Senior Reporter-Investigative
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Online scammers are still using Courts as a cover even after an illegal transaction turned deadly at the San Juan Megastore, Churchill-Roosevelt Highway,on December 17.
Guardian Media was alerted to a Facebook Marketplace ad by a man named Steven Stewart, who promised to provide a brand new $17,000 refrigerator for only $9,500 from Courts.
When Guardian Media contacted Stewart, whose Facebook profile said he joined in 2023 and has 223 friends, he assured that the transaction was not a scam.
However, relatives of the Lessey siblings, who died following the Court shootout, said they too met someone on Facebook who assured that he was a Courts manager and could get items at a discounted price.
During the conversation with Stewart, a Guardian Media representative acting undercover was told that what happened at Courts Megastore will not happen with him as this was his “side hustle” and he had been doing it for years.
Stewart, who agreed to a final price of $9,000—$500 less than the advertised price, offered to accept $4,500 as a down-payment and the rest on delivery.
He said he has never had any complaints.
Asked about a warranty on the appliance if any issue arises, he said he would “send a technician straight to yuh house.”
“I is a manager, I working Courts here ... is not now, is years now I doing this. I was telling her, she was telling me, I don’t know what transpired down there (Courts Megastore) but I is not of that. I am not a person like that,” he insisted
Seeking to assure the Guardian Media representative, he added that “yuh have to be real careful.”
He added that in his side hustle he only deals in cash, some of which he uses to pay the “storeroom guys”.
How the deal went down
He offered to accept half of the payment on the item saying he was willing to “work with that” as he wanted everything to run smoothly.
“Once you understand me and I understand you, buddy, we won’t have a problem, everything will go down smooth,” he said, adding that Courts had a sale on items at the time.
Stewart advised that after handing over the cash, the individual could go into Courts, select the item and collect it afterwards, even promising a receipt.
Between December 21 and 22, Stewart called a number belonging to the Guardian Media representative ten times, seven of those times on December 22 to facilitate the transaction.
The longest call lasted two minutes and 15 seconds at which time “Brandon” was introduced.
The handover was due to take place at Havelock Street, Curepe, near the Courts branch.
Brandon told the Guardian Media representative that he did not want to meet close to Courts as he was on duty and could not be seen outside in a direction opposite to Courts’ backdoor.
On December 22, Brandon arrived around 9.57 am. He was wearing a grey button-up T-shirt, black soft pants and a white Nike Air Force Ones. His hair was combed in a cornrow style, and he drove a black Nissan Tiida.
At the meeting point, Guardian Media’s representative told Brandon that the cash was in an account and time was needed to collect it.
After informing Stewart that the money was not available at the moment for the transaction, Brandon left.
A Guardian Media team followed Brandon, who was supposedly on duty at the branch, from Curepe to San Juan as he leisurely drove along the Eastern Main Road, sipping his water and smoking.
His seat laid back and windows down.
Courts: We don’t know these men
In response to questions by Guardian Media, Courts said none of the names provided to them by Guardian Media were in any way affiliated with them.
“Given that this situation is currently being investigated by the authorities, we have no further statements on the matter. In instances where false purchases would have occurred in the past, these matters were reported to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
“We have continually communicated with our customers that all genuine transactions occur in-store or online at courts.com. In both instances, an official physical or electronic receipt of purchases will be provided immediately upon an official purchase transaction.”
In a Facebook post on December 19, Courts said it prioritised the safety of all customers and reminded customers that all genuine transactions happen in store.
“If you come across any individual trying to sell products in our parking lots, don’t hesitate to inform our branch manager. Let’s keep our shopping experience safe and secure,” the post read.
Hours after the double killing, Courts issued a statement saying the incident between the deceased and the officer was a “private financial transaction” unrelated to them.
The company added: “We would like to reiterate that our car park serves as a space for our customers to park their vehicles while visiting our stores. They should not be used for any private financial/business transactions. Our customers’ safety and the safety of our staff is of utmost importance to us. This incident, while isolated in nature, will be taken seriously by our security team. All efforts would be made to ensure that the shopping experience for all during the festive season remains as safe as possible.”
Police warns: Stay away from deals that are too good to be true
On December 21—ASP Rajesh Lal stressed the need for customers to be extra vigilant for deals that could be too good to be true.
“We still have individuals making purchases, thinking you can make purchases and you can get a steal of a deal. In most instances it’s actually a steal, rather than a deal.”
He added that when some people “receive a bess deal” it can be that they are purchasing stolen property.
In November 2021, then acting superintendent Joseph Chandool said there was a “new phenomenon” of people being lured to secluded spots and robbed after arranging with “businessmen” they met online.
“The executive urges people to use the police station as their meeting place. If someone asks to do so and the other party refuses, that ought to be a red flag and that alone lets you know that everything is not above board,” he stressed.
