Man arrested for allegedly using Daryl Vaz's name to carry out scam

Government Minister, Daryl Vaz, is expressing frustration following the latest arrest of a man who allegedly posed as his  assistant in a bid to scam persons.

The suspect was arrested during a sting operation on Wednesday following a probe into reports of individuals using Vaz's name to defraud people in a multimillion dollar vehicle auction scam.

“I can confirm that I was notified today (Wednesday) in relation to somebody using my name to scam people for money," Vaz told The Gleaner by telephone Wednesday night.

“What is worrisome to me is that since the arrest I have gotten five phone calls from other persons, who also have been approached by telephone contact impersonating me. I now consider this, based on the arrest of an individual last year where I thought that this matter was put to bed, to realise now that the mastermind is still at large.

“This is a very serious matter, which is gonna require the attention of all of the authorities to get to the mastermind, and I am prepared to do anything in my power including putting up... a reward for the capture of this mastermind. They have fleeced millions of dollars, over the last two years, using my good name and this must stop. This is an absolute disgrace, where people are losing millions of dollars as a result of my good name," Vaz stated.

Vaz, who is also the member of parliament for Western Portland, said that he is calling on all the authorities, local and international, for their assistance to bring closure to the matter.

The Corporate Communications Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force says the latest incident involved the owner of a hotel in Portland and occurred between January 9 and 10.

The businessman was approached by the imposter who identified himself as Vaz's assistant and Mr Reynolds, a customs officer.

The imposter offered the complainant an opportunity to purchase two 2019 Toyota Prado motor vehicles, asking for a payment of $2.5 million for customs duty and storage fees.

The businessman subsequently consulted Vaz to confirm the fraudulent nature of the scheme and the police later conducted a sting operation.

This operation led to the arrest of a 31-year-old auto mechanic from Draxhall, St Ann, when he attempted to collect the money.

The suspect is being detained at the Denham Town Lock-up for obtaining money by false pretence as the investigation progresses to determine the full scope of the fraudulent operation.

In June 2021, Shawn Latham, a merchandiser of Kingston Drive, Kingston 19, was charged with obtaining money by false pretence and fraudulent conversion after investigators revealed that between June 9 and 14 of that year, he used Vaz's name and image to trick persons into making payments for vehicles.

- Gareth Davis

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.