Kennesaw Police Seek Help in eBay Fraud Case

The Kennesaw Police Department is looking for a person of interest in an eBay fraud case.

More than $12,800 vanished last month after a Ruskin, Fla., man wired the money to a SunTrust Bank account that authorities have learned was opened using a fraudulent passport.

The Florida man told investigators that after he showed interest in buying a 1969 Dodge Charger on eBay, a female seller named Linda Caragan directed him to another website to start bidding on it.

He won the auction, and someone posing as Caragan's attorney contacted him. The attorney, who identified himself as George Hallmatt, told the man how and where to wire the money for the final purchase.

On Dec. 17, the man did what he was instructed to do. His $12,860 wire transfer was withdrawn, but he "hasn’t seen the vehicle he purchased and all correspondence has stopped with Mr. Hallmatt," Luther said.

Surveillance footage from the bank shows a white man in his late 50s to early 60s who is between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11 and close to 190 pounds. Detectives aren't certain, but they believe the man in the footage is Hallmatt.

If anyone has information that could help authorities identify the person in the picture, call 770-429-4533 ext 3031 or slewis@kennesaw-ga.gov. If you want to remain anonymous, go to www.crimestoppers.com or call 404-577-8477.