OTTAWA COUNTY —The Ottawa County Sheriff's office is warning residents of a property scam. On the department's social media page, Sheriff Russ Thorton wrote, "Citizens Of Ottawa County, it has been brought to our attention that several of you have received a letter from “Tekoa Da Silva” wanting to buy your land. I did some research on Mr. Da Silva on the internet and he has done the same thing in many different counties in Kansas where citizens have been warned about doing business with him."
'I called and spoke with Mr. Da Silva or someone claiming to be him, regarding the letters. I notified Edmond City PD about Mr. Da Silva and the activity we are dealing with here in our County."
"First, Mr. Da Silva does not have the funds to purchase your ground at the low offer he gave or any offer to be honest. He admitted this to me over the phone. Second, the “Purchase Agreement Form” does not appear to be a legitimate document and would not be legally binding. Third, the address that he has on the letter and the purchase agreement is only a PO Box in Edmond OK, it is not an actual business address."
"Regardless of whether the document is legal or not Mr. Da Silva is asking for personal information that you should never give freely to people. The world we live in today is not as honest as it once was. This is not how normal business is conducted, why would someone want to purchase something sight unseen. We will do everything we can at our office to protect our citizens who aren’t as familiar with these scams. We are asking for family and friends who can help educate and protect others from this kind of activity to do so."
