Be'er Sheva Man Indicted for Defrauding Northern Car Owners

A 23-year-old resident of Be'er Sheva, Amin Kirnawi, was indicted on Thursday at the Nazareth Magistrate's Court for defrauding two vehicle owners from the north in a scam totaling hundreds of thousands of shekels. The indictment was filed by the prosecution unit of the Emakim region in the Israel Police.

Details of the Fraud Operation

According to police investigator Staff Sergeant Lial Kadosh Amram from the Afula police station, the first complaint was filed on August 23 by an Afula resident who posted his Skoda Superb for sale on Facebook. After meeting in Afula, the defendant expressed interest, took a test drive, and agreed to buy the vehicle.

Ownership was transferred on the spot, and the defendant provided a forged bank transfer confirmation. When the victim checked his account the next day, he discovered the money had not been transferred. For six days, the suspect stalled the victim with false promises to check with his accountant before a complaint was filed.

Second Scam and Subsequent Arrest

A similar complaint was filed three days later by a resident who tried to sell a Hyundai Tucson worth 130,000 shekels. The suspect used the same method, presenting a fake bank transfer confirmation.

"The owner checked his bank account in the morning and discovered the money never arrived. The suspect claimed everything was fine on his end, and the owner immediately realized he was scammed and filed a complaint," said Staff Sergeant Kadosh Amram.

Hours later, the suspect was arrested at the Tanim checkpoint, and the stolen vehicle was seized and transferred to a police lot. The indictment charges Kirnawi with obtaining property by fraud, forgery, and vehicle theft.

Defense attorney Nadav Greenwald stated in response: "This is a normative citizen who denies all charges and is expected to be released to his home."