Scam: flat screen TVs passed off as oven doors

An unsuspecting Broken Springs woman in the market for a new oven door was conned into buying a cleverly packaged flat screen TV instead. When she arrived home and opened up what she assumed was her bubble wrapped kitchenware, she was roasting mad.

“It was actually a very modesty packaged flat screen TV,” explained an empathetic Broken Springs police chief, Jim Kingston. “There’s no telling’ how many innocent people have fallen victim to this malicious fraud. There‘s no telling’ how many people’s ovens are still doorless.”

“At first I was intrigued that my new over door came with a remote control. You know technology nowadays. Pretty soon they’ll have remote controls for remote controls,” commented the ripped off Midwesterner who wishes to remain anonymous so she won‘t be scammed again. “But when I saw that my oven door was really a flat screen TV, I knew I was out the twenty dollars I paid for it.”

The victim’s husband was no less steamed. “We tried using the item as an oven door. I drilled hinges on the side and with the help of a little duct tape, it seemed a perfect fit. But we quickly learned that it couldn’t stand the high temperatures. The good news is the fire department saved the house.”

The suspect accused of pawning off flat screened TVs as oven doors is now in custody, after he attempted to sell similar products to undercover police officers. After an intense interrogation, he confessed to selling flat screen TVs as microwave doors, cutting boards, and washers and dryers, as well. Kenneth B. Weathersby is facing numerous counts of retail fraud, as well as income tax evasion.

Kingston and other Broken Springs officials can only shake their head in disgust. The investigation will continue, on the suspicion that Weathersby’s alleged scams are related to a North Bend conman’s similar fraudulent and possibly copycat activity.

Area officials have urged all public residents in need of an oven door to purchase them only from reputable retail stores, such as Radio Shack.