Man Allegedly Dupes Marietta Car Lot

A Riverdale man allegedly drove off a Marietta car lot with a BMW that he paid for with a fraudulent American Express card.

According to a Cobb County criminal warrant, Frank B. Mathis went to California Auto Sales on Jan. 9. Instead of requesting credit for the purchase of a 2003 BMW 745Li, he offered to pay the full purchase amount of $14,003.65 with his prepaid American Express Serve card.

An employee swiped the card twice, and it was declined both times.

Mathis allegedly told the employee that he would contact his bank, and he used California Auto Sales' telephone to do so.

"The accused spoke to the individual on the other end of the line as if the second person was an employee of American Express," Marietta Police wrote in the warrant.

At some point during the call, Mathis allegedly handed the telephone to the California Auto Sales employee. The person on the other end of the call provided the employee with what is known as a "push code" for the transaction.

"The 'push code' forced the transaction offline and forced the temporary authorization of payment," according to the warrant. "A receipt was generated for the amount of $14,003.65."

A review of phone records indicated that the number Mathis dialed was not associated with "any branch of American Express."

California Auto Sales has not heard from Mathis since Jan. 9, according to the warrant.

"The accused has made no payments to the business, placed no money down and the actual transaction was (later) declined by Elavon (Credit Monitoring) as being a fraudulent."

Mathis faces a charge of theft by deception greater than $1,500. It is a felony offense.