By Chelsea Laskowski

POLL: Kijiji scammer takes off with motorcycle

Aug 6, 2014 | 6:38 AM

One moment, a man was heading out to test drive a motorcycle he saw advertised on Kijiji, the next he was gone.

Colin and Katelyn Dupuis had advertised Colin’s 1983 Honda Nighthawk on Kijiji and interacted with the man by text message.

Initially the man pitched trading a truck for the bike, but the couple rejected the offer since they wanted extra money for home repairs.

He texted again a week later.

“This guy sent my husband another text and said ‘you know what, I want to buy the bike. I want a project to work on this summer and I’m really, really interested,’” Katelyn explained.

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The transaction progressed as most on Kijiji do, with the discussion of times to meet. The couple waited a few extra hours longer than expected for the man to show up on Sunday.

“He said his van had broke down, so he had to walk,” she said.

Again, there was nothing out of the norm as Colin and the prospective buyer talked about how it ran.

“The guy was like, ‘Oh awesome. I’m just going to take it for a cruise around the block and I’ll be right back.’ And he never came back,” Katelyn explained.

The couple decided to do some investigative work of their own and track the man down. They looked at a photo of the truck he’d offered to trade and thought it looked like it was in the Midtown area.

“We actually saw him and he recognized us and instantly took off running,” she said.

The couple reported the theft to police, and Katelyn said her husband feels horrible about the incident.

“He feels like he should have tried to get some kind of collateral with him, but I mean, he didn’t have a car with him, which I suppose was a red flag. But you try to trust
people and believe in the best in people, and this is what happens to you.”

Prince Albert Police agree that sales on Kijiji need to be undertaken carefully. Getting collateral is a good idea in situations like that.

Prince Albert Police said a few days later, Melfort RCMP arrested the suspect. Dallas Inglehart, in his early 20s, faces two theft-related charges and is still in custody. His first court appearance was on Tuesday and he’s scheduled to be back in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Wednesday.

However, the bike still hasn’t been seen since a man took off for that “test drive.”

The couple is still hoping the bike can be recovered.

– With files from Nigel Maxwell

claskowski@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk