GLAMOROUS car dealer Nadia Adan has told us she bears no ill will against a swindler who attempted to dupe her out of two luxury cars.
And she hopes he gets the help he needs, saying: “I really don’t hold anything against him.”
Nadia, who advertises her car dealership on Instagram, warned motor traders that the case should serve as a reminder that they all need to be vigilant of fraudsters.
Callum Kearney, 23, was handed down jail time of three years with 21 months suspended after he attempted to con Nadia out of two BMWs before he stole one from another Cork dealership.
In Nadia’s case, Kearney video called her as she guided him around the two cars at her Ashford Motors dealership in Wicklow, which were worth €89,950 and €54,950.
Nadia said this is not abnormal as she sometimes strikes deals in similar circumstances.
She said: “It was going for about a week. He had rang initially and he viewed the two sports cars on FaceTime.
“It was himself on the video call with me and I showed him the cars. I spent ages with him on the phone.
“He came across really well. Stuff like this does happen from time to time.
“It doesn’t happen often but you don’t want to discount anyone because it can happen.
“Sometimes people just buy cars over the phone without seeing it because they’re used to doing those types of transactions.”
Kearney told her he’d take the cars and Nadia exchanged her details with him.
But deceiving Kearney sent photoshopped images of AIB bank transfers in a bid to convince Nadia.
He started to demand that the cars be handed over, despite the money not transferring.
‘GETTING A BIT AGGRESSIVE’
He then asked for the cars to be delivered to an address, which Nadia searched online and found it was for sale on property website Daft.ie.
She added: “He was getting a bit aggressive with me then, that he was going to come down.
“I said, ‘well, look, you can come down. It’s very strange the money hasn’t hit. I think we should call the Guards to find out where this money has gone’.”
It was after he stole the car from a Cork dealership, which he was meant to just take for a test drive, that gardai became involved.
They later contacted Nadia, who added: “The Guards got in touch with me and they added it on as another charge because of the level of what he was doing to get the two cars with the fraudulent transfers and all that.”
‘I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH’
Kearney had already been locked up before his latest sentencing after he induced people, including friends, to pass over €47,000 to invest in cryptocurrency.
One of the victims in that case lost €30,000.
However, Nadia does not hold any resentment towards serial fraudster Kearney.
She said: “I think although it could have been a bad experience financially, I was lucky enough not to have been duped.
“But it’s important to make car dealers and any other business aware of what lengths people would go to to dupe and scam people these days. We all have to be vigilant about it.
“I really don’t have anything against him and I hope he gets the help he needs.”
Kearney had 41 prior convictions but is in an enhanced regime in prison.
He was described in court as a “Walter Mitty-type” by his own defence, who said Kearney hopes to work as a paramedic in the future.
