MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man is in jail after police said he spent months swindling drivers out of hundreds of dollars in the Midtown area. MPD said Joe Boyce pretended to be a mechanic but never made any repairs.
Memphis Police say back in August, Boyce approached a woman leaving The Home Depot on Poplar Avenue. Court documents said he told her that her transmission fluid was leaking.
After looking under her hood, police say Boyce told her he was a mechanic and could repair her vehicle.
MPD said Boyce drove the victim to a store where he told her the parts would cost $1,400. Documents said the victim paid Boyce more than $1,800 dollars for parts and repairs.
Reports say the victim eventually took her car to her normal mechanic who found absolutely no work had been done to her vehicle.
MPD said this was not the first time they heard of Boyce’s antics. On another occasion, police said Boyce approached a man in another parking lot with a similar story.
Documents said Boyce requested six hundred dollars for those repairs but settled on sixty-eight, some gas for his vehicle, and a pack of cigarettes.
Boyce has now been charged with theft and financial exploitation of the elderly.
According to court documents, Boyce told investigators he was done scamming people, and this would be his last time. He went on to say if he thinks of anyone else that he owes money to, he’ll make sure to give them a call.
Quametra Wilborn spoke to a legitimate mechanic who said he’s very familiar with this alleged fraud.
Joey Barton Owner of Barton’s Car Care in Midtown says he knows a thing or two about cars. He also knows a thing or two about scams especially since he said many of his customers have been scammed by this man, 62-year-old Joe Boyce.
“Sometimes stuff does happen. You may go in a store and come out and something really did happen to your car and it needs to be worked on,” Barton said. “Nine times out of 10 that’s not the case.”
“It didn’t look like anything got taken out of any of them. Almost every time it was just like fluid had been dumped underneath it,” Barton said.
“Anywhere that’s certified, go have them look at your car,” Barton said. “They’re who do it day in and day out. They’re not going to lie to you just to get a dollar.”