not appreciate being accused of being a thief.

In early July, I had enough of the texting and empty promises and threatened to make a police report of stolen property.  Joe texted me on July 12, 2017 and informed me that he would personally deliver my tractor to me on July 28, 2017 when he was back in town. July 28 came and went with no phone or text from Joe.  I contacted the local police department and they called Joe as well.  They did not have any success touching base with him. 

Joe texted me on August 7, 2017 to let me know that the tractor was "stolen" from his garage at 417 26th Street, McKeesport, PA 15132. He indicated to me that his wife reported the tractor missing to the McKeesport Police Department (Warden’s Desk) on July 28, 2017 (the same day he was to deliver the tractor to me). When I confronted Joe about my skepticism about his claim he had the audacity to suggest that maybe I was the one that came to his house and took the tractor. Joe requested that I provide him with my tractor’s serial number (as requested by the McKeesport PD) so that he can report it to his insurance company and collect money to “pay me back”.  I refused to provide this information to him and said I would provide it to the PD myself.

I contacted the McKeesport PD to verify that Joe filed a police report.  I told them I would not provide Joe with the tractor's serial# because I believe he sold the tractor and was going to either use the insurance money to pay me back OR just collect the money and never pay me back.  Unfortunately, they indicated there was nothing they could do.  I did not want to provide McKeesport with the serial# for fear that Joe would have access to this information because he filed the original report.  I spoke to my local PD and they encouraged me to file a civil case against Joe.

Around this time I noticed several other people in the Pittsburgh area were posting on Facebook of how Joe scammed them and I was in contact with several of them.  I also came across a few police blotters with his name in them.  I assumed that he was finally going to get his due. However, I became very angry when I came across yet another individual was scammed by Joe in October of this year (2017).  He apparently has not learned his lesson and is right back at scamming people.

It is very frustrating that Joe continues to scam people and there is very little that can be done other than warn others about him. No legal authority feels it is worth the fuss over $1000 here and $2000 there.  Yes, you can file and even win your case in civil court.  However, there really is no way to collect the money owed.