They Stole My Truck and My Life.... I'm Counting on Truckers to Help Tell My Story

I put everything I owned into buying this truck, only to find out I was scammed. The people who did this to me should not be able to drive up and down the road without consequence while I have to rebuild my life. I do have a website set up but I'm not sure if I can post it here or not. Please help spread my story.

I was divorced and started over. After 5 years of hard work, I finally had everything I wanted. I owned my mobile home outright and was just getting my own business off the ground. ​

Finally, I was self sufficient, confident and alive. ​

Life was wonderful! And then along came Mark “Roberts” aka Mark “Ferry”​

Previously friends, Mark and I hadn’t seen or talked to each other in 2o+ years. Three months after our recent meeting Mark moved to Calgary with the shirt on his back, a motorcycle and an old pickup truck. We both grew up in the world of trucking and Mark knew it had always been my dream to own and drive a truck. He easily influenced me to go into a partnership with him and buy a 1992 Kenworth Cabover, show truck, which we would own and operate together. It's a house on wheels as shown below. ​

I would put up half of the purchase money and Mark would get financing for the other half, as he had nothing to contribute. I agreed to sell my home and go into partnership with him. My contribution was a loan and both my loan and his financing were to be re-paid from money earned by the truck. Mark didn’t have a bank account in Alberta, so I added him to my existing bank account. ​

Now, partners in business and life, I wrote Gary Hammond a cheque for $1,000.00 as a deposit on our truck. ​

I listed my home, pictured below and sold it within the week, for $30,000.00. ​

I gave Gary Hammond a money order for $19,000.00. Mark was still working on financing his portion of the truck purchase. Mark’s step-father, James A Chalmers aka Bert Chalmers agreed to help Mark with the financing. November 1, 2009 was the closing date on my home. We had to move out but didn’t have the truck totally secured as yet. I sold most of my furnishings and stored the remainder. I shut down my business and parked my car in storage. Mark wanted me to sell the car as well but, although I had made payments for 3 ½ years, I hadn’t paid it off yet and wouldn’t likely get enough money to make selling it practical. Keeping my car seemed like a better plan to me. We moved into the Pointe Inn in Calgary while we waited for the truck to become our home. I was spending too much of my money on our living arrangements and as it was Mark’s doing that he didn’t yet have financing, Mark borrowed $5,000.00 from Bert Chalmers. Gary Hammond was now pushing for the remainder of the funds so Bert (Mark’s financer) transferred $10,000.00 into our joint account at which I wrote another cheque for $10,000.00 to Gary Hammond. Gary agreed to release the truck to us and also to finance the balance owing should Mark be unable to secure financing. Gary held Mark’s motorcycle in his garage as security. ​

We had the Kenworth safety checked, made the necessary repairs, certified the truck, added the decals and on November 24, 2009 we went on the road transporting goods across Canada for Go Transport. Go Transport agreed to pay us bi-weekly, with pay statements forwarded to Mark’s e-mail address and paycheques deposited into our joint bank account. Back and forth we went, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton. We laughed, and were having a great time. Mark did the driving because he said he wanted to get used to the truck before he taught me to drive. I did the cooking, laundry, cleaning and bookkeeping. On December 4, 2009 our first pay went into the joint account. Mark still didn’t want me to drive but now it was because winter had arrived and he would rather me wait until the spring to learn. Reluctantly I continued to cook, clean and keep books. Second pay, December 20, 2009, the statement came but there was no money in the account. Mark assured me that he had talked to Daniel at Go Transport and it would be there soon, as they had some payroll issues. Bert lent another $1,500.00 to Mark until payday. I never saw another pay after that. ​

What happened to me then?​

On January 6, 1010 Mark Roberts kicked me out of the truck in Toronto. I made my way back to Calgary. Emotionally, I just shut down. I cried for weeks. I could not pull myself back together. My world was destroyed in a few short months by a man that I trusted. I couldn’t believe this could happen to me. I wondered what I had done so wrong that Mark would actually kick me out of the truck and leave me in Toronto, 2,700 km from home. ​

I was in complete denial. I was devastated. I lived with friends as I had nowhere to go and no money to go anywhere. ​

I discovered that the Kenworth had been registered to Bert Chalmer’s Ontario Company. I found that Mark had been scamming his whole life and the motorcycle that he owned was actually reported as stolen to his trustee when he filed bankruptcy. I put liens on the truck. Bert sent me a letter threatening that he would sue me for interfering with his business. Gary Hammond told me the truck had been paid in full and although I asked questions about it, he would not discuss anything further with me. Mark simply said I will never see a penny of my money back. ​

I called Mark on a regular basis asking for my money. Eventually he told me that Bert was going to set up a repayment plan. Bert offered $500.00 per month. Of course there has never been any mention of interest. I did not and still do not agree to such a small amount. I requested more and was told maybe in 5-6 months they would increase the payment. ​

I received 4 payments of $500.00 each and then it stopped. ​

I eventually rented myself a basement apartment. Just having my own place to call home again, along with the support of my friends and family, I am now ready to go after what is mine. ​

I’m tired of being the nice guy in this. ​

I have also decided to go back into business for myself, helping the little guys with their legal or life issues. ​

If I never see a penny of my money again...... ​

I AM FIGHTIN BACK!​

 

My story is long and I have a website set up to tell it but I don't think I can post my website on here. I've never been on one of these sites, I'm just learning.

 

fightin back is the site