Ft Wayne nabs GR craigslist scammer

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Police say the con man worked hard at what he did. He put ads on craigslist for a baby sitting job offering enough money---$200 a week---to attract victims. Fifteen Grand Rapids women responded, paid him $20 for what he said would be a background check and handed him their personal information.

Grand Rapids police detective Ruth Walters said the victims all said the guy was well-spoken, neatly dressed, professional and convincing.

Police had a surveillance picture of him and information that they distributed to news media in July. Fortunately, that information lingered on the Internet.

So when a Fort Wayne, Indiana woman became suspicious of her contact with a man who placed a craigslist babysitting ad there, she went online and found the Grand Rapids info. She called Detective Walters. "So I, in turn, called Fort Wayne Police and they, in turn, set up a decoy operation."

That sting resulted in the arrest of 30-year old Randy Hatter. He was already known as an identity thief and forger from Flint. He's done time for it and was out on parole.

Detective Walters said Hatter has admitted being in Grand Rapids but has not admitted to the crimes.

Police believe he's their man and that he may have been involved in similar crimes in a half dozen states.

Walters said police believe he operated out of Detroit and showed up in other places only to meet with victims, usually at restaurants, to collect their identities and the $20. She said he used a different name every time.

Walters said if the suspicious victim in Fort Wayne hadn't found the information and her name on the Internet they never would have caught him.