We hate to say “we told you so”, but again we point out the downside of not doing Background Screening. Had a Background check been done, the owner of a Kendall, Florida Dealership would not be wearing a red face.

The Finance Manager at the dealership discovered a treasure trove of personal and credit card information while accepting down payments on new and used cars. He used the information to make more than two dozen fraudulent phone purchases of high dollar products at Saks 5th Avenue in the Dadeland Mall. After the scheme was detected, Police detectives searched the manager’s home and recovered about $5,000 in new merchandise.

After completing their investigation, Police charged the manager, Osvaldo Batista, with Organized Scheme to Defraud, Aggravated White Collar Crime, Criminal Use of Identification and Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards.

After the crime came to light, several customers were aghast. One, Michael Gonzalez said, “It makes me feel unsafe as a customer.”

Another felt incredulous after Police pointed out that Batista was on probation for committing a similar type offense about 1 year ago, while working at another automobile dealership.

It’s shocking to think that something as simple as a criminal records search could have prevented the harm to the dealerships reputation and standing in the community.